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Choosing the perfect tallit is a difficult choice, but to start with, you must know what material you want it to be made from. Below, is a guide to many of the different types of materials from which the tallit is nowadays made.

Silk Tallit

There are many varieties of silk tallitot available on the market today. Crepe, taffeta, embroidered, beaded, crepe, douppioni, crepe backed satin, charmeuse, and raw woven silk are just some of the options available. Then there are multitude of mix or combinations such as silk with rayon, silk with viscose, silk with wool and so forth.
Cotton Tallit

Usually hand woven, cotton is a popular material chosen for a tallit as it is flexible, but not fragile, durable but not heavy, and is able to support many designs and colors easily. It is also easier to clean.

Wool Tallit

The ideal tallit is made from either sheep’s wool or lamb’s wool, which was the material from which the traditional tallit was made. It is very warm as was needed in ancient times. Depending on the weave, such a tallit can be quite itchy or very soft. It is important to note that goat’s or camel’s wool does not qualify as a suitable material from which to make a tallit.

Viscose Tallit

Tallitot made from viscose is a much newer trend, though the material, which is extremely light and soft, and completely natural (originating from wood pulp), has been embraced with designs for both men and women. Designs that appeal to men tend to be in more darker, somber colors, such as navy, black, grey, or brown – all colors that match suits easily. Designs for women, on the other hand, are vibrant and colorful, using pinks, yellows, oranges, vivid blues, and greens to depict beautiful scenes or religious images.

Organza Tallit

Usually reserved for womens’ tallitot, organza is a very delicate material made from nylon, polyester, and silk filaments, but which feels very much like silk. It supports an expansive range of colors and appears very luxurious, graceful, and sophisticated, so is a popular choice for many women.

The Environmentally Friendly Tallit

For those concerned about the environment, there exists a very small niche market of weavers who use only environmentally friendly textiles, such as organic cotton. Though more expensive, to some, the contribution to the environment does justify the increased cost incurred when purchasing an eco-friendly tallit.

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With many people becoming increasingly environmentally conscious, it begs the question of whether or not it is possible to buy an eco-friendly tallit. Well the answer is a resounding yes. There are several companies that deal with the production of ‘green’ tallitot, though there are many people who do not completely understand the concept of what it means to be ‘green’ as far as tallitot are concerned.

The eco-friendly tallit is made from completely natural, organic fibres, and importantly organic cotton. Eco-friendly as a concept may be somewhat confusing to some, however essentially it is a move away from artificial and toxic means of assisting growth.

The entire growing process of cotton usually involves use of pesticides and fertilizers. Organic cotton farming procedures do not use pesticides or herbicides and thus the impact on the environment is greatly reduced. Additionally, plants are not in any way genetically modified. Organic cotton costs substantially more to produce than cotton farmed with conventional farming procedures and as such, the eco-friendly tallit will no doubt cost more than one that is mass produced from materials that are not dangerous to the environment.

After harvesting, many cottons are treated with toxic chemicals in order to dye or print patterns on, again this having a negative effect on the environment. Organic cotton is dyed with non-petroleum based and thus far less toxic dyes. There is far less waste created and overall far less impact on the environment. There has also been increasing success in growing naturally colored cotton utilizing organic methods, as there has been been an increase in the demand for eco-friendly tallitot.

Although it may seem as though supporting the environmental cause through purchasing eco-friendly garments such as tallitot may have minimal effect, what is little known is that farming cotton with conventional methods accounts for 16% of the entire world’s pesticide use, and uses more chemicals per unit than any other crop. Contemplating the fact that this includes all grains and other such crops, the scope of this statement is mind-blowing. Thus, although it may seem a small gesture, each person that steers towards eco-friendly will help minimize the impact on the earth.

One of the additional benefits of choosing an eco-friendly tallit is that you can basically guarantee that it will be a quite unique – as the tallit is usually not mass produced, each tends to be an original. Several companies will take your design and create a personalized, new designs with hamsa, eco-friendly, creative and beautiful tallit which is a ‘work of art’, to enhance your prayer experience.

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Unfortunately, many people are afraid to clean their tallit or tallis, as it can be known.
With such a highly respected garment, it seems strange that one wouldn’t clean it,
However some people believe the tallit ought to show its age and usage through the many stains and marks that it acquires over the years.

For others, the fear that something will happen to their tallit – that it might get ruined or fall apart – overrides their desire to keep it clean.

