Welcome to Gaia! ::

Just a quick question for the group.

Who owns and wears a talis? Girls too. I'd like to know why or why not you wear one.

I wear one as I feel it's a badge of honor, that I earned the privledge of wearing it. I use a Bina Or talis, one of the rainbow stripey ones. I like it because it's traditional, yet very different, like me.

I like to wear it in the Akenazi style when I go to my parent's Sephardic Temple for the High Holidays. Kind of a "no I'm not one of you," statement to wear a talis differnetly then the rest of the congregation. Then it lives in it's little pouch for the rest of the time.

The more common Sephardic way is to fold it in half lengthwise and then drape it over your shoulders.

The Askenazi way is to drape it over yourself then run your hand up one of the corners and fold the whole kit and kaboodle over your shoulder. Repeat on other side and then clip it in the front ot keep it from falling.

I wont get one till I get married. My family holds by "Only married men can wear talit"

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They're very pretty though.

I wore one on my bar mitzvah.

I wish I had someone to teach me how to put tephillin on.. I always put it on wrong, and I can't get it right.

Oh, I was thinking they were the ones that looked like strings...

What are the box things?

So women have menstruation and men have...teffillen? Interesting...but what service do the black boxes represent...I don't get it. I always thought they were cameras when I saw them. redface

I have a tallit, which I bought in my early Reform days. I also have a collection of kippot from that time. I won't throw them out or give them away, because they represent the time in my life in which I was first embracing Judaism as the way I wanted to live. I wear the tallit when I daven at home, but not when I daven publicly. I have them, and I wear them when davening at home, because tallit and tefillin are binding upon all Jews. Women were later exempted because we should (theoretically) be caring for small children, who make demands that need to be met right away, not waiting an hour till one finishes praying. But because I have no children, that demand isn't upon me, so I have no excuse not to pray daily, not to wear tallit, and not to wrap tefillin. (I don't own tefillin because they're expensive and I can't afford them right now. When I get the chance, I intend to buy them and use them -- in private, at home.)

I don't wear tallit or tefillin when I daven with a group because there would be questions, issues, distractions for others trying to pray. It's not a usual thing, to see women wearing these in Orthodox circles, and my goal is not to distract people from their kavanah (intention) while trying to pray. I can pray just as easily without these things, and since the mitzvah is optional for women, I opt to do this only at home where I won't be distracting anyone.

And then I wear long sleeves, so that people don't see the marks from wrapping the leather straps around my arms, and ask questions. It's all about privacy.

I DO wear tzitzit (fringes, also known as arba kanfot, which means four corners) daily. Normally a Jewish man wears this: undershirt, tzitzit, then his outer shirt/blouse. I wear it like so: (ahem) brassiere, tzitzit, colorful T-shirt, blouse. The mitzvah to wear the fringes is optional for women, but as it's a reminder to do the other mitzvot, I feel it's important for myself. However, in many times and places throughout history, Jewish men have worn them tucked inside their trousers or robes rather than out and visible, because it was dangerous to be seen wearing them. I follow the same principle -- what's dangerous for a man who might get beaten up is at least as dangerous for a woman who might be beaten and/or sexually assaulted for violating both the non-Jewish world's norms as well as the Jewish world's norms (which are, at least to some of the Jewish world, that women simply don't wear those). The obligation is to wear them and see them, but our sages have determined that one can 'see' them by feeling them against one's legs.

Ok talis for the lady folks, as opposed to the men folk





The above are examples of Talit designed to be for women. What makes them so is the that they have more vibrant colors, different cloth than traditional and tend to have either feminine themes, such as floral designs or images of notable biblical women. There is also a trend to have images applied to them. City scapes of Jerusalem are a common theme.

What makes a boys talis different from a girls talis? well traditionally a Talis is to be white and have blue stripes and any decoration should be subtle. However if you're a guy and you don't feel like wearing the traditional white and blue, they make non traditional taliot as well. That often classify as "unisex"



The above are examples of unisex taliot. They're non traditional and can look good on a man and a woman, however I think the lilac one is a bit too feminie.

The significance of a Talis is that it's so important for your own self identity as a jew that I believe that every jew, man and woman, should be buried in their personal talis. It's a reflection of your own person, it's something you get as a gift, or aquire yourself and you should wear it like a badge of honor.

Shout "This is my talis! There are many like it but this one is mine!" And know that it is yours and you belong to it.

Later we shall be going over the parts of a Talis, and proper care.

Umm the full taliot, as shown above are tradtionally worn within a synagogue and during times of prayer at home, but not on the sabbath.

However there is something called a Talis Katan



Often these are refered to as simply Tzitzi.

They're rectangular pieces with a hole cut in the middle that you put over your head and under your shirt. Traditionally they're cotton or wool. They don't come in fancy colors or pastels. They're usually solid white or solid white with a blue stripe. These you wear all the time, some jews even wear them to bed, but that is not the norm.

Divash I believe mentioned she wears one. I used to, but no longer do.