Christian Tallit Prayer Shawl

Description

The Main Prayer in Hebrew on the (Atara)

Blessed are you O’ Lord King of the Universe Who has fulfilled all of the law through Jesus the Messiah and have covered us with his Righteousness.

BARUCH  ATAH  ADONAI  ELOHENU  MELECH  HA’ OLAM  ASHER  MILLA  ET KOL . HATORAH  BIYASHU’  HAMASHIAH  IKISSA  ET  KULANU  VETSEDKATO

Yeshua ( Jesus ) And Christian Tallit Prayer Shawl

Matthew 9:20-22 (KJV)

And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: ^{21}  For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. ^{22}  But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.

We recall the woman who had an issue of blood for twelve years. She approached Jesus. Many translations say that she touched the hem. of his garment. That is a bad translation. Rather, she touched the fringes of his garment and thereby she was touching God’s Word and God’s Name. God’s Law and God’s Name is what the fringe symbolizes. Not the hem of a skirt. The fringe symbolizes Jesus himself: the Word and the Name. This beautiful prayer shawl will be an inspirational tool in the development of your prayer life. It comes with the explanation above, which will make it even more of a spiritual gift for one of your friends or loved ones.

Matthew 14:36 (KJV)

And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.

Mark 6:56 (KJV)

And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole.

Jewish Rabbinical Law of the Tallit and Tzitzit

The rabbis have developed many laws pertaining to the tallit and tzitzit that are not found in the Bible. Among these are:

• The minimum size for a tallit is that which can clothe a small child who is able to walk.³
• The tallit is generally worn by men during morning prayers and during all Yom Kippur services.
• The benediction was recited before putting on the tallit.
• One should not recite this blessing if he has borrowed a tallit for a short period during the service, nor should the lender recite it upon donning the returned tallit.
• The tallit must be removed before using a rest room.

Some Customs of the Tallit and Tzitzit

• The fabric of the modern tallit is either wool, cotton or silk.
• As a reminder that the tzitzit were to have blue cords, blue stripes are usually seen on modern tallitot. From the time of the final fall of ancient Jerusalem until Israel once again became a state in 1948, however, black stripes were prevalent on the tallit to symbolize mourning.
• In older tradition the usual way to put on the tallit was to cover the head first letting it fall naturally into position. More recently, the tallit has been handled like a scarf, i.e. first placed around the neck, then draped over the shoulders.
• Very observant Jews pray with the tallit covering the head, symbolic of being surrounded by the holiness of God’s commandments and submitting to His will. Most Jewish people today, however, pray with the tallitcovering only the shoulders.
• Ashkenazim—Jews of East European descent—allow the wearing of child-sized tallitot for children who have not yet reached bar mitzvah age (13). In some cultures only males past the age of 13 wear the tallit, while still others restrict its use to married men. In contemporary America, most boys begin to use the tallit after the bar mitzvah, but some parents and teachers encourage its use even prior to that as a way of educating the children in their Jewishness.
• It is customary to touch the tallit to the Torah Scroll as it is carried in procession around the synagogue, or to touch the tallit to the passage in the Law over which the benediction is recited. One then kisses the tallit to show reverence for the Law.
• Many synagogues provide a tallit, along with a yarmulke (skullcap, pronounced YAR-mul-keh) and siddur (prayer book pronounced si-DUR), for worshipers who do not own these items. These must be returned after the service.
• In some cultures a Jewish bridegroom wears a tallit during the wedding ceremony.
• When not worn, the tallit is kept in a special bag, usually of richly embroidered velvet.
• It is customary to bury a Jewish man in his tallit with the tzitzit removed or torn, symbolizing that the deceased can no longer observe the Law.

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