And such concerns are justified. Indeed, many non-Jewish cleaners will not take enough care with the tzitzit to ensure it remains intact, nor that the colors do not run. As almost all tallitot do not have labels attached or cleaning instructions, it is a bit of a guessing game for the cleaners, many of whom do not realise the tallit’s importance to their customer.

In fact, many consider giving a tallit to a non-Jew for cleaning not to be kosher.

It is suggested that a tallit be cleaned twice a year, although, if you are living in a hot country and sweating a lot, this is neither practical nor hygienic.

Luckily, cleaners do exist – usually Jewish – that are specialized in cleaning tallitot and they maintain that all tallitot can be dry cleaned and that most stains will come out. Very familiar with the variety of tallit that is available, and that many have embroidered motifs that sometimes come away during cleaning, the cleaners are usually happy to re sew small items back onto the tallit.

However, such cleaners do sometimes also request their customers to sign a release form in the case of multi-colored designs, which may be oil-based and run, despite the cleaners’ best attempts at preventing this.

Possibly the most problematic concern is that of the tzitzit as they can easily tangle and get stretched. Contrary to popular belief, if the tzitzit have started unravelling, subsequently bearing the incorrect quantity of knots, they are not invalidated. The problem should be corrected, however the tallit is still a useful and acceptable one.
A tallit should always be cleaned on a delicate cycle – whether at home in the washing machine or in the care of a cleaner.
Despite best efforts, one of the trickiest problems is to remove age spots, which appear over time when a tallit remains inside a bag, particularly one that’s made of plastic. If the bag is kept within a smoking environment the problem is compounded again. They appear as small yellow spots and the easiest way to ensure they don’t appear is to use the tallit occasionally.

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In order for a tallit to be kosher, it must adhere to certain specifications when being made, and of course be constructed according to history requirements. The construction of the tallit itself should not be undertaken lightly. If you want to make your own tallit, do so with the assistance of someone who is au fait with the requisite laws and requirements so that the garment will end up as a kosher tallit.

The cloth used to construct the tallit must not be of mixed fibres (referred to as shaatnez) – if wool is used it must be fully constructed of wool and so on. A mix of such fibres as linen and wool must not be used.

The garment must comply with measurement specifications, being large enough to wrap around the entire body. The tallit must have four corners, two being at the front and two at the back. Additionally, as the tallit is in fact a garment, an indication at the neck of which way is ‘up’ is required.

The threads (fringes), or tzitzit, are the most important part of the garment, and it is preferable that these threads be of the same fibre as the garment itself. Kosher threads can be purchased from a Judaica, Jewish Book Store, and also from several websites online.

For each of the four sets of threads making up the tzitzit, there must be one thread longer than the other. According to Jewish laws (halacha), the tzitzit are made of pure wool and are tied by a God fearing individual.

The tallit itself does not require a specific pattern or scene as these are of a more decorative nature, and can be fabricated from such natural materials as silk, cotton or wool, or indeed from synthetic materials such as nylon. If tzitzit are not kosher, the commandment for wearing tzitzit will not have been fulfilled.

It is recommended to check the tzitzit each morning to ensure they are kosher prior to putting the tallit on. Any strings that are broken should be replaced immediately and if more than one string is missing the tallit is no longer kosher to wear. If the five knots down the side have been unraveled, the tallit is still kosher, however it is best to keep the knots tightened to avoid this occurring.

The Torah commands that each fringe should contain one blue string. However, as time passed, the dye (extracted from a particular fish-worm called Chilazon) was lost, and the exact shade of blue became no longer known. Thus, only white threads were then utilized. There are only very few circumstances where the blue shade remains in use in tzitzit amongst some Chassidic groups. As a result, there are mixed feelings amongst rabbis as to whether blue utilized in tzitzit today is kosher or not.

Many items come complete with a kosher certificate upon purchase. This is the best way to ensure your tallit is kosher.

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Being buried with their personal tallit is part of the ritual observed by traditional Jews when they die. It is traditionally accepted that if you wear a tallit for prayer during your lifetime, then that tallit is the one that will be buried with you on the occasion of your death. Whereas previously it was only males that were buried with their tallit, today it is also accepted for females to be buried with their tallit, if they too, have worn a tallit during their lifetime.

In accordance with the Bible, as we are all seen as equal before G-d, burial garments (tachrichim) worn by the deceased are the same for all, be they rich or poor. White garments signifying purity, dignity and simplicity, and often handmade, are standard burial garments. For males, a kippah and tallit is also added, and for females, a tallit, where applicable. (If the woman customarily wore a tallit during prayer then this would mean it was appropriate for her to be buried with it. If she did not, then she would not be buried with a tallit).

