The Tallit (Prayer Shawl) ; What is it?

Bamidbar - Numbers - Chapter 15

Speak to the children of Israel and you shall say to them that they shall make for themselves fringes on the corners of their garments, throughout their generations, and they shall affix a thread of sky blue [wool] on the fringe of each corner

לח  דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְאָֽמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם וְעָשׂ֨וּ לָהֶ֥ם צִיצִ֛ת עַל־כַּנְפֵ֥י בִגְדֵיהֶ֖ם לְדֹֽרֹתָ֑ם וְנָֽתְנ֛וּ עַל־צִיצִ֥ת הַכָּנָ֖ף פְּתִ֥יל תְּכֵֽלֶת:

This shall be fringes for you, and when you see it, you will remember all the commandments of the Lord to perform them, and you shall not wander after your hearts and after your eyes after which you are going astray.

לט וְהָיָ֣ה לָכֶם֘ לְצִיצִת֒ וּרְאִיתֶ֣ם אֹת֗וֹ וּזְכַרְתֶּם֙ אֶת־כָּל־מִצְוֹ֣ת יְהֹוָ֔ה וַֽעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָ֑ם וְלֹֽא־תָת֜וּרוּ אַֽחֲרֵ֤י לְבַבְכֶם֙ וְאַֽחֲרֵ֣י עֵֽינֵיכֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־אַתֶּ֥ם זֹנִ֖ים אַֽחֲרֵיהֶֽם:

Shalom:

I wanted to share my study of the Tallit (prayer shawl) and how it relates to my Faith in YHVH ( יהוה  ) as a Jewish believer in Yeshua HaMoshiach ( Jesus Christ ) and what it means to me.

Much in today’s world and life around us we see many facets of garments and clothing that people wear on a day to day basis. Much of it, makes up of who we are and what we represent.  We see lots of sports shirts and hats here in the USA that root and support a professional team, as football , basketball and baseball, just to name a few.

We see many types of clothing, if worn a certain way, a person can be identified as a relationship to a certain type of music, band, and organizational movement. We see many people who can be related to a grunge look, or a country look, or a thug look, just by the clothes that they wear or how the clothes are worn.

We see men and women dressed up on Sundays, could be assumed going to church, wedding, or funeral. We see business attire for the work week. We see of police, fire, medical, and maintenance uniforms that dictate to us a certain specialty and authority within that uniform.

Often if we engage a person in conversation for whatever reason, for example a team jersey, it would not be unlikely that person could give you supportive information about their team as well as other teams not liked.

Often as people, when we put on the clothing that we wear to make some sort of a statement for that day, we often put on some type acknowledgement and authority for it. Although, if I put on a team jersey, and do not play or ever had played a team sport professionally, I am taking on an attribute of that team. I may not ever be able to play football and never be hired by a professional football team , however, when I wear a professional football team's jersey , I am also putting on some statement saying , I agree with this team, and I would be able to give statement to it as well. While also, I could never play professional football and that team's’ jersey doesn’t make me one, I am stating something about it and in some way it becomes me.

This is how great our Father in heaven is, He reminds us in scriptures that he wants us to physically put Him on us daily. The Tallit and or also known as a prayer shawl is a cloth with fringes  (Tzitzit), to be reminded of HIM and put HIM on us in and throughout our day to day lives.  The Scripture we see in Numbers chapter 38 and 39 is the command of the fringes ( Tzitzit ) of instruction in the Torah for our reminder.

There are many different derivatives of the name of the Tallit from the Hebrew being brought forth and several different ways of being stated. However, in this study the important understanding being brought forth is that on a general English speaking today’s generation of people who pray and go to either Church and or Temple, the word used for this prayer shawl is Tallit. It will automatically refer to the cloth with the fringes for prayer. I often grew up hearing the word for it used as Tallis.

The interesting note is that the command from the Lord was not a prayer shawl it was the fringes (Tzitzit). If you were to study the word Tzitzit , and to go into an in-depth Hebrew understanding of it you will find that there is a relationship with this Hebrew word and its number assigned to it adding up to all the 613 commands of the Lord as a reminder to us.  

But that’s not the direction I would like to go, I would like to make a short understanding and relationship of God’s word to us for our worship to God and our reminder of who we are in Him.

To do that, I’m returning back to the example of the football team's’ jersey. If I put on a professional football teams’ jersey that I bought from the mall, does that mean I am a professional football player for that team? No, of course not. Does that mean I am an expert? No and again of course not. Just because I’m wearing a team’s jersey simply means I support that teams somehow and in some way. But In the same way we see Yeshua call on the Hypocrisy of the Pharisees for enlarging their Fringes (Tzitzit) to seem more pious and knowledgeable.

Matthew 23:3-5 Amplified Bible (AMP)

3 so practice and observe everything they tell you, but do not do as they do; for they preach [things], but do not practice them. 4 The scribes and Pharisees tie up [a]heavy loads [that are hard to bear] and place them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not lift a finger [to make them lighter]. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by men; for they make their [b]phylacteries (tefillin) wide [to make them more conspicuous] and make their [c]tassels long.

The clothing doesn't make the person but represents the person’s attributes to what a statement they want to relay.

We see in scripture the faith of woman who was healed from bleeding for 12 years ;

Matthew 9:20-22 (AMP)

20 Then a woman who had suffered from a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the [tassel] fringe of His outer robe; 21 for she had been saying to herself, “If I only touch His outer robe, I will be healed.” 22 But Jesus turning and seeing her said, “Take courage, daughter; your [personal trust and confident] faith [in Me] has made you well.” And at once the woman was [completely] healed.

It wasnt  the clothing that healed the woman, it was her faith , however she knew that the fringes were the place of reminder of prayer for the Yeshua Hamoshiach and she knew that she would be able to recieve her faith if only she could reach where this man Yeshua Hamoshiach , prayed and displayed his faith in prayer on Abba Father YHVH.

The Tallit represents to me , a place of prayer, a place of solis with GOD, a place of his command and a place I can worship. Its obvious the cloth has no power in itself but it is the relationship of the person where He goes to meet with God and God meets with him.

The scriptures state if you draw close to God he will draw close to you:

James 4:8(AMP)

8 Come close to God [with a contrite heart] and He will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; and purify your [unfaithful] hearts, you double-minded [people].

The Tallit gives us place and reminder of doing just that . As  we put on our clothing of God, we are reminded to purify ourselves in God’s word, to act accordingly, and to represent Him. When people see us, they don't see us but they see a representation and likeness of GOD. The cloth doesn't make us an expert just an expectation of who we represent and with that we are given responsibility to act accordingly not because we have to, but be because we want to. It is our reminder of our words meeting our actions from prayer to the physical. Amen!

Avodah!

Jay