Ṭallit | Prayer Shawl, Fringes & Garment | Britannica (original) (raw)

Also spelled:

ṭalit, tallis, or tallith

Plural:

ṭallithim, ṭalithim, tallithim, or tallisim

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.