Things to know about Jewish Prayer Shawl (Tallit)

Many Jews around the world use different items for their weekly prayers and for special worships on holidays. This includes Skullcaps (Yarmulkes), Prayer Shawl (Tallit), and Phylacteries (small boxes and strapped leather to bind on arms). Tallit and Yarmulkes are the common ones among them. It is a rectangular piece of cloth that has its own significance in Judaism. Here, we are going to describe a few things about the Jewish Prayer Shawl from Israel (Tallit). Have a look:

1. When is Tallit worn?

Tallit is a Jewish prayer shawl from Israel that can be worn for morning prayers and special occasions like Yom Kippur. Tallit is allowed to be worn only if you have received a Jewish childhood and have had b’nei mitzvah to prove your adulthood. The Chazzan (prayer leader) wears it for many other religious community services.

2. Who can wear a Tallit?

Basically, this is supposed to be worn only by men all day long but since this is not practical these days, so people wear it during prayers. For everyday use, the tallit is evolved into a poncho-like garment that can be worn easily by men all day long under their regular clothes. Jewish ladies aren’t obligated to wear a tallit.

3. What is tallit made of?

Ideally, Tallit is made of wool in white color but has blue stripes in it. This garment is known as tzitzit in Hebrew. The white and blue color opts because of religious preferences. It is said that the blue stripes represented nobility and showed that the man belongs to the “Kingdom of Priests” in ancient times. The blue wool stripes are known as tekhelet in Hebrew and the real blue dye for them was extracted from a byproduct of a sea creature named Chilazon. This creature was particularly habituated around the Mediterranean Sea where Jewish was centered but when they shifted away from there, blue dye became rare because of Chilazon extinction and now it is almost gone.

TheJewish prayer shawl from Israel has four corners and each corner has fringes on it. Each fringe has four strands which makes each side to have eight strands in total and each tassel has 5 knots. These eight strands represent the commandments of Judaism.

4. How Tallit is worn?

Tallit is simply worn like a shawl draping over your shoulder but in a way that 2 corners are in front and 2 corners are on your back. The strings and knots on the tallit represent the Torah’s 613 mitzvahs if it is calculated in numerical form.

5. Why do Jewish wear Tallit?

Although it is pretty basic that Jewish wear these prayer shawls for religious occasions, but there are some other social reasons as well. Jewish people all around the world want to be recognized through their dress wherever they lived. Wearing a Tzitzit is a pride for Jewish people. If anyone needs to buy a Jewish prayer shawl from Israel, make sure to buy from a trusted vendor and preferably in wool stuff.

from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/lifestyle/things-to-know-about-jewish-prayer-shawl-tallit/