myTalit - Tallit

Tefillin is the name given to the ancient Jewish practice of attaching two small leather boxes, one to the head and the other to the upper section of the weaker arm. Whether by coincidence or not, the placement of these two boxes forms pressure points that are located in exactly the same place as certain acupuncture pressure points. Interestingly enough, these pressure points act as a way to “clear the mind and harmonize the spirit” according to Dr. Steven Schram, in his article entitled: Tefillin: An Ancient Acupuncture Point Prescription For Mental Clarity in the Journal of Chinese Medicine, Number 70, Oct 2002.

The boxes are each affixed to a long strap, made of leather, 9mm wide. One is placed on the head, and, according to explicit directions, positioned centrally between the eyes, with the base of the box sitting upon the forehead, just within the hairline. This corresponds to a pressure point known as Shenting-DU24 otherwise known as “Tianting” or “Courtyard of Heaven”.

Traditionally used to treat any mental disorder, this pressure point is responsible for instilling calm in the mind and balance to the spirit.

Where the straps meet behind the head at the base of the skull (external occupital protuberance), there is a knot which corresponds to the acupuncture pressure point named Fengfu DU-16 also known as “Gui Zhen”, “Wind Mansion” or “Ghost Pillow”.

Fengfu DU-16 is widely recognized to benefit memory and concentration. On the Yang Linking vessel, this is also the point that unites all heaven-bound Yang energy.

The weaker arm (left arm for right handed people and right arm for left handed people) is wrapped with the second strap seven times, so that the box lies over the bicep muscle. There are four major variants to bind the arm: Chassidic, Sefardim, Sefard, and Ashkenazi.

Essentially, though, the differences between each of the major variants are slight but important to each, they all incorporate in excess of fifty acupuncture points situated on the arm.

Possibly even more important are the pressure points stimulated on the hand, which act as a multiplier to those already activated on the head.

It does not take an expert such as Dr. Schram to see that the act of laying tefillin was strategically engineered to create a heightened sense of calm and harmony within the spirit. However, it is strange that this non-Chinese practice, harnessing energy and spiritual health has clearly been established for thousands of years.

For now, it remains the mystery of the tefillin.

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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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