In order for the tallit to no longer be used for prayer, a corner is removed and placed upon the body of the deceased prior to burial. This corner removal renders the tallit no longer kosher. As the tzitzit serve as a reminder of the commandments, once the body has died, these commandments are no longer able to be fulfilled.

Although it is not obligatory to be buried with your tallit, it is certainly desirable. Problems can arise however, if you wish to bequeath your tallit to a loved one upon your death. In this instance it may be pertinent to have more than one prayer shawl: one to be utilized in prayer and passed down through the generations; and one to be taken with you, to the grave.

You may even wish to have several tallitot to be used as items for inheritance. As a tallit must have been used in prayer in order for it to be utilized in burial, it is important to ensure that you have done this during your lifetime.

It is not the tallit itself that is holy, but rather your actions – immersing yourself in prayer and respect and maintenance of the mitzvah, that make, and keep, the tallit kosher (in addition to the actual kosher requirements of the tallit itself).

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Shopping online for a prayer shawl or tallit is no different from shopping online for a perfume, article of baby’s clothing, or trawling eBay listings. It’s simply a matter of finding the right site for you that has a variety of prayer shawls that appeal to your taste.

The easiest way to begin is to use a major search engine such as Google or Yahoo! and enter a phrase that applies to what you are looking for. It is easy to think that that phrase might be simply “prayer shawl” or “tallit” however, if you know in what type of prayer shawl or tallit you are interested, then it will pay to use an appropriate descriptive word in your search term too as this will narrow down your search.

Possible search terms include “raw silk tallit”, “traditional tallit”, “designer prayer shawl” or similar. Should there be a specific artist or designer whose work you like, entering his or her name into the search engine along with the word “tallit” should return some results. Yair Emanuel is particularly popular. If, however, you don’t have any idea where to start then tallit or prayer shawl will be a good start.

There is a huge range of different types of tallitot available online, complete with photographs of the design of each tallit and a detailed description. Many of the sites that sell tallitot online also sell tallit clips, tallit bags, tefillin, and other religious accessories.

Another type of tallit that is highly sought after, is the hand painted tallit. Only a few artists specialize in this area, so it is worthwhile spending some time looking at the various sites returned on the search engine listings to see if one of them has what you want.

Another way to search online for your ideal tallit, is to make the most of Google’s “Image” directory. It is located above the word “Google” and next to the word “Web” at the top left hand corner of the page. Clicking on this will transfer you to the image directory and entering in the same search term “tallit” will return only pictures of tallitot. The advantage of this is that you can buy tallit with the design you like, click on it, and it will take you to the site displaying the picture.

Unfortunately, sometimes the picture will not be displayed by a shop but will be accompanying an article, in which case, you can save the picture to show to one of the online shops, to see if they have something the same or similar within their tallit and shofar collection, .

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Although tradition has always implied that a prayer shawl or tallit must have blue or black stripes woven, sewn, or painted on it, there is no bibilical law which states this. As a result, there is a growing market for unique prayer shawls filled with beautiful, colorful designs.

One of the more popular materials used in making unique prayer shawls is silk. Advantages to using silk for making prayer shawls over other materials, is the dexterity with the amount of detail. Silk shawls also portray colors vividly, which gives them a unique appeal.

Sometimes, a combination of silk and cotton is used to make a prayer shawl. In such cases, the tallit or prayer shawl is made from woven cotton onto which silk that has been painted by hand is sewn. Using a similar method, but completely with silk is the raw silk applique’d prayer shawl.

Other combinations of materials used to make prayer shawls include embroidered silk on cotton, woven raw silk, and wool. It should be noted that it is forbidden for a prayer shawl to be made from a combination of linen and wool.

Unique prayer shawls nearly always come with a matching prayer shawl bag in the same design and colors. Not only a way to carry the prayer shawl, a bag to protect it is a sign of respect and a way to show that respect.

There are several artists that specialize in creating unique prayer shawls. Designs by Yair Emanuel, Akiva Lamy, and Ronit Gur, very well-known artists from Israel, are particularly in demand. Images featuring on the prayer shawls include the Tree of Life, pomegranates, the Star of David, and of course, the town of Jerusalem.

