The Prayer Shawl: Yesterday and Today

The prayer shawl, known as the tallit in the Jewish community, is an intricate part of Judaica and the Jewish religion. Here is a look at prayer shawls of yesterday and today and the giving of the tallit as a gift to commemorate the major moments in the life of a young man or woman.

History of the Prayer Shawl

The prayer shawl began its life as the Jewish tallit and was originally worn by men in ancient times. At the corners of the tallit tassels would be attached in fulfillment of the commandment of zizit, found in the book of Numbers.

Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 38 “Speak to the children of Israel: Tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners. 39 And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the LORD and do them, and that you may not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined, 40 and that you may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for your God. 41 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD your God.” Numbers 15:37-41

In time the tallit was lost from the daily habit as the Jews assimilated with their Gentile neighbors following their exile, and the tallit became a strictly religious garment used for prayer (hence the use of the phrase "prayer shawl").

Today's Prayer Shawl

Today's prayer shawl has changed a great deal from its earliest inception. In the Encyclopedia Judaica it says that the first tallit "was usually made either of wool or of linen and probably resembled the abayah still worn by the Bedouin for protection against the weather."

Today's tallit is usually white and made of wool, cotton or silk. Until recently the prayer shawl bore only black stripes; today, in remembrance of the blue thread of the zizit, prayer shawls may have stripes made of blue woven into the material and, among less orthodox sects, may also have stripes of maroon, white, purple, gold, silver, rainbow, pink and combinations of colored stripes with metallic threads.

The prayer shawl is given by a father to a son, a father-in-law to a son-in-law or a teacher to a student and may be purchased to mark a special occasion, such as a wedding or a bar/bat mitzvah, often accompanying a tefillin as a remembrance God's deliverance of the children of Israel out of Egypt.

Women's Prayer Shawls

One thing you rarely find when investigating the history and the use of the prayer shawl is what type of tallit is worn by women. Because historically the tallit was worn by men the majority of the literature concerning their use focuses on that of the men in temple. This is due to both convention and the Judaic belief that women are exempt from time related Mitzvahs and is encouraged by Orthodox Rabbis. The prayer shawl is also worn by women outside of the orthodox beliefs, however, often in a much less orthodox style that allows her to maintain both style and femininity.