From: heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com Sent: Thursday, November 27, 1997 6:12 PM To: Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup Subject: Wearing of the tallit
heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com wrote: > > From: "Dominick J. Zangla" > Organization: Shofar > To: "heb_roots_chr@geocities.com" <heb_roots_chr@geocities.com> > Subject: tallit > > Dear Eddie, > > It seems that there are certain customs that involve the wearing and > use of a tallit in traditional Judaism. I wonder if someone could > elaborate on them. i.e. When is it proper to wear a tallit (day, night, > at what service?) > > Thanks Dominick Zangla > > ******************************************************************* > From: "Rabbi Michael 'Mordecai' Silver" <treelife@zianet.com> Reply-to: treelife@zianet.com Organization: Etz Chayim - Tree of Life Messianic Jewish Congregation To: heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com Subject: Re: Wearing of the tallit At the first prayer service of each day the Tallit is worn. The Tallit was created as a garment to hold the fringes that are attached to each of its four corners. The commandment for this is Numbers 15:37-41: Speak to the children of Israel and bid them to affix fringes to the corners of their garments" so that when the Israelites see them, they will be reminded of G-d's commandments. Tallitot are made primarily of wool, silk or rayon and are decorated with black or blue stripes. The Bible, Numbers 15:38, specifies that one of the eight threads of each fringe be dyed blue. The Tallit is worn during morning worship, whether at home or in the synagogue. The sole exception is Tisha B'Av, on which day the tallit is worn only during the afternoon service (Mincha). In the synagogue the wearing of a tallit is mandatory when an individual leads the congregation in prayer or is honored with an aliya. The tallit is not worn at night because the Biblical commandment, Numbers 15:39, specifically states that the fringes must be seen, and at night objects are not easily visible. The tallit is worn at the Kol Nidre, night, service only because the service begins before nightfall; the congregants drape themselves in their tallitot while their is still daylight. In talmudic times only marries men wore the tallit. It later became customary for the synagogues top establish their own practices. Today, in most synagogues a tallit is worn by all men at morning services. In Reform synagogues the wearing of a tallit is optional. As in the case of teffilin, women are not obligated to fulfill positive Torah commandments that must be observed at specific times. Since the tallit with its tsitziot was to be worn during the day, when it can be seen, women were freed from this obliagtion. However, women who decide that they wish to abide by the tzitzit commandment on a regular basis are permitted to do so under Jewish law. It is customary to gather up the fringes from the four corners of the tallit and to kiss them when reciting certain prayers. Sephardim, cover their eyes with the fringes of the tallit when reciting the Shema. This serves to enhance their concentration. Observant Jews wear a small tallit, tallit katan, under their shirts all day long. Some, particularly Hassidim, allow the fringes to hang outside their clothing to comply fully with the Biblical commandment which requires that the fringes be visible. Yemenite Jews wear the tallit katan over their shirts but under their coats. The small tallit is also referred to as arba kanfot, meaning "four corners." Is this an obliagtion for the non-Jew? The Scripture speaks specifically to the Children of Israel. But if you would bind yourself to the Jewish people and take on yourself the Torah, then this is part of Torah. Rabbi Mordecai -- Rabbi Michael Silver (Rav Mordecai Ben-Baruch) Etz Chayim - Tree of Life Messianic Jewish Congregation P.O. Box 364, Organ, NM 88052 (near sunny Las Cruces) Phone or Fax: 505-382-0193 e-mail: treelife@bigfoot.com or treelife@zianet.com http://www.zianet.com/treelife ******************************************************************** From: Rabbi Yehoshua M. Othniel To: <heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com> Subject: Re: Wearing of the tallit Dear Dominick, There are certain customs associated with the wearing of the tallit in traditional Judaism, here are some of the ones I know of and have practiced. Upon removing the tallit from it's protective bag, it is customary to lay the tallis over the left shoulder and leaning one's head left to hold it in place while you examine the tzitzit or ritual fringes to be sure they are still kosher, (Hebrew for: fit for service). Next comes the blessing. I hold up the tallis, (by the way, tallis is the Yiddish version of tallit.) with the atarah (crown) the fancy head piece at the top of the tallis facing me. I kiss one side showing how I love G-d's commandments and say the blessing. When I conclude the blessing, I then kiss the other side. Right side first then left. Then I allow my tallis to unfold as I drape it up and around my body so that it hangs down from behind my head to the floor. I then lay the tallis down on my head and enclose myself in the tallis as if hiding. I shekel or sway back and forth as I pray silently for G-d to help me achieve what we call in Judaism, Kavanah, total focus of the heart, soul, and mind on Him. I then undrape my tallis and adjust it on my shoulders in order to pray. Our sages say that a tallis should be long and wide enough to give modest coverage to a grown man if that was all he wore. The tallis is worn in the mornings and afternoons, any time when it is day. The tallis is not worn after dark with the exception of the High Holy Days, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. On these days and nights, it is proper to wear one's tallis. Another exception on wearing the tallis at night comes into play for the rabbi, cantor or the gabbai. These people who lead the service wear a tallis at the evening service regardless of it being a High Holy Day or not. Also, in some Jewish communities, a young man does not wear a tallis until he gets married. The reasoning is that this mitzvah or commandment only applies to a grown man and you're not considered a man in Judaism until you take a wife. Until then a male is considered incomplete or half of himself. Some communities allow boys who have made Bar Mitzvah to wear a tallis, it depends on the minhag or customs of the particular community. My community boys who are Bar Mitzvah are allowed to wear the smaller size tallis. When they become grown men and take to themselves a wife, then they will be allowed to wear the "table cloth" sized tallis. I hope this has answered your question. Shalom, Rabbi O. __________________________________ Rabbi Yehoshua M. Othniel Kehilat Ami Echad P.O. Box 1452 Independence, KS 67301, U.S.A. ******************************************************************