|
Jewish Prayer-Shawl explained
|
Jewish Prayer-Shawl in Scripture...
And
the L-rd said to Moses,
Speak to the Israelites and bid them make
fringes {or} tassels on the corners in the
borders of their garments throughout their
generations, and put upon the fringe of the
borders {or} upon the tassel of each corner a
cord of blue.
And it shall be to you a fringe {or} tassel that
you may look upon and remember all the
commandments of the L-rd and do them, that you
may not spy out {and} follow after [the desires
of] your own heart and your own eyes, after
which you used to follow {and} play the harlot
[spiritually, if not physically], That you may
remember and do all My commandments and be holy
to your G-d. I am the L-rd your G-d,
Who
brought you out of the land of
Egypt to
be your G-d.
I am the L-rd your G-d. (Numbers15:37-41)
The
Tallit is the Jewish prayer shawl, the most
authentic Jewish garment used during prayer that
reminds the wearer of both G-d's Covenant and
His Commandments that a believer must follow.
During prayers, the custom is to wear a large
rectangular garment with tzitzit (tallis
gadol) and pray while wrapped in it.
G-d gave His people a visual “picture” that
would cause them to remember all the (613)
commandments of the L-rd, and do them; so that
they would not follow after their own heart and
their own eyes! In ancient Israel man wore a
four cornered tunic, and these tassels were
connected to that tunic. The tassels were tied
to the four corners of their garment
{Prayer-Shawl}. This outer garment eventually
throughout history became known as a (Hebrew) “Talith”
(Jewish Prayer-Shawl)! It eventually evolved
into a more formal Prayer-Shawl, which is what
most Jewish people wear in their Synagogue of
congregation or in a “Holy place”! |
Representation of the Torah's 613 prohibitions &
affirmations
Why
the tassels? Because the tassels are what is
important! (These Fringes) These tassels were to
remind each Jewish man of his responsibilities
to fulfill G-d’s 613 commandments!
The fringe tassels themselves are called
tzitzit. Their strings and knots are a
physical representation of the Torah's 613
do's and don'ts. Each letter in the Hebrew
alphabet has a corresponding numerical value.
The numerical values of the five letters "צִיצִת
-Tzitzis"
that comprise the Hebrew word tzitzit
add up to 600. Add the eight strings
and five knots of each tassel, and the
total is 613.
There are 613 "laws"
better:
Instructions/teaching's in the Law of
Moses! There are 365 prohibitions.
Thou shall NOT” and 248
are affirmations “Thou shall”! These
knots also corresponded to
the ineffable Holy Name of G-d!
In the “Torah”,
the Old Testament or Jewish