Why do Jewish People Wear Tallitot (Prayer Shawls) During Worship?
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Tzitzit are fringes or tassels worn on their garments by both Torah-observant Jews and
Torah-observant Gentiles. The Tallit (Prayer Shawl) facilitates the wearing of tzitzit in obedience to G-d's
commandment to do so.
ADONAI said to Moshe, “Speak to the people of Isra'el, instructing them to make, through all
their generations, tzitziyot on the corners of their garments, and to put with the tzitzit on each corner a blue
thread. It is to be a tzitzit for you to look at and thereby remember all of ADONAI's mitzvot and obey them, so that you won't go around
wherever your own heart and eyes lead you to prostitute yourselves; but it will help you remember and obey all
My mitzvot and be holy for your G-d. I am ADONAI your G-d, who brought you out of the land of Egypt in order to be your
G-d. I am ADONAI your
G-d.” —
Numbers (B'midbar) 15:37-41
Read This
Chapter
Why?
 In the Torah, G-d commands all His People to wear fringes at the corners of
their clothes as a reminder of His mitzvot (commandments).
• “Speak to the people of
Isra'el, instructing them to make, through all their generations, tzitziyot (fringes) on the corners of their
garments, and to put with the tzitzit (fringe) on each corner a blue thread.” —
Numbers (B'midbar) 15:38 [Read
This Chapter]
• "You
are to make for yourself twisted cords on the four corners of the garment you wrap around yourself. —
Deuteronomy (D'varim) 22:12 [Read This
Chapter]
A tallit reminds one of all of the mitzvot. The numerical value of the Hebrew word "tzitzit"
(fringes) is 600. Add to that the 8 strings and 5 knots on each corner, and you get the number 613, which is the
amount of mitzvot in the Torah. (Rashi - Numbers 15:39)
How?
Tallit
The mitzvah to wear Tzitzit only applies specifically to four-cornered garments. In biblical
times, most clothing consisted of a four-cornered rectangle of cloth, direct from the loom, which was draped and
fastened around the body. In modern times, people tend to wear more tailored clothing, which often does not
consist of four corners. So a special four-cornered garment called a Tallit (or Tallis; plural, Talitot), which is
somewhat like a shawl, is worn by those who want to fulfill the commandment to wear Tzitzit. The only religious
significance of the Tallit itself is that it holds the Tzitzit on its corners.
According to Jewish Law, a Tallit must be long enough to be worn over the shoulders (so it
qualifies as a garment). It may be made of any material, except wool and linen together (this is not a kosher
combination for any clothes).
Tzitzit
The Tzitzit itself is the actual
“tassel” that is worn on the corners of the garment. The stated purpose of the Tzitzit in the commandment is to
serve as a reminder of all of ADONAI's mitzvot, thus giving us an anchor to the world of the
Spirit as we go about our daily chores. No matter where we may be, at work or at play, we can always look at the
Tzitzit and get in touch with G-d, His Torah, and our mission as His People. In relation to tzitzis
(also tzitziot in the plural form) it says explicitly in the Torah that tzitzis are the key to reminding one of
all of the mitzvot (commandments). We go out of our way to put on tzitzis in order to remind ourselves that we are
servants of the King. We delight in seeking out specific mitzvot that we can obey to demonstrate our devotion to
G-d, and even though there may other mitzvot that we can fulfill, there is no other mitzvah like
tzitzis that serves as a constant reminder to us that we are servants of the King of the Universe.
How do the tzitzis remind of us
this?
Each Tzitzit, or fringe, consists of eight
strings which are wrapped and knotted in a specific pattern. On each fringe there are five double knots, and in
the spaces between those knots, the threads are wrapped a specific number of times: 7 - 8 - 11 - 13. So the fringe contains: a double knot, seven wraps,
the second double knot, eight wraps, the third double knot, 11 wraps, the fourth double knot, 13 wraps, and the
fifth double knot.
The five double knots in each
fringe remind us of the five Books of the Torah (the five Books of Moses, also called Chumashe Torah
or Chumash from the Hebrew word for five, or Pentateuch from the Greek word for five).
The five double knots on each
fringe also make a total of 10 knots on each fringe, representing the 10 commandments.
There are five double knots on each of two fringes in front of us and five double knots on each
of two fringes in back of us. This equals 10 double knots and 16 strings both in front of us and behind us. Ten
plus 16 equals 26, which is the numerical equivalent
of the name of G-d. (In Hebrew, the letters of the aleph-bet are also used as numbers, and the total
of the numerical value of the letters in the name of G-d adds up to 26.) This, then reminds us that
G-d is both in front of us and behind us (thus, all around us all the time).
The number of wraps in the four spaces between the double knots
the represents the Shema: “Sh'ma, Yisra'el! ADONAI Eloheinu, ADONAI echad. Hear, Isra'el! ADONAI our G-d, ADONAI is one” [Deuteronomy (D'varim) 6:4].
Seven wraps plus eight wraps plus eleven wraps
(7+8+11) equals 26, which is again the numerical equivalent of G-d’s name. And 13 is the numerical
equivalent of Echad, or One. Thus, every time we look at a single fringe, we are reminded that G-d
is One.
The numerical value of the Hebrew
word “tzitzit” is 600. Add to that the 5 knots and 8 strings on each corner, and you get the number 613, which is
the number of mitzvot (commandments) in the Torah.
The commandment is specifically “…
to be a tzitzit for you to look at and thereby remember all of ADONAI's mitzvot and obey them …” Thus
it is better to wear them outside so that we can look
at them often and use them to remember ADONAI's mitzvot.
Tallit Katan (Tzitzit)
In more observant Jewish communities, boys and men often wear a Tallit Katan (little tallit).
The Tallit Katan consists of a simple rectangle of cloth with a hole for the neck and fringes on the four corners.
Sometimes the Tallit Katan is simply called Tzitzit.
They wear the Tallit Katan every day, all day long, under their shirts, with the Tzitzit
hanging out. They do this because they want to fulfill the mitzvah of wearing Tzitzit more often than just during
prayers and because it is written “and you shall see them” or “for you to look at.”
Tallit Gadol (Tallis)
During prayer services, Jews often wear a Tallit Gadol (big tallit). In Orthodox synagogues, generally only men
wear a Tallit. In Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, and Messianic synagogues, some women also wear a
Tallit.
The most common type of Tallit Gadol is white with black or blue stripes. On the part of the
Tallit that goes around one’s neck (called the Atara, or Crown), some Tallitot have designs and some have the
words to the blessing recited when putting on a Tallit.
Tallit Blessing
This blessing is recited when putting on a Tallit:
Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-he-nu Me-lech Ha-olam A-sher Ki-de-sha-nu Be-mitz-vo-tav
Ve-tzi-va-nu Al Mitz-vat Tzi-tzit.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His
commandments, and commanded us concerning the commandment of Tzitzit. |
