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A tallit, taleth, or tallis is a fringed garment worn as a prayer shawl by religious Jews. The tallit has special and fringes known as tzitzit attached to its four corners. The cloth part is known as the beged ("garment") and is usually made from wool or cotton, although silk is sometimes used for a tallit gadol.
The term is, to an extent, ambiguous. It can refer either to the tallit katan ("small tallit") item worn over or under clothing (commonly referred to as " tzitzit"), or to the tallit gadol ("big tallit") worn over the outer clothes during Shacharit—the morning Jewish prayer service—and all of the Yom Kippur prayer services. The term "tallit" alone typically refers to the tallit gadol.
There are diverse traditions regarding the age at which a tallit gadol is first used, including within Orthodox Judaism. In some Sephardic Jews Orthodox communities, young boys wear a tallit even before becoming b'nei mitzvah. In some communities, it is worn beginning with a boy's bar mitzvah—though the tallit katan is often worn from preschool age. In many Orthodox Ashkenazi Jewish communities, a tallit gadol is worn only after marriage and may be given to a groom as a wedding present or, in the most conservative communities, as part of a dowry.
Customs regarding the tying of the tzitzit and the format of the tallit are of Rabbinic Judaism origin and, though the Talmud discusses these matters, slightly different traditions have developed in different communities. However the Bible is specific as to the purpose of these tzitzit, stating that "it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye go not about after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go astray; that ye may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy unto your God".
The Encyclopaedia Judaica describes the prayer shawl as "a rectangular mantle that looked like a blanket and was worn by men in ancient times". Also, it "is usually white and made either of wool, cotton, or silk".Second Ed., Vol. 19, Som–Tn, 2007
Traditionally, a tallit is made of wool or linen, based on an understanding that reference to a "garment" in the Bible in connection with a mitzvah refers to wool and linen garments. Though other materials are sometimes used, the debate has not reached a conclusion, and many, especially among the orthodox, prefer wool, which is accepted by all authorities. There is also debate about mixed wool and linen tallit, since the Bible forbids shatnez—"intertying" wool and linen together, with the two exceptions being the garments of the kohanim and the tzitzit. Concerning tzitzit, chazal (the sages) permit using wool and linen strings in tandem only when genuine tekhelet (see below) is available, whereas kabbalist sources take it a step further by encouraging its practice.Rambam: Mishneh Torah, Laws of Tzizit, 3rd Chapter, #6/7 According to the biblical commandment in Numbers 15:38, a "tekhelet" thread is included in the tzitzit. (The colour of the tekhelet dye varies from blue to purple and red, although blue is the colour specifically associated with it in Judaism.) However, for many centuries since the Jewish diaspora, tzitzit have been worn without a tekhelet fringe, though there has been something of a comeback in the last hundred years.
The spelling of this word motivated a Semitic folk etymology in Modern Hebrew. טלית has been re-vocalized as though it were from the root ṭ-l-l (ט־ל־ל) meaning "cover", with the diminutive suffix - it., page 537
טלית referred to a "cloak" or "sheet" generally (as Greek στολή), but in Talmudic times already referred to the Jewish prayer shawl in particular.
The phrase "more kosher than tzitzit" is a Yiddish metaphoric expression (כשר'ער ווי ציצית) with similar connotations but is not necessarily used in a sarcastic sense. It can refer, in the superlative, to something that is really so perfect and flawless as to be beyond all reproach or criticism.
At Jewish wedding ceremonies, a tallit gadol is often used as a chuppah or wedding canopy. Similarly, a tallit gadol is traditionally spread out as a canopy over the children during the Torah-reading ceremony during the holiday of Simchat Torah, or in any procession with Torah scrolls, such as when parading a newly completed scroll through the streets.
The tallit gadol is traditionally draped over the shoulders, but during prayer, some cover their head with it, notably during specific parts of the service such as the Amidah and when called to the Torah for an aliyah.
In the and post-Talmudic periods the tefillin were worn by and scholars all day, and a special tallit was worn at prayer; hence they put on the tefillin before the tallit, as appears in the order given in "Seder Rabbi Amram Gaon" (p. 2a) and in the Zohar. In modern practice, the opposite order is considered more "correct". Based on the Talmudic principle of tadir v'she'ayno tadir, tadir kodem (תדיר ושאינו תדיר, תדיר קודם: lit., frequent and infrequent, frequent first), when one performs more than one mitzva at a time, those that are performed more frequently should be performed first. While the tallit is worn daily, tefillin are not worn on Shabbat and holidays. On the fast day of Tisha B'Av, different customs prevail. and some Sephardim do not wear a tallit gadol during the morning (Shacharit) service; at the afternoon service (Mincha), those who wear a tallit gadol make the blessing on fringes then. Other (following the Kabbalah and the prevailing custom (Minhag) for Jerusalem) wear the tallit at Shacharit as usual.
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 tallit gadol is worn by worshipers at the Jewish services on weekdays, Shabbat, and holy days. In addition, in many communities, it is worn by the hazzan (cantor) at every prayer while before the ark and by the reader of Torah, as well as by all other functionaries during the Torah reading.
Jews became at risk of losing this mitzvah when four cornered garments went out of fashion and became impractical for everyday wear. And so, a poncho-like vest undergarment was developed as a practical solution to continue following the Torah commandment. This garment is most commonly known as tzitzit, but is also referred to as arba kanfot ("four corners"), or tallit katan ("small tallit"). Jewish men wear the talit katan every day, most commonly worn under their clothing with the tzitzit knots hanging out. Some Jewish men prefer to tuck in their tzitzit to avoid drawing unwanted attention and/or for practical reasons. The tallit gadol became almost exclusively worn only for morning prayers and rarely outside.
