Read about the Tallit and it's significance in Shabbat....
The tallit (tallis in Yiddish and tallitot in the plural) is a ritual
prayer shawl that is used to hold the tzizit - fringes - that we are
commanded to affix to the corners of our garments. The Tallit is worn as a
reminder to observe all of God's laws. It is worn by adult male worshippers
and, increasingly, by women as well) at all weekday morning services, on
Shabbat, and on holidays.
Some Askenazic Orthodox congregations follow the tradition that only those
who have been married wear a tallit. Traditions: The tallit is
wrapped around the head and shoulders after reciting a special prayer (and,
on weekday mornings, before putting on tefillin). The prayer is as follows
"Blessed art Thou O God who hast commanded us to wrap ourselves in the
tallit."
Themes/Symbols: The Tallit symbolizes our wrapping of ourselves in God's
brilliance. The Kabbalists associated the Tallit with protection,
illumination, and elevation. Many Tallitot have a blue string on them or
some blue on them. The color blue signifies the original blue thread that
was commanded to be placed in the fringes (Numbers 15:38) " . . . Put
with the fringe of each corner of the garment a thread of blue."
However, today there are many beautiful variations for the colors of the
Tallit - some with blue, some with black, some multi-colored.
Halakhah: In the Torah , God said to Moses "Speak to the Children of
Israel and bid them to affix fringes to the corners of their garments . . .
that ye may look upon them and remember all the commandments of the Lord .
. . " (Numbers 15:37-41). The fringes are called Tzizit - and the
garment or the Tallit is used to affix the fringes so that we may have the
fringes affixed to our garments.
The Tallit is worn only during the day (except on Yom Kippur when it is
worn for Kol Nidrei ) because Numbers 15:39 commands that there be
sufficient light for the Tzizit to be noticed. This was not possible in the
days before electricity. what is a tallit ? why wear a tallit ? who wears a
tallit ? how are the Tzitzit tied ? what does the 7-8-11-13 windings
pattern mean? how to put on a tallit ? tell me more about a kippa what is a
tallit ?
The tallit (also pronounced tallis) is a prayer shawl, the most authentic
Jewish garment. It is a rectangular-shaped piece of linen, wool, or silk
(and sometimes, now, polyester) with special fringes called Tzitzit on each
of the four corners. The purpose of the garment is to hold the Tzitzit.
Most tallitot (alternative plural: talleisim) have a neckband, called an
Atarah, which most often has the blessing one recites when donning the
tallit, embroidered across it.
why wear a tallit ?
The Lord said to Moses: Speak to the Israelites and instruct them to make
for themselves fringes on the corners of their garments throughout the
ages; let them attach a cord of blue to the fringe at each corner. That
shall be your fringe; look at it and recall all the commandments of the
Lord and observe them, so that you do not follow your heart and eyes in
your lustful urge. Thus you shall be reminded to observe all My
commandments and to be holy to your God. [Numbers 15:37-41] The purpose of
the tallit, then, is to hold the Tzitzit, and the purpose of the Tzitzit
(according to the Torah) is to remind us of God's commandments. The tallit
is worn for morning prayer, during the week as well as on Shabbat and other
holy days.
Who wears a tallit ?
Generally, a Jew who has reached the age of majority (in most communities,
this is 13, though in some communities, girls reach the age of majority at
12) wears a tallit. There exists a custom of not wearing a tallit prior to
marriage. This custom is not widely practiced, however, in large measure
because it prevents one from fulfilling a commandment between the age of 13
and the time one marries. How are the Tzitzit tied ?
Tying Tzitzit is a Jewish art, a form of macrame. A hole is carefully made
and reinforced in each corner of the tallit. Through each hole, four
strands are inserted: three short strands and one long strand. The longer
strand is called the shammash and this is the one which is used for winding
around the others. To tie the Tzitzit, line up the four strands so that the
three of equal length are doubled evenly, and the fourth strand is lined up
at one end with the other seven ends. With four strands in one hand, and
the other four in the other, make a double knot at the edge of the fabric.
Then take the shammash and wind it around the other seven strands seven
times in a spiral motion. Make a second double knot, with four strands in
one hand and four strands in the other. Then wind the shammash around the
seven strands eight times and make another double knot. Wind the shammash
around eleven times and make a double knot. Finally, wind the shammash
thirteen times around the ramaining seven strands and make one final double
knot. When done correctly, the Tzitzit will have 7-8-11-13 winds between
the double knots.
