 The
tallit (Modern Hebrew: טַלִּית) or
tallet(h) (Sephardi Hebrew: טַלֵּית),
also called talles (Yiddish), is a
prayer shawl "cloak" that is worn during
the morning Jewish services (the
Shacharit prayers) in Judaism, during
the Torah service, and on Yom Kippur. It
has special twined and knotted "fringes"
known as tzitzit attached to its four
corners. The tallit is sometimes also
referred to as the arba kanfot, meaning
the ‘four wings’ (in the connotation of
four corners).
While some other Jewish garments or
objects might be treated more casually,
the tallit is a special personal effect,
generally used for many years or a
lifetime and never discarded. Most
Jewish men own very few tallitot in
their lifetimes. A threadbare tallit is
treated with great respect, as if it had
a mantle of holiness, acquired from
years of use. Although there is no
mandatory tradition, a tallit is likely
to be given as a special gift, from
father to son, from father-in-law to
son-in-law, from teacher to student. It
may also be purchased to mark a special
occasion, such as a wedding, a b'nai
mitzvah, or a trip to Israel. When a man
dies, it is traditional that he be
buried dressed only in his kittel, with
his tallit is draped over him.
Since wearing a tallit at certain times
is considered an obligation for men, a
synagogue will usually have a rack
available with extras, for visitors and
guests, or for those who forgot to bring
their own with them. |
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The extras that a synagogue has
available to lend are usually plain and simple,
but sufficient to fulfill the obligation. Although
non-Jewish male visitors are expected to wear a
kippah (headcovering) when
visiting a synagogue, it would be
frowned upon for a non-Jew to put on a
tallit, unless he is studying or
preparing for conversion to Judaism.
According to Rabbinic Judaism, men are
required to wear it at various points of
their lives as Jews, and most sages
regarded the tzitzis as compulsory. In
Reform Judaism, the use of a tallit was
declining during much of the 20th
century, but in recent years, it has
returned to favor. Various authorities
have differed as to whether women are
permitted to wear a tallit. In Orthodox
Judaism, many authorities discourage
women from wearing a tallit while some
Modern Orthodox authorities permit it.
In other branches of Judaism it is more
commonly practiced.
The word tallit in
Modern Hebrew is pronounced tah-LEET, or [ta.lít]
in IPA, with the stress on the final syllable.
Less common today, but historically quite
widespread, is the pronunciation tallet, or [ta.lét]
in IPA. The same word is pronounced TAH-lis in
Yiddish, transcribed [tá.lɛs] or [tá.lıs] in IPA,
with the stress on the initial syllable. Both
pronunciations are commonly interchanged and refer
to the same object.
The correct
plural of tallit in Modern Hebrew is tallitot,
pronounced tah-lee-TOT, or [ta.li.tót] in IPA; the
traditional Sephardi plural of tallét is talletot,
pronounced tah-leh-TOT, or [ta.le.tót] in IPA. The
Yiddish plural, which has its roots in the
Mediaeval Ashkenazi masculine form tallēt (compare
Modern Ashkenazi/Israeli Hebrew tallit gadol with
the masculine form of the adjective) with the
analogous plural ending -im and diphthongisation
of the accented ē, is taleisim, pronounced,
tah-LEY-sim, or [ta.léj.sɛm] or [ta.léj.sım] in
IPA. Again, all these plurals are interchangeable
and are more or less commonly heard.
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