The Jewish tradition is rich in ritual objects that assisted our ancestors for centuries in unlocking spiritual meaning. Such objects as the modern tallit men or kippah, in their beauty and tangibility, can actually change our mind state, reach past all the obstacles and objections we have to spirituality, and help us connect to the sense of spiritual means present all around the world. Many modern generation Jews today, however, did not know how to use or relate to those spiritual objects as they had not observed Judaism in a conventional way. Others, who had witnessed this since from their childhood days, are now in look out for some new meaning to these holy things.

The tallit, often called as Prayer Shawl, is perhaps the most recognizable and universal Jewish ritual object, with a rich history going back millennia. Despite its first reference pointing to a time that is debated about 3200 years ago, the Tallit was believed to have been in use since around 1800 BCE or 3800 years ago. The talliot of this differs from the one we think of and use today. The original talliot were large rectangular white garment with the tzitzit tied to the corners. Unlike modern ones, they were used as a burial shroud and a bedsheet.

The falling tassel, the simple colored stripes and the stark white fabric – the modern tallit men is an elegant and immediately recognizable image of Judaism and prayer. This iconic item is symbolically used in daily prayer, to cover the Ark in the morning assembly, and over the Jewish wedding canopy.  As per the Bible, the tallit has fringes attached to the four corners that remind the Jews of G-d’s commandments. Hence, the tallit is thus sometimes called as the “Arba Kanfot”, meaning ‘Four Corners’ and is draped over the shoulders like a cape, with two corners at the front and other two at the back.

  

But look around today and you will see that we are fiercely progressing to a post-modern religious revolution, opening up to a modern world yet respecting deep-rooted ancient beliefs.  The tallit serves as a powerful metaphor for the tenuous relationship between the old and new.

Designers are drawing upon current clothing and fashion trends in their quest to create a more modern take on the conventional tallit. So, now you can discover a wide-range of talliot with colorful and intricate embroidery, luxurious natural fibers like silk and wool and glorious metallic threads.

The tallit was evolved as an outer garment on which the fringes are worn as a respect of this command. The tallit originally, resembles the blanket or ‘abayah’, worn by the Bedouins to stay protected from rain and sun, having black stripes at the end. The fine made tallit was alike Roman pallium that was worn only by renowned rabbis, scholars and men. The talliot were sometimes worn with the ends hanging over the shoulders and many a times partly doubled. It was considered as an exceptional garment worn to serve the god by the Kabbalists.

Tallit – Who and When

Technically, a tallit should be worn all day long, but considering today’s trend, this won’t be that possible. So, another poncho-like garment was developed to be worn under the street clothing all day long. This garment popularly came to known as tzitzit, also known as tallit katan or arba kanfot. The tallit is worn during morning prayers and all day on Yom Kippur (the holiest day in Judaism). In many cases, chazzan (prayer leader) are also seen wearing tallit during many other services as well. Also, the Ashkenazic community boys of Eastern European are seen wearing tallit from as young as three years old. They start wearing tallit gadol (large tallit) regularly after their marriage. Western Europeans and Sephardic, however, began wearing it much earlier.

Earlier, tallit used to have two kind of threads attached to the corner, one of white wool and the other of blue wool. The blue wool, known as Tekhelet, is the hallmark of nobility that keeps on reminding Jews that he is a member of G-d’s “Kingdom of Priests”. This blue dye was made from a by-product of sea creature which lives in the Mediterranean Sea, known as Chilazon. And as during the Talmudic era, the centre of Jewish life shifted from the Mediterranean Sea, the Tekhelet was heavily taxed and even outlawed. Hence, it became rarer, and even eventually got disappeared completely from the tallit.

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Today, there are plenty of artfully-decorated modern tallit men that are widely accepted by the Jewish law. At galileesilks.com you will find the most finest and comprehensive selection of conventional and contemporary talliot set covering every size and age group. Our hand woven talliot are the most preferred choice for thousands of customers throughout the Jewish community globally. 

Tallit or Talliot, known as the prayer shawl, is an intricate and inseparable part of the Judaica/Jewish religion. Traditionally, it was only worn by men during the morning prayers, but today the push of equality between the sexes has made it favorite among Jewish women too. In order to know more about this Jewish tradition, go through the blog below.

Significance of the Tallit – Prayer Shawl

Tallit, the four-cornered prayer shawl is a white rectangular piece of fabric which when worn bestows a sense of personal space during prayer. The tallit for men is also worn as a reminder to live a mitzvah-centered life. The tzitzit, fringes on its four corners is what transforms this piece of cloth into a tallit. It is said that the rise of Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah in the 20th century is considered as one of the reasons for making this Jewish garment of great significance.

Color of the Tallit

When you’re searching for a tallit to buy, you can find incredible color choices in the market today, including hand-printed patterns. There are no specific rules about what color a tallit must be. It’s not the color that plays an intrinsic role, but, the measurement and the fringes that hang off the four corners of the tallit holds significant importance. Previously the talliot used to have white background with black or blue stripes on them. But, today, the stripes that are woven in, come in a wide variety of colors.

Sizes of the Tallit

Sizes of the talliots vary. Many stores are there carrying standard size tallit. For women the standard size is 18*72 and the tallit for men comes with a standard size of 22*72 or 22*80. Even plus sized people can also order larger sized talliot.

Styles available

The style of the tallit ranges from historic to contemporary. The traditional styled talliot are generally white and navy in color. Modern style talliot include a splash of color. Navy color has always been a popular tallit for men.

Materials to know

The talliots are made using wide range of fabrics. The most expensive ones are handmade and consist of higher quality fabric. And the lower end tallits are usually machine-made. Fabric types that can be used are: acrylic, wool, organza, cotton, polyester and silk.

Kinds of Tallit

Tallits for men are available in 2 kinds: tallit katan and tallit gadol. Tallit katan are small sized tallits usually worn as an under garment beneath the clothing and tallit gadol are large-sized tallits worn over ones clothing usually resting on the shoulders.

Choosing a talliot today can be a highly personal experience, with each person opting for the material, kind and color that suit him the most. Wearing a tallit for the first time means, you are entitled to experience being a Jewish adult. With multiple options and choices available, finding the right tallit is not a challenge anymore. With this guide, now you can even narrow your search for picking up your desired tallit.

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