Methods of wearing Tallit

Tallit is most commonly known as a religious shawl. Religiously, it is worn by people of the Jewish religion. It has the utmost respect in the Jewish faith. It has a rectangular shape made up of cotton, wool, linen, and synthetic fibers. There are some methods of wearing Tallit. 

These prayer shawls were made from wool or linen in earlier times, but still, there are some reservations on the material to be used. 

Have you looked at Tallit? There is a blue thread in the fringes. Do you know what does it mean? The Bible commands this addition of blue twine in Tzitzit. However, after some time, this blue thread was removed, but it has become common to use nowadays. 

Tallit is one of the most important cultural and religious items in the Jewish religion. It has abundant significance in Jewish faith because its roots can be traced back to biblical times. 

It is an ancient tradition in the Jewish faith to wear a tallit. There is a particular pattern attached to Tallit called Tzitzit. Strings in the four corners of the shawl, Tallit, are tied in Tzitzit. The purpose of fringes or edges is unique as they remind them to recall God’s commandments.   

Historically, the practice of Tzitzit is prescribed in the book of Numbers 15 verse 38. According to the commandment, the strings are put on four corners of Tallit as they remind the duties and obligations.

However, in the orthodox congregation, only men are allowed to wear a tallit, but in non-orthodox synagogues, women can also wear it. Wearing Tzitzit by women in public is forbidden in modern Orthodox Judaism. 

But, a movement was started in the 1970s by non-orthodox Jewish members to have women start wearing tallits. Then, women started wearing tallits. Tallits are made by using different materials.      

Tallit is the symbol of prayer in the Jewish faith. Especially, it is worn during morning prayers every day of the whole week.

White color Tallit is most commonly used. As overtime, different communities and branches emerged, so they follow different customs and rituals regarding Tallit form and design.

Today, there are various colored tallits available such as black stripes, white stripes, broad black stripes, and stripes of different colors. 

Furthermore, there is a massive variety of prayer shawls with different sizes available. Know your height and select the suitable tallit size according to your height from the Tallit Size Chart  

The correct method of wearing Tallit

There are some simple steps to donning the Tallit.

First, put on the Tallit over the right shoulder, check out the Tzitzit to ensure that they are undamaged and untangled. 

Second, by opening it wide unwrap the Tallit. Then, turn it around from the position held in front of you until it hangs behind you. 

Third, pick the right corners of the Tallit, lift them.

Finally, place them over the left shoulder in a way that all four Tzitzit are on the left side.        

Other Methods of wearing Tallit 

The Jewish religious leaders have prescribed some rules and regulations of wearing a tallit. It is essential to learn how to wear Tallit ideally. The prayer shawl is used to cover the head and shoulder during prayer. 

Different customs of wearing the Tallit:   

Nowadays, A wide-ranging custom is based on Eastern Europe. According to this custom, fold the edges over the shoulders, so two corners hang behind and two in front. 

Another method of donning Tallit is called Arab-style wrapping. In this custom, one should surround oneself with Tzitzit immediately after reciting a blessing. 

The other method of wearing Tallit that is more common in many western countries is put on Tallit as a shawl. This custom is prevailing among Ashkenazi, Sephardic, and Yemenite communities. 

Tallit is also used as a gift, for example, a father gives to his son, father-in-law to his son-in-law, a teacher to his student. It is also used in Jewish wedding ceremonies.   

Types of Tallit

There are mainly two types of Tallit

1. Tallit katan
2. Tallit Gadol

Tallit Katan 

Jewish users wear the smaller tallit or tallit katan either above or under clothing.  

Tallit Gadol 

The larger Tallit is known as Tallit Gadol. It is placed above the outer clothing during morning prayers and on Yom Kippur, a Jewish holiday.

There are some rules or commands for using Tallit properly:

• Avoid wearing a tallit when entering the bathroom. It is a great disrespect to it because holy words are written in it. 
• Keep reciting blessings after borrowing Tallit from the synagogue. 
• In some Jewish sects, a bridegroom has to wear a tallit during the wedding ceremony. 
• If someone removes Tallit for some time and wear it again, he needs to recite benediction prayer still.
• Using Tallit gives you the feeling of the presence of God.