Torah-Learn It, Live It, Love It.
This site was created by & contains the view points of
CJ Paul--(Eliyahu Benayahu ben Avraham v'Sarah) who is an observant Jew- Obedient To G-d’s complete Law & desires to see ALL of his fellow Jews come together to Honor the One True G-d as One People- by bringing down the walls of different movements that separate us-- giving us then the ability to be a united nation & the shining light unto the nations through example and Truth of G-d’s Word.
G-d's Law4All
What is the Tzitzit and Tallit?
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 G-d, and perform them" (Numbers 15:38-39).
Most people don't think of Judaism as a fringe religion. Yet that's our uniform and badge of honor, our everyday reminder of who we are and what we're here for—four tassels hanging from the fringes of our clothes.
In ancient times, we would hang the tassels from the fringes of the four-cornered cloaks that were part of people's everyday wardrobe. Today, Jewish men and boys have two ways to do this mitzvah every day:
a) During prayer, wrap yourself in a tallit gadol (literally: big cloak). This is the large sheet-like fringed prayer shawl worn during the morning prayers.
b) Wear a little poncho called a tallit katan (literally: small cloak). For most of us, it fits neatly under the shirt.
The fringe tassels themselves are called tzitzit. Their strings and knots are a physical representation of the Torah's 613 do's and don'ts. It works like this: Each letter in the Hebrew alphabet has a corresponding numerical value. The numerical values of the five letters that comprise the Hebrew word tzitzit add up to 600. Add the eight strings and five knots of each tassel, and the total is 613.
Wearing tzitzit is a sign of Jewish pride. Jews have always had a way of dress to distinguish them from the people of the lands in which they lived—even when that meant exposing themselves to danger and bigotry. By the grace of G‑d, today most of us live in lands where we are free to practice our religion without such fears. Today we wear our Jewish uniform with pride and with our head's held high.
Kabbalah teaches that the tallit garment is a metaphor for G‑d's infinite transcendent light. The fringes allude to the immanent divine light which permeates every element of creation. By wearing a tallit gadol or a tallit katan, a Jew synthesizes these two elements and makes them real in his life.
The Obligation
The mitzvah of tzitzit requires fringes to be tied to the corners of any four-cornered garment worn by men and boys.1
It is considered a great mitzvah to wear tzitzit throughout the day. The Torah tells us that looking at the tzitzit fringes reminds us to observe the mitzvot at all times and protects against the urges and impulses of the heart. Thus the importance of wearing tzitzit at all times is quite obvious. Nontheless, there is no requirement to observe this mitzvah unless actually wearing a four-cornered garment.
Even one who does not wear tzitzit throughout the day should wear tzitzit (or a tallit) while reciting the morning Shema and prayers.
It is customary to begin educating young boys to wear tzitzit when they reach the age of three.
The Garment and Fringes
On each of the four corners of the tallit or tzitzit, four woolen spun fringes are drawn through holes in the garment. The fringes now dangle from both sides of the hole, thus becoming eight fringes. These fringes are then coiled and knotted in a prescribed manner, and their ends hang loosely.
When the fringes are originally placed on the corners of the garment, each corner has eight complete strings. If at some point later on some fringes are shortened or torn off, the tallit or tzitzit may be invalid. If indeed the fringes are invalid, it is forbidden to wear this garment until new fringes are attached. As long as each corner contains at least seven complete strings, the tzitzit are still kosher, but the laws become quite complex if any one corner has more than one string which is detached or shortened. In such a situation, the tzitzit should be shown to a rabbi.
Purchasing a Tallit or Tzitzit
"This is my G‑d and I will beautify Him" (Exodus 15:2). We "beautify" G‑d by performing His commandments in a beautiful fashion. This includes spending the extra dollar to purchase high quality tallit and tzitzit. The market today abounds with artfully decorated designer talittot, most of which are halachically acceptable. Many also have the custom of adorning the tallit's headpiece with a silver attarah ("crown").
Because there are many laws involved in the making of a tallit and tzitzit, they should always be purchased from a G‑d-fearing and trustworthy vendor.
The Jewish Prayer Shawl
The mitzvah of tzitzit is discussed in the third section of the Shema, which is recited during the morning prayers. Therefore, during the morning prayers it is customary to don a tallit gadol (“big tallit”)—a prayer shawl. Wearing a tallit is the ideal way to observe the mitzvah, for only in a tallit is the individual enwrapped in the garment.
In most Ashkenazi communities, men begin to wear the tallit only after marriage (and continue to do so even if they are widowed or divorced). According to Sephardic tradition, boys begin wearing a tallit at the age of bar mitzvah or even earlier.
In most communities, a person who is called up to the Torah for an aliyah—even if he is a bachelor or isn’t praying at the moment—dons a tallit out of respect for the congregation. Similarly, the chazzan always wears a tallit, even if he isn’t married, and even during the afternoon and evening services, when he is the only one who wears the tallit. On the other hand, many, including Chabad, do not follow this tradition.
Wearing the Tzitzit and Tallit
The reason for wearing tzitzit, as clearly expressed in the Torah, is that we should see them and be reminded of G‑d's mitzvot, and be protected against the heart's tendency to stray. This goal is accomplished when the tzitzit fringes are actually visible. This is the reason for the custom to have the tzitzit strings dangling from beneath the shirttails.
Tzitzit aren't inherently holy. Therefore, wearing tzitzit when entering a washroom poses no problem. It is customary, however, to remove a tallit before entering a restroom. This is an act of respect accorded to a garment which is reserved for prayer.
Techelet (Blue Thread)
The Torah commands us to include a blue ("techelet") fringe among the tzitzit fringes. This fringe must be dyed blue with the blood of a shellfish called "chilazon." This rare fish is a denizen of the Mediterranean Sea.
After the Jewish people were exiled from the Holy Land, the chilazon was no longer available. For many centuries Jews wore tzitzit without a techelet fringe.
In the past century, there have been certain venerable rabbis who claimed to have identified the chilazon, based on this fish's distinguishing features described in the Talmud. Since then, tzitzit with techelet has made a comeback, and one can often spot people sporting such tallitot. There are many, however, who have cast doubts on the re-identification of the chilazon.
Rabbi Sholom DovBer, the fifth Rebbe of Lubavitch, maintained that according to the teachings of Kabbalah the chilazon will not reemerge until the coming of the Messiah.