What do Batman, Dracula, Darth Vader and the Jews have in common? They all wear capes. Jews, however, do not wear their capes for flight or fright.
They wear capes in the form of a prayer shawl, known in Hebrew as a “talit” and in Yiddish as a “tallis.” Some Jews manufacture tallisim and other Jews sell them but to be clear, a tallisman and a talisman are two very different things, though both can be magical and bring good luck.
The word tallit or tallis literally means cover or sheet but, just as Batman’s cloak is more than just drapery (it doubles as a hand-glider), a tallis is more than just a fashion statement.
The Torah itself does not expressly require Jews to wear a tallis per se. (The Torah also does not expressly require Jews to eat kreplach soup but some things go without saying.) The Torah, however, does state that Jews should make for themselves “fringes on the corners of the garments, throughout their generations.” The Torah goes on to explain that these fringes are intended to help Jews to remember and follow the Torah’s commandments. Thus, one might say that the strings of the tallis bring with them certain fringe benefits.
The four fringes, which are found on the four corners of a tallis, are referred to as “tzizit,” which is Hebrew for “tassel.” The tzizit typically come in twisted fashion because later in the Torah it states that Jews must make for themselves “twisted threads, on four corners of your garment with which you cover yourself.” For the record, “Twisted Threads” would be a terrific name for a Chasidic punk rock band. (As an aside, if a group of matzah-makers formed a rock band and hired Eric Clapton to play lead guitar during Chol Hamoed Pesach, the group would be known as “Dire Streit’s.”)
The tzizit that are attached to the four corners of a tallis are tied in a variety of complicated knots pursuant to a number of rabbinic regulations. In fact, if rabbinic authorities were an orchestra, than those rabbis who focus on tallis and tzizit could be considered the string section. Chief among them is the legendary Rashi, who noted that the gematria (numerical value) of the Hebrew word tzizit is 600. When you add that to the number of threads (8) and knots (5) that comprise each tassel, the grand total is 613, which equates to the number of commandments in the Torah. Thus, the strings of a tallis are not merely for show and the intricate knots on those strings are not simply the work of Jewish Boy Scouts. Even the knots have meaning. (Yes, when it comes to the Ten Commandments, the “nots,” e.g., Do Not Kill, Do Not Steal, etc. also have meaning.) If you were to make a movie about the tallis, it should be titled “Knotting Hill,” “Shawl Shank Redemption” or, if you’re scared that you lost your tallis, “Cape Fear.”
When the Torah mentions the wearing of tzizit on the four corners of garments, it also states that one should affix a thread of blue on the fringe of each corner. The actual color referred to in the Torah is “techelet” which, according to scholars, is a specific blue dye produced from a sea creature referred to as a Ḥillazon. Like the Lochness Monster, it remains unclear whether the Hillazon still exists, which is why most tzizit and tallit are no longer made with a blue thread and why many tallit have black stripes, representing the loss of the blue dye. So, in fashion terms, black is the new blue. Interestingly, some historians note that the blue used in the Israeli flag is a colorized tribute to the techelet. (Yes, the blue and white of the Israeli flag were chosen over a brown/tan tribute to falafel and hummus.)
A tallis can be multi-functional. You will sometimes see one used at a Jewish wedding ceremony as part of the chuppah (wedding canopy). You also may see a tallis used as a canopy over children on Simchas Torah. Of course, the multi-functionality of the tallis does not mean you should use it as a picnic blanket, rain poncho or hammock. In a similar vein, you also should not, under any circumstance, use your kippah as a Frisbee, your siddur as a pillow, your challah as a football or your synagogue as a professional wrestling venue.
Final thought: A tallis is not just a wonderful, meaningful Jewish garment. For fashion-conscious Jews, it also is the one type of white garment that is perfectly fine to wear after Labor Day.
By Jon Kranz