Despite prayer shawls being worn traditionally by men only, in more recent times, women have come to wear them too. As a result, many of the unique prayer shawls seen and available worldwide today are made with women in mind. They are referred to as talitisha (woman’s prayer shawl).

Materials used for such prayer shawls include organza, embroidered soft cotton, and viscose.

Often, the blessing of the prayer shawl is embroidered into the atarah or neckband of the shawl. This can be in any color, though in specialty shawls, gold or silver thread is quite popular. It is partly for decoration, and partly as a guide from which to read when taking part in the morning prayer service.

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The Torah explicitly commands that Tzitzit be added to the four corners of garments. (Maimonides considered it one of the most important of the 613 Mitzvot); traditionally the wearing of Tzitzit began with this commandment, though biblical scholars consider it to be much older, and argue that the commandment reflected an already existing practice.

In early Judaism, Tzitzit were used for the corners of ordinary everyday clothing; most Jewish people at the time wore clothing which consisted of a sheet-like item wrapped around the body, comparable to the abayah (blanket) worn by the Bedouins for protection from sun and rain, and to the stola/toga of ancient Greece and Rome. As recorded in the Talmud, these were sometimes worn partly doubled, and sometimes with the ends thrown over the shoulders.

After the 13th century CE, Tzitzit began to be worn on new inner garments, known as Arba Kanfos, rather than the outer garments. This inner garment was a 3ft by 1ft rectangle, with a hole in the center for the head to pass through; the modern Tallit evolved from this medieval item. By modern times, the four-cornered sheet-like cloth fell out of fashion, and became regarded as impractical compared with alternatives; since most modern western clothing does not have four clear corners, the rule essentially became obsolete in daily life.

However, traditional Jews began to voluntarily wear a small tallit in ordinary life, in order to explicitely fulfill the commandment to wear Tzitzit; some Jewish commentators argue that it is a transgression to miss a commandment that one is able to fulfill. Tallit are also often worn during prayer for this reason, and this is practiced by a wider group of Jews. A tallit is often used as a Chuppah in Jewish wedding ceremonies.

Source: Wikipedia

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Judaism, one of the world’s oldest religions being practiced today, has several traditions, most of them stemming from text and prescriptions in the Hebrew Bible. One of their important traditions is the use of the tallit, or the Jewish prayer shawl. The tallit is one of the most iconic Jewish symbols, considered by many as one of the most authentic Jewish garments. The use of tallit further proves that the Jewish indeed has a deep faith and respect for their religious tradition.

The tallit is mainly used today as a prayer shawl, used normally by men when they recite the Shacharit, or their morning prayers. Jewish men also use tallits during Sabbath (or their day of praise) and during religious holidays. While not practiced by all Jewish communities, the talit is usually given by the father as a gift to the son, or by the teacher as a gift to the student, during the Bar Mitzvah. The tallilot is worn once the man reaches the age of 13, the age when a Jewish male is considered to have come of age and when they celebrate their Bar Mitzvah. At the age of 13, the Jewish male is respected to be responsible for their actions, and one of the implications here is the use of the tallit, which represents their awareness of the Jewish commandments.

This is because, basically, the tallit is worn as a reminder of their commandments. This is in accordance to one of the verses in the book of Numbers in the Hebrew Bible, saying the Israelites (who are Jewish) should wear fringes on their clothes’ corners. These fringes, according to the verse, shall by the reminder that they should observe the commandments so they should not follow their heart and eyes due to lustful urges.

These fringes are called the tzitzit. Before, they were placed, as the verse said, on the corners of everyday clothes. However, today, that is no longer possible; clothes today no longer have four corners. So as time progressed, the tzitzit was placed on the tallit. The tzitzit can also be found in other pieces of clothing, such as the tallit katan, which is a Jewish undergarment.

The tallit as it is known today is only used during the day, in accordance to the verse that the wearer of the talit should be able to see the fringes. This has been interpreted as one should only use it when the tzitzit is seen with the light of the day. Tallits are also personal by the Jewish. When a non-Jewish visitor goes to a Jewish temple, they are asked to wear prayer shawls. However, these shawls are not tallits, since the use of tallits are considered sacred, saved only for men who have reached the proper age.

As with tradition, however, the use of the tallit or the tallis can change according to communities, among other factors. For one, while majority of the Jewish wear tallits when they reach 13, some wear it in a much later date. Some communities also do not allow women to wear the talis, while some do. Nonetheless, the use of the tallis remains to be a precious tradition for the Jews.

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