myTalit - Tallit

Tallit, the prayer shawl used by the Jews during their daytime prayer and during their day of praise, are mainly used by Jewish men. But as with most traditions, this practice has changed due to its implications, as well as the effects culture and time have on this Jewish practice. Because of this, the use of the talit is no longer restricted to men; women are now using tallitot too. But this change in the tradition has many factors and facets, one that delves into the history and personal psyche of the Jews. Orthodox Rabbis generally disapprove of women wearing the tallit, mainly because it is untraditional for women to do so, but others see no objection to it.

As said, originally, the tallit is worn by men and men alone. There are no restrictions about women wearing the tallit, but there are also no commandments or rules stating that they should. This is because only men are bound by positive mitzvot, which in turn refers to Judaism’s 613 commandments. This means women are exempt from a number of the commandments. And since the tallit is a symbolism of how the Jews should always remember and observe their commandments, the practice of women wearing the tallit has no important religious use. So while there are no actual verses in the Bible that directly state women are prohibited from using the tallit (in fact, during the earlier days, women are openly permitted to use the talit), a number of Jewish authorities who moved towards the prohibition of using tallit for women.

As for the men, the tallit are obligated by most communities to wear them by the time they reach 13, or when they celebrate their bar mitzvah. The bar mitzvah represents a Jewish child’s knowledge of the commandments, making them responsible for their actions. And since, again, the tallitot represent the Jewish’s observance of their commandments, it is only right that the Jewish male uses the tallit once they reach that age.

A number of Jewish communities, however, use the tallit only after their marriage. This is in accordance to a number of texts in the Hebrew Bible, particularly a couple of verses in the book of Deuteronomy. Many Jews, however, criticize this practice, as it is said to delay the practice of the mitzvah even after one is responsible for it. However, majority of Jews do wear the tallis by the age of 13. In some communities, women start using tallis after the bat mitzvah.

Of course, many authorities have expressed their reservations about the use of the tallis by women. This is because women are exempted from the practice of the commandments. Hence, many view the use of the tallit by women as a form of protest or arrogance, undermining the religious importance of the tallit and using it for protest or political reasons. Non-Jewish visitors of Jewish temples are also not allowed to wear tallit, but some temples make visitors wear them when they do visit. Again, it depends on the practice in the community.

Although there are unavoidable implications with the use the tallis, it is still an instrument used to become closer to God. What matters mostly is the user’s intention.