I am putting the final touches in a tallit I am making for a friend. A tallit is a prayer shawl, with four corners, each with a tzitzit (ritual tassel). The commandment to wear the tzitzit is found in the Book of Numbers 15:37-41, where we learn that we must see the tzitzit, (therefore using it only during daylight hours), and that they will serve as a reminder of our connection with God, emphasizing the spark of holiness that is found in our souls. There’s a beautiful midrash that teaches that the tzitzit reminds us of this connection because the numerical value of the consonants of the word tzitzit (in Hebrew) equals 600, and in each corner the tzitzit have five double knots and eight thread ends, totaling the number 613, which according to our tradition is the number of mitzvot (commandments) found in the Torah. In ancient times, as described in the Book of Numbers, the tzitzit contained a thread of royal blue, a symbol of royalty in the ancient world (creating blue dye, which would come from a specific kind of snail found in the Mediterranean, was extremely expensive). The wearing of a thread of blue in the four corners of the outer garment emphasized the idea that each Israelite was part of a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:6). Since the rabbinic period, given the cost and the proliferation of counterfeit dye (from indigo plants), we use totally white tzitzit.
In the description of Hebrew Bible the tzitzit was to be used by all Israelites, male and female. There are some Talmudic sources that interpret the passage to require women to wear tzitzit. Although the majority of contemporary Jewish women wear a tallit during prayer, some still feel uncomfortable wearing this garment. I think that wearing a tallit (the vehicle for carrying the tzitzit in our times) is a very powerful tool in someone’s spiritual journey. The tallit embodies many principles that connect all of us to God and to our community.
The tallit is a great way to promote equality in a community, by ensuring that all one would see, in the context of a praying community, is someone’s tallit, concealing the clothes under it, diminishing the gap between rich and poor. What matters is if one is using the spiritual uniform of Judaism, and using it to ensure a connection with God. The tallit demarcates our personal space, an extra layer that separates each individual while connecting them with the community. And the tallit creates a spiritual cocoon inside which we can feel protected and centered.
Every tallit I create reflects a few aspects of the personality of the wearer. The person chooses the colors, the fabric, and the shape of the tallit. All colors are fine. The fabric used for the tallit cannot be a mixture of wool and linen (a prohibition found in the Book of Leviticus 19:19 and Deuteronomy 22:12), and since most tzitzit commercially available are made of wool, one should not have any linen in the fabric. Some people prefer a short shawl like tallit, some prefer a longer version, while others wear a tallit that looks like a poncho. The tallit has a neckpiece called Attarah, which is another opportunity for people to express their individuality. Some people have the blessing which is recited before wearing the tallit imprinted in the Attarah, some people enjoy having their name, some a preferred biblical verse or Talmudic saying, some an abstract embroidery or colorful matching fabric.
This specific friend chose a rabbinic saying that translates to “every person that saves another’s life is as though they created a full world.” I stenciled that sentence in a piece of silk, matching the silk stripes and the piece that will strengthen the corners to receive the tzitzit. I stitched the many pieces of silk, placed the Attarah and stitched it, hand stitched the bindings and now I have to make the button holes in which to insert the tzitzit. I am looking forward to tying the double knots and winding the longer cord in its determined sequence (7, 8, 11, and 13), finishing the bag, and handing it to my friend. I know the meaning it will have. I hope that as you choose your own tallit and wear it, it will be filled with meaning for you, and make you feel connected to our tradition.