Quick Facts
- Also spelled:
- ṭalit, tallis, or tallith
- Plural:
- ṭallithim, ṭalithim, tallithim, or tallisim
- Related Topics:
- arbaʿ kanfot
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Judaism: shofar and tallit
Traditional Jewish shofar (ritual musical instrument) and tallit (prayer shawl).
ṭallit
Judaism
Also known as: ṭalit, ṭalithim, ṭallithim, prayer shawl, tallis, tallisim, tallith(Show More)
ṭallit, prayer shawl worn by male Jews during the daily morning service (shaḥarit); it is also worn by the leader of the service during the afternoon service (minḥa). On Yom Kippur, males wear it for all five services and on Tisha be-Av only during the afternoon service.
Jewish religious dressJewish man wearing a ṭallit (prayer shawl) and tefillin (phylacteries) on his head and hand. .
Rectangular in shape, the wool (or sometimes silk) shawl has black or blue stripes with fringes (tzitzit) affixed to the four corners as the Bible prescribes (Numbers 15:38). Two fringes fall in front, two behind. Often an embroidered collar is added, inscribed with the blessing to be recited when the ṭallit is put on. A pious Jew is often buried in his ṭallit after one of the fringes has been removed.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Alison Eldridge.


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