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Tallit is the term used to refer to the prayer shawl used by the Jewish community during their religious activities. The name is an Aramaic word which essentially means cover, literally relating to a cloak or sheet. The purpose of this item for the Jewish can be in contrast to that of the Roman pallium and Keffiyeh for the Roman Catholic priests and Arab males, respectively. Apart from being an important prayer item for the Jews though, these prayer shawls are also known for their great versatility. This is somewhat rare for a traditional item but there is no set custom of how it should be worn. It can be put on in varying ways for the comfort of the person wearing it. In tradition, though, this prayer shawl would be draped over the shoulder. During prayer, it should be covering the head of the person, especially in particular parts of the worship. It has been a long custom for the Jews to use the tallit as meaningful gifts. This is a particularly sensible exchange between a senior and a junior, whereas the latter shall be at the receiving end. This is commonly seen involving a father and his son or son-in-law or a mentor to their student, mostly when the receiver is 13 years of age. In any case, it comes as a commemorative item for a celebration such as a wedding or bar mitzvah. While the tallit, just as the kippah, are traditionally purposed for the male Jews, the reform and conservative communities also have women wearing the prayer shawl for their worship. The significance of the item during prayer is evident with the fact that a synagogue will have a rack of the prayer shawls ready even though it is understood that everyone is expected to bring their own when attending. The custom of wearing the tallit extends to varied occasions in the Jews life. For one, there are weddings where it serves as a chuppah - what the Jewish calls the canopy under which the couple would stand during the ceremony. Specifically for some Sephardic communities, the prayer shawl is worn by the groom under the chuppah. Secondly, during the Simchat Torah holiday, the Torah-reading ceremony will have the children under a canopy that makes use of the Jewish prayer shawl. For the burial of male Jews, the ritual washing is followed with the body being dressed in a kittel and a tallit. They will then be put in a plain wooden casket which is amiss for burials in the Land of Israel. There, the body will only be covered by the kittel and prayer shawl before being directly buried. Apart from these, there are many other occasions that make use of the prayer shawl such as Yom Kippur, morning prayers and others. Considering how much the Jewish prayer shawl is being utilized for all the different events in the Jewish community, it is evident how important it is for the religion. It has a great essence for the Jewish culture that makes it more than a simple garment. To learn more about tallit, feel free to visit: prayer shawl.
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