What does the 7-8-11-13 windings pattern mean?
There are a number of interpretations for this pattern of windings. One
interpretation is that each set of windings corresponds to one of the four
letters in God's name. Another interpretation employs Gematria, Jewish
numerology, which assigns to each Hebrew letter a numeric value: aleph is
1, beth is 2, gimmel is 3, and so on. In this second interpretation of the
windings of the Tzitzit, the numbers 7-8-11-13 have special meaning:
7+8=15, which in Hebrew is written yod-hay, the first two letters of God's
name (the Tetragrammaton); 11=vav+hay, the third and fourth letters of
God's name. Hence, the first three windings "spell" God's holy
name. Thirteen, the last set of windings, is equivalent in value to the
word "echad" which means "one". Hence, all four
windings can be interpreted to say "God is one". Yet another
interpretation holds that when we consider the windings between the knots,
7, 8, 11, and 13, the first three numbers equal 26, which is numerically
equivalent to the Tetragrammaton, and the remaining number, 13, is
equivalient to the "echad" ("one"). Hence, the windings
tell us that God is One. If we take the sum of the first three numbers
(7+8+11) and equate that with God's name, then the 13 which remain can also
be interpreted to reflect the 13 attributes of God, as articulated by Moses
Maimonides and set to verse in the Yigdal. By still another inerpretation,
the Gematria value of the word "Tzitzit"
(tzadi-yod-tzitzit-yod-taf) is 600. To this we add the eight strands plus
the five knots, totalling 613 in all. According to tradition, God gave us
613 Mitzvot (commandments) in the Torah. Just looking at the tallit with
its Tzitzit, therefore, reminds us of the commandments, as the Torah says,
"You should see them and remember all God's commandments and do
them".
How to put on a tallit ?
Open tallit and hold in both hands so you can see atarah (the collar band
on thich the blessing is often embroidered. Recite the berachah: [Tzitzit
Blessing] BA-RUCH A-TA A-DO-NAI E-LO-HAY-NU ME-LECH HA-O-LAM A-SHER
KI-D'SHA-NU B'MITZ-VO-TAV V-TZI-VA-NU L'HI-TA-TAYF BA-TZI-TZIT Blessed are
You, Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, who makes us holy with
commandments, and has commanded us to wrap ourselves in he Tzitzit. Kiss
the end of Atarah where the last word of the blessing is embroidered, and
then a beginning where the first word is. Wrap the tallit around your
shoulders, holding it over your head for a moment of private
meditation.
Adjust the tallit on your shoulders comfortably tell me more about a kippa
The kippah is a head-covering. It is also called a yarmulke in Yiddish and
often rendered "skullcap" in English. The Torah does not mandate
a head-covering. Hence it is not a mitzvah (commandment) and there is no
berakhah (blessing) recited upon putting it on one's head. It is likely
that the custom of covering one's head derives from the attire of the High
Priest in the days when the Temple in Jerusalem stood. The
High Priest garb included a head-covering.
When the Pharisees democratized Judaism and taught that each person is like
a priest to God and each table an altar, the custom of wearing a
head-covering was transferred to ordinary people as a means of expressing
awareness of, and respect for, God throughout one's day. The Talmud
(Shabbat 15b) puts it this way: Cover your head so that awe of heaven will
be upon you." The term "yarmulke" has been explained as
yireh melekh (fear or awe of the King). It would seem that the custom of
wearing a head-covering grew slowly, over time.
Originally, the kippah was worn for prayer, religious study, and while
eating. By the 1500's, it was universally accepted among Jews as the proper
dress throughout the day. Today, some Jews cover their heads throughout the
day (except when bathing and swimming); others while praying, studying
sacred texts, and eating; others not at all. In liberal synagogues, both
men and women will cover their head or not, as is the custom. In Orthodox
synagogues, only men are required to cover their heads.
While wearing a kippah is not a commandment and there is no accompanying
blessing, for some, the morning blessing oter Yisrael b'tifarah
("...Who crowns Israel
with glory...") serves as a sort of blessing. A kippah may be made out
of fabric or crocheted. It can be decorated any number of ways, with
embroidery, needlepoint, fabric paint, applique, or designs knitted into it
in the case of a crocheted kippah. The designs may be geometric or might
include the wearer's name. Shabbat Traditions Kabbalat Shabbat Shabbat Eve
Zemirot Se'udah Shlishit (The Third Meal)
Because Shabbat is a day of rest, it is traditional not to perform any work
on this day. Work has been defined broadly over the centuries so as to
prohibit a wide range of activities among people who are very observant.
