And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after. - Numbers 15:39
TRADITIONALLY WORN at weekday morning synagogue services (shacharit), a tallit (tal-LEET) is a rectangular prayer shawl with four fringes - tzitzit - one attached at each corner. Most tallits have a neckband, called an atarah, that often has a blessing one recites when donning the tallit, written across it.
The tallit is worn to remind oneself to observe all of the commandments of the Lord (seeNumbers 15:38-9).
Before putting on the Tallit
Take the tallit out of the tallit bag (or remove it from the synagogue rack).
Carefully unfold it.
Hold it up and inspect the tzitzit.
Recite the following blessing:
Blessed are You, LORD our God, Master of the Universe, who sanctifies us with His commandments and commanded us regarding the commandment of the tzitzit.
Kiss the end of atarah where the last word of the blessing is embroidered, and then again at the beginning where the first word is.
Wrap the tallit around your shoulders, holding it over your head for a moment of private meditation.
Adjust the tallit on your shoulders comfortably.
You may also wish to add the following Scriptural blessing, after having put on the tallit:
Bless the LORD, O my soul; O LORD, my God, You are very great; You are clothed in glory and majesty, wrapped in a robe of light; You spread the heavens like a tent cloth. (Psalm 104:1-2)
Barekhi nafshi et Adonai, Adonai elohai gadalta meod hod vehadar lavashta. Oteh or kasalmah, noteh shamayim kairi’ah.
Tallit Customs
A cord of techelet (royal blue/purple) is supposed to be added to the fringe at each corner, however this dye was derived from a now-extinct snail found near Tyre and was later waived as a requirement for the tzitzit. As a reminder of the techelet, however, either blue (or sometimes black) stripes are added to the tallit itself. These tallit stripes became part of the emblem of the Israeli flag (most Orthodox Jews wear black for mourning the destruction of the Temple).
Only Bar-Mitzvah men wear a Tallit Gadol during morning services (the tallit is not worn for afternoon and evening prayers because of the commandment that one should see the tzitzit, which has been interpreted as meaning to be seen by the light of the day). Tallit Katan, however, may be worn at all times.
There are many customs about the proper method of tying the tzitzit (tying Tzitzit is a Jewish art, a form of macrame).
Do not wear a tallit into the bathroom (there are generally hooks for you to use outside the door).
Many synagogues let you borrow a tallit for the morning service; say the normal blessing when putting on this tallit.
Kissing the Tzitzit: Tzitzit are kissed during the recitation of the third paragraph of the Shema (Numbers 15:37-41) which mentions the tzitzit three times. They are also kissed during the hakafot service of Simchat Torah.
When called to perform a Torah Reading, a corner of the tallit is first placed on the word where the reading begins and then removed and kissed.
It is generally bad taste to cover your head with the Tallit when praying the traditional synagogue prayers.
Jesus and the Tallit
Yeshua wore a Tallit with tzitzit. Matthew 9:20-22 states "A woman who had a hemorrage for twelve years approached Him from behind and touched the Tzizit on His robe. For she said to herself, "If I can only touch His robe, I will be healed."
The Tallit and Torah
The “Tallit” is not explicitly mentioned in Torah, but the tzitzit are (Numbers 15 and Deuteronomy 22). Here are the Torah restrictions for use:
The fringes must be on the border of your garment (Numbers 15:38)
The fringes must be put on the four corners (arba kanfot) of the garment (Deuteronomy 22:12)
The fringes must have one ribbon of tekhelet. Since the manner of obtaining this dye was lost, two schools of thought arose: a) use black - to indicate mourning for the destruction of the temple, and b) use all white because we do not have access to the tekhelet (Deuteronomy 22:12, Numbers 15:38).
The garment and fringes are not of "divers kinds" (Deuteronomy 22:11)
That when you look upon them you are to remember God commandments "to do them" (Numbers 15:39-41)
