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Tassels in Jewish
Religious Wardrobe
An explanation of tzitzit and the tallit
by Chaviva
Gordon-Bennett
Falling into the category of Jewish religious garments, the tallit and its tzitzit are an integral part of the daily
experience for boys who've reached the age of three.
Meaning and Origins
Tzitzit (ציצית) translates from the Hebrew as "fringes" or
"tassels," and is pronounced either as "tzitzit" or
tzitzis."
The tzitzit are closely related to
the tallit (טָלֵית), also
pronounced either as "tallit" or "tallis," which translates
from the Hebrew as "cloak."
The mitzvah, or command, to wear tzitzit originates in the Torah, the Hebrew
Bible, in Numbers 15:38-39.
"Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: They
shall make for themselves fringes on the corners of their garments… And this
shall be tzitzit for you, and when you see it, you will
remember all the commandments of God, and perform them."
The command here is quite simple: Every day, wear a garment with tzitzit so that you remember God and the mitzvot (commandments).
It was common daily practice in ancient times for the Israelites to
wear a simple garment with four corners with the commanded tzitzit.
However, as the Israelites began to disperse and blend into other
societies, this garment likely fell out of common practice and one garment
evolved out of necessity into two with the tallit gadol and tallit katan.
Different Types
The tallit gadol ("big cloak") is
the prayer shawl that is worn during morning prayers, services on
the Sabbath and holidays, as well as special occasions and festive
days.
It is often used to make the chuppah, or
wedding canopy, under which a man and woman are married.
It is typically quite large and, in some cases, has colorful
embellishments and can also have a decorative atarah —
literally "crown" but usually an embroidery or silver decoration —
along the neckline.
The tallit katan ("small cloak") is the garment
that is worn daily by those from the time that they've reached the age of bar mitzvah.
It is similar to a poncho, with four corners and a hole for the
head.
Upon each of the four corners is found the uniquely
knotted tassels, the tzitzit. It is
typically small enough to fit comfortably underneath a t-shirt or dress
shirt.
The tzitzit, or fringes, on both
garments, are tied in a unique way, and tzitzit tying customs vary from community to
community.
However, the standard is that on each of the four corners there are
eight strings with five knots.
This is especially meaningful as the gematria, or
numerical value, of the word tzitzit is 600,
plus the eight strings and five knots, which brings the sum to 613, which is
the number of mitzvot or
commandments in the Torah.
According to the Orach Chayim (16:1), the tallit must be large enough to clothe a child who
is able to stand and walk.
The tzitzit strings must be made
of wool or the same material from which the garment is made (Orach Chayim 9:2-3).
Some use strings of techeylet (תכלת) within their tzitzit, which is a blue or turquoise dye
mentioned countless times in the Torah, especially in regards to the garments
of the High Priests.
In Orthodox Judaism, a tallit katan is
worn daily, with a tallit gadol or
prayer shawl used on the Sabbath, for morning prayers, on holidays, and for
other special occasions.
In the Orthodox world, boys begin being educated in tzitzit and start wearing a tallit katan at the age of 3 (three), because
it is considered the age of education.
In Conservative and Reform Judaism, there are those who follow the
Orthodox practice and those who only use a tallit gadol, but
daily do not don a tallit katan.
Among Reform Jews, the tallit gadol has
become smaller in size over the years and is a much narrower shawl than that
worn in traditional Orthodox circles.
The Prayer for Donning a Tallit Katan
For those who don the tallit katan, a
prayer is said in the morning upon putting the garment on.
בָּרוּך אַתָּה ה' אֱ-להֵינוּ מֶלֶך הָעוֹלָם אַשֶׁר קִדְשָנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָנוּ לְהִתעַטֵף בְּצִיצִת
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha'olam, asher
kideshanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu l'hit'atef b'tzitzit.
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has
sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to enwrap ourselves
with tzitzit.
The Prayer for New or Replaced Tzitzit
For those who are placing tzitzit on a
new garment, such as a tallit, or replacing
damaged tzitzit on a tallit, a special prayer is
recited.
בָּרוּך אַתָּה ה' אֱ-להֵינוּ מֶלֶך הָעוֹלָם אַשֶׁר קִדְשָנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָנוּ עַל מִצְוַת צִיצִת
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha'olam, asher kideshanu
b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu al mitzvat tzitzit.
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has
sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the mitzvah
of tzitzit.
Women and Tzitzit
Much like with tefillin, the obligation
to wear tzitzit is considered a commandment that is bound
by time, for which women are considered not obligated.
However, among some Conservative and Reform Jews, it is common for
women to wear a tallit gadol for prayer and
less common for women to wear the tallit katan daily.
Chaviva Gordon-Bennett
Worked with nonprofit organizations providing
Jewish educational opportunities
Written for Huffington
Post and MazelTogether.org on topics related to Judaism
Holds a certificate in the Hebrew language
and literature
Experience
Chaviva Gordon-Bennett has
covered topics related to Judaism for HuffingtonPost.com,
MazelTogether.org, ThoughtCo, and Lubavitch.com. She continues to blog
about Judaism and Jewish life and culture on her website, KvetchingEditor.com.
Chaviva converted to Judaism later in life
and experienced Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox Judaism before completing
her conversion to Orthodoxy in 2010. She has worked with many nonprofit
organizations providing Jewish educational opportunities for an array of Jewish
denominations. Her work included working in a digital marketing capacity with
The Jewish Education Project in New York. She was also fundamental in the New
Jersey's Partnership for Jewish Learning and Life, the National Jewish Outreach
Project, and the Colorado Agency for Jewish Education.
Education
Chaviva Gordon-Bennett holds a Master Arts
(M.A.) degree in Judaic Studies from the University of Connecticut and a
bachelor's degree in Journalism and News Editorial from the University of
Nebraska–Lincoln. She also holds certification in Hebrew language and
literature.
Awards and Publications
December
Lights: Reconciling my Non-Jewish Childhood for my Jewish Kids, (MazelTogether.org,
2017)
On Shavuot, A Recommitting to Converts,
(HuffingtonPost.com, 2012)
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