For example, the Biblical prohibition on the creation of fire on Shabbat
has come to be defined among the Orthodox and the very observant to extend
to a prohibition on turning on light switches or electrical appliances.
Other activities from which it is traditional to refrain on Shabbat include
carrying, plowing, reaping, baking, dyeing wool, sewing, slaughtering
animals, driving a car, or anything that involves the creation, production,
or transformation of an object. Shabbat is a central part of the Jewish
family and Jewish life.
It is a time for families and friends to gather for meals, prayer, and
relaxation together. Because all Jewish holidays begin in the evening,
Shabbat begins at nightfall on Friday evening and ends approximately 24
hours later, or nightfall on Saturday. Friday night allows for people to
gather for the Friday night meal, a meal that often includes singing and
sometimes dancing. The traditions associated with Shabbat range from the
lighting of the candles just before sunset on Friday, to the blessings over
the wine and bread on Friday evening, to the third meal or Shalosh Seudot,
to the observance of Havdalah on Saturday night as the Shabbat
departs.
One of the most important customs is the setting of the Shabbat table,
usually adorned with a white tablecloth, two Challahs, usually covered with
a beautiful Challah Cover covering, a Kiddush Cup and Shabbat Candlesticks,
symbolizing our welcoming of the royalty of Shabbat. Shabbat Symbols and
Themes Themes: As mentioned above, the main theme of Shabbat is rest and
relaxation along with spiritual rejuvenation. Equally important is the idea
that Shabbat is different from all other days of the week.
Shabbat is the day where one is supposed to refrain from doing the things
that they normally do on all other days and to do things that are
different. While this undoubtedly includes work, this also can include
other actions, such as worrying about your job or thinking about an
argument you may have had with a neighbor.
Symbols: There are many symbols that are associated with Shabbat - not the
least of which are the lighting of the candles, the Kiddush Cup,
Handwashing, Challah and Havdalah. These are the basic symbols that
represent Shabbat and really help provide a spiritual connection to all
Jews around the world. Candle lighting -- Shabbat is generally considered to
begin with the lighting of the candles followed with the prayer over the
candles. Kiddush -- The Kiddush (sanctification) or the prayer over the
wine is then recited. The person reciting the Kiddush then takes a sip and
then distributes wine to everyone at the table. The wine is placed in a
Kiddush cup and usually distributed through smaller cups. The person
reciting the Kiddush will pour a small amount from the larger cup into
smaller cups and pass the small cups around so that all persons at the
table may partake.
Hand washing -- At this point, persons will go and wash their hands Netilat
Yadayim (Hand washing), which is intended to endow the meal with
spirituality. Many people use special Hand washing Bowls, some of which
have two sides to them to make the pouring of the water easier.
Challah -- usually two Challahs are placed on Challah Boards upon the
table. These Challahs are covered with either white Challah Covers or more
decorative or ornamental covers. A special Challah Knife is used to cut the
Challah and a piece of the Challah is distributed to everyone at the
table.
Havdalah - At the conclusion of Shabbat is the Havdalah service, usually
right after sundown on Saturday night. During this ceremony, people gather
to say good-bye to Shabbat by lighting a special braided, multi-wicked
candle, drinking wine and smelling sweet spices from spice boxes.
Shabbat Candlelighting We light candles to mark the onset of Shabbat, every
Friday evening, symbolizing our welcoming into the home the expansive
warmth and light that accompany Shabbat and the holidays. Tradition
dictates that candles be lit roughly eighteen minute before sunset, which
is the time that, according to Jewish law, the new day actually begins. By
lighting the candles ahead of the sunset and the new day, we borrow time
from the work week and extend the time of Shabbat. It is traditional to
light the candles, cover your eyes, and then recite the blessing (Baruch
Atoh Adonai Eloheinu Melech HaOlam Asher Kidshanu B'Mitzvotav V'Tzivanu L'Hadlik
Ner Shel Shabbat) It is customary to light at least a pair of
candles.
Many people light more than two (either with multiple candlesticks or a
candelabrum), some following the custom of lighting one candle for each
family member and others finding another symbolism in a given number, such
as seven (a Kabbalist custom). Although the mother of a family or the women
present customarily light the candles, it is a household requirement. A man
living alone or away from home should light the candles and say the
blessing over them. Similarly, in the absence of a woman or when a woman is
too ill to do so, the men present are required to do so. The candles should
be lit in the dining room where the Shabbat dinner will take place in order
to honor the Shabbat by brightening the festive meal.
