The tzitziot are therefore far more important than the tallit itself. But even then, the tallit is donned before sundown.For those who wear both tefillin and tallit, rabbinic law prescribes that the tallit should be donned first. ), R. Yisrael Yaaqob Alghazi (1680-1761), R. Yomtob ben Yisrael Alghazi (1726-1802)), but with a gradual movement towards prohibition mainly initiated by the Medieval Ashkenazi Rabbi Meir von Rothenburg (the Maharam). The silk talitot vary in size from about 36 × 54 inches to 72 × 96 inches. More about Tallit Cleaning . Tzitzis Threads. This is preferably worn at all times by Orthodox men.Blue is the most popular color for tallit embroidery. The original tallit probably resembled the "'abayah," or blanket, worn by the Bedouins for protection from sun and rain, and which has black stripes at the ends.The finer tallit was probably similar in quality to the Roman pallium, and was worn only by distinguished men, rabbis, and scholars. What follows is an overview of the major lifecycle events during which a Tallit is worn. A tallit, the Jewish prayer shawl, is an integral part of the morning prayer service, and a commandment in the Bible. "The basis for wearing the tallit is the biblical command in Numbers 15:37-41, in which God says to Moses:Speak to the children of Israel and bid them to affix fringes (tzitziot) to the corners of their garments... that you may look upon them and remember all the commandments of the Lord. One exception is Yom Kippur, on which tallit are worn in the evening because of the great holiness of the holiday.

The tzitziot at the four corners of the tallit are tied into knots using a complex procedure with number-related symbolic meaning. We use cookies to improve your experience on our site and bring you ads that might interest you. Because the tallit is rectangular, with identical fringes on each corner, the atara indicates "this side up." The wording of the Tzitzit Blessing is …l’hit’atef b’tzitzit, i.e. One may see people gathering the tzitzit in their left hand and kissing them when the paragraph from the Torah referring to them is recited.Most synagogues have prayer shawls available for visitors to use during services. The tallit is normally made of wool and has special twined and knotted fringes (tzitziot) attached to each of its four corners. During Sabbath and holiday evening prayers, only the cantor (prayer leader) wears a tallit.The tallit is generally worn only during the day because the biblical command on whch the tallit is based requires that the fringes be seen. For this purpose, the atara (neckband) is removed and one of the fringes is cut off. to […] However, some talitot have black stripes instead of blue because some rabbis have taught it would be improper to try to duplicate the unknown blue.The tallit is traditionally worn by Sephardi men from early childhood and by the majority of Ashkenazi men only after marriage. However, there are other occasions in which the Tallit is worn, such as during a wedding or Bris. 1038), Rashi (1040-1105), Rabbenu Tam (ca 1100-1171), Zerachya ben Yitzhak Halevi of Lunel (ca 1125-1186), Rambam (1135−1204), R. Eliezer ben Yoel Halevi (ca 1140-ca 1225), Rashba (1235−1310), Aharon Halevi of Barcelona (b. ca 1235?

This latter practice renders the tallit invalid and symbolizes the fact that legal obligations are no longer required of the deceased.ReligionFacts provides free, objective information on religion, world religions, comparative religion and religious topics. The tallit was sometimes worn partly doubled, and sometimes with the ends thrown over the shoulders.The Kabbalists considered the tallit as a special garment for the service of God, intended, in connection with the tefillin, to inspire awe and reverence for God at prayer (Zohar, Exodus Toledot, p. 141a).The purpose of the tallit is to bear the fringes (tzitziot) commanded by God in Numbers 15. The atarah is removed when the tallit is worn in burial.The tallit katan or tallet ketannah, meaning "small tallit", is worn as an undergarment beneath the shirt preferably not touching the body, but worn between an undershirt and the outer shirt. While the regular Ashkenaz tradition is to not wear a Tallit at a wedding, is an accepted practice amongst the German, Sephardic and Yemenite communities. The tallit gadol or tallet gedola, meaning a "large tallit", is worn over ones clothing resting on the shoulders. Wedding. Traditionally, men wear a tallit during morning services; in non-Orthodox synagogues, many women also wear a tallit. The tallit was developed as an outergarment on which the fringes could be worn in obedience of this command. The corner fringes on this ritual garment remind the wearer of all the commandments in the Torah.My Jewish Learning is a not-for-profit and relies on your helpThe tallit (tall-EET) or tallis (TALL-us) is a large rectangular shawl made of wool, cotton or synthetic fibers. How do you do it? This is in part because of the general symbolic significance of blue in Judaism, but also because the biblical command of the fringes also specifies, "let them attach a cord of blue to each corner" (Numbers 15:38). In some Ashkenazi communities, especially western European Ashkenazim, all men over 13 wear the tallit.Historically, the tallit has mostly been permitted for use by women (Isaac ibn Ghiyyat (b. The woolen tallit is proportionately larger (sometimes reaching to the ankle) and is made of two lengths sewed together, the stitching being covered with a narrow silk ribbon.Except that it must be long enough to be considered a garment (defined by the Code of Jewish Law as that which is large enough to cover "a small child able to walk") there are no religious specifications for the tallit itself and it can be made in a variety of sizes, materials (wool, silk or rayon) and decorated with a range of artistic patterns (see right for a unique example). As mentioned above, this blessing is usually embroidered in Hebrew on the atarah. The tallit is really just our way of fulfilling the mitzvah of wrapping ourselves in a tzitzit garment. Though this does not need to be cleaned more often, cleaning the tallit once at least every six months helps keep its top condition.