Although Sephardi Judaism generally maintains a distinct preference for a woolen garment as per the ruling of the Shulchan Aruch, among Ashkenazim customs are split, with Moses Isserles ruling that all garment types are acceptable. While the Mishnah Berurah and Moshe Feinstein recommend wearing a woolen garment following the Shulchan Aruchs ruling, Avrohom Yeshaya Karelitz was known to wear cotton, following the ruling of the Vilna Gaon. This was also the practice of Joseph B. Soloveitchik and that of German Jewry historically.
While all four cornered garments are required to have tzitzit, the custom of specially wearing a tallit katan is based on a verse in Numbers 15:38-39 which tells Moses to exhort the Israelites to "make them throughout their generations fringes in the corners of their garments." Wearing a tallit kattan is not mandated in Biblical law, but in Rabbinic law the practice is strongly encouraged for men, and often considered obligatory or a binding custom.Rabbi Monique Susskind Goldberg, Tallit Kattan , Ask the Rabbi, The Schechter Institutes, June 2005.Aryeh Citron, Laws of Tzitzit, chabad.org The tallit katan is also known as arba kanfot (Yiddish/Ashkenazic Hebrew: arbe kanfes), literally "four corners", and may be referred to simply as tzitzit.
A continuing misconception within non-Jewish circles is that the tallit katan is a sheet which is used by Orthodox Jews during sexual intercourse.Ribner, D. S., & Kleinplatz, P. J. (2007). The hole in the sheet and other myths about sexuality and Judaism. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 22
The tallit gadol is usually woven of wool—especially among Ashkenazim. Some Spanish, Portuguese and Italian Jews use silk tallitot. The Portuguese Jewish community in The Netherlands has the tradition of decorating the corners of the Tallit. Today some tallitot are made of polyester and cotton. Tallitot may be of any colour but are usually white with black, blue or white stripes along the edge. Sizes of tallitot vary, and are a matter of custom and preference. Some are large enough to cover the whole body while others hang around the shoulders, the former being more common among Orthodox Jews, the latter among Conservative, Reform and other denominations. The neckband of the tallit, sometimes woven of silver or gold thread, is called the atarah which literally means crown but is often referred to as the collar. The tallit gadol is often kept in a dedicated pouch or cloth bag (often of velvet) which can be quite simple or ornately decorated.
The tallit gadol is typically either all white, white with black stripes, or white with blue stripes. The all-white and black-and-white varieties have traditionally been the most common, along with a blue-and-white variety, said to be in remembrance of the blue thread or tekhelet, which served as the visual inspiration for the flag of modern Israel. The all-white variety is customary among Sepharadic communities, whereas among Ashkenazic communities the tendency is toward white tallitot with black stripes. The stripes on the tallit may have their origin in the angusticlavia, purple stripes which were worn on the tunics of distinguished Romans. Tekhelet: Color Perception or Apprehension? One explanation for the significance of the black stripes is that their black color symbolizes the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and the exile of the Jews from the land of Israel.
In many Jewish communities, the tallit is worn in the synagogue by all men and boys over bar mitzvah age (and in some communities even younger). Aside from German Jews and Oberlander Jews, men in most Ashkenazi Jews communities (which comprise the majority of Jews in America today) start wearing the tallit after their wedding.Mishnah Berurah 17:10 cites the custom of Eastern European Jewry to refrain from wearing a Tallis before marriage and is unhappy about it.
/ref> It is believed that the fabric being hung from clothing lines during the 19th and 20th centuries within Jewish neighborhoods in the United States started these rumors. Not understanding its purpose, seeing the material with a hole in the middle caused non-Jews to make imaginative assumptions.
Tallit gadol
The tallit gadol (Yiddish/Ashkenazic Hebrew tallis godoil; traditionally known as tallét gedolah among Sephardim), or "large" tallit, is worn over one's clothing resting on the shoulders. This is the prayer shawl that is worn during the morning services in synagogue by all male participants, and in many communities by the leader of the afternoon and evening prayers as well. embroidery says tallit. Frequently the owner will add additional embroidery with their name.]]
Women
In rabbinic law, women are not required to wear a tallit or other forms of tzitzit. The vast majority of contemporary Orthodox authorities forbid the donning of a tallit by women, although Moshe Feinstein,Igrot Moshe, Orah Hayyim 4:49, s.v. ibra d'ika Joseph Soloveitchik, and Eliezer Melamed approve women wearing tzitzit in private, if their motivation is "for God's sake" rather than motivated by external movements such as feminism. At the gender-segregated sections of the Western Wall, women have been permitted to wear shawls worn around the neck—but harassed, expelled or arrested for wearing the more traditional garments outside the segregated men's section.
Women in non-Orthodox (Reform Judaism, Conservative, Karaite Judaism, Reconstructionist and others) are not prohibited from wearing a tallit, and usually encouraged to do so, especially when called to the Torah or leading services from the bimah. Women in Conservative Judaism began to revive the wearing of the tallit in the 1970s, usually using colors and fabrics distinct from the traditional garment worn by men, in the spirit of (but not necessarily out of adherence to) the contemporary Orthodox rulings regarding women not wearing "male-style" garments. It has become common in Reform Judaism and other non-Orthodox streams for girls to receive a tallit at their bat mitzvah, although some do not subsequently wear it on a regular basis. Other women have adopted the tallit later in life, including the larger, traditional style, to connect with their communities, embody egalitarian values, or create a personalized connection to Judaism.See Women of the Wall for other political and/or feminist motivations It is rare for women to wear a tallit katan.
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