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.