Shabbat Halacha "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days
shall you work and do all your tasks. But the seventh day is a Sabbath unto
the Lord your God. You shall do no manner of work... For in six days, God
made heaven, earth and sea and all that is in them, and He rested on the
seventh day. Therefore, God blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."
(Exodus 20:8-11)
Biblical law forbids us to work on Shabbat. While the Torah does not define
which labors are forbidden, the rabbis took it upon themselves to do so in
the Mishna. There are thirty-nine forbidden forms of work. As noted above,
these include, plowing, reaping, slaughtering an animal, baking, carrying,
dyeing wool, weaving, etc. The last of these is that we are forbidden to
carry an object from a person's private dwelling to another. However, we
are allowed to carry things within our own dwelling. (As a result, in many
communities, Jews would not be allowed to push their babies in baby
carriages to go to Synagogue because they are carrying a baby from their
private dwelling to that of another.
The Rabbis have a found a way around this by "enclosing" the
neighborhood by tying an "Eruv" around the boundaries of the
neighborhood - -therefore, one is technically within a dwelling and
therefore allowed to carry things.). Additionally, one must avoid doing
anything on Shabbat that could lead to work - i.e. carrying money. As a
result, anything that can be used, money, a hammer, etc., also cannot be
handled. These items are referred to as "Muk-tze."
History: We are commanded to observe Shabbat by the fourth commandment of
the Ten Commandments and this is repeated throughout the Bible. In
Deuteronomy 5:12-15, we are reminded of the Ten Commandments that Shabbat
is a day of rest for masters and servants and as a day commemorating our
release from bondage in Egypt.
Exodus 31:16-17 states that "the children of Israel
shall keep the Sabbath throughout the generations for a perpetual covenant
. . . for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh
day He ceased from work and rested.
The observance of Shabbat is predicated on two main ideas: the first is
that God created the heavens and earth in six days and rested on the
seventh. As a result, our observance of Shabbat recognizes God as the
creator of all things. Second, Shabbat commemorates the exodus out of Egypt where
we were slaves. God gave us the freedom from bondage and we became
independent people. Shabbat is a way to reconfirm this freedom.
Miscellaneous: While Shabbat is one of the holiest days of the year, even
the strictest of Shabbat laws falls to the side when a person's life is in
danger. The principle - "Pikkuah Nefesh" - or the saving of one's
life overrides all observances of Shabbat. That is why doctors are allowed
to work on Shabbat. Special Shabbatot Shabbat Zachor Shabbat Shekalim
Shabbat Parah Shabbat HaChodesh Shabbat HaGadol Shabbat Chazon Shabbat
Nachamu Shabbat Shuvah Shabbat Shirah On each of the two Shabbatot before
Purim and the three between Purim and Pesach, we read a special additional
Torah portion and a special Haftarah. Shabbat Shekalim is the second
Shabbat before Purim. Torah Reading for Shabbat Shekalim: Exodus
30:11-16
Haftarah: II Kings 12:1-17 Shabbat Zachor is the Shabbat immediately before
Purim. Torah Reading for Shabbat Zachor: Deuteronomy 25:17-19
Haftarah: I Samuel 15:2-34 Shabbat Parah is the Shabbat immediately before
Shabbat HaChodesh.
Torah Reading for Shabbat Parah: Numbers 19:1-22 Haftarah: Ezekiel 36:16-38
Shabbat HaChodesh is the Shabbat of or immediately before the new months of
Nissan, shortly before Pesach.
Torah Reading for Shabbat Hachodesh: Exodus 12:1-20 Haftarah: Ezekiel 45:16
- 46:18 Shabbat Hagadol is the Shabbat immediately before Pesach. No
Additional
Torah Reading Haftarah: Malachi 3:4-24. Havdalah Symbols History Traditions
Halacha
Miscellaneous Havdalah Literally meaning separation, this ceremony comes at
the end of Shabbat. It separates Shabbat from the rest of the week. It is a
ceremony that uses wine, spices, and candles. Smelling the spices signifies
the hope for a fragrant week; the light signifies the hope for a week of
brightness and joy. There are different practices as to the time of
havdalah. Some say 48 minutes after sunset, other say 72 minutes, and still
others use even longer periods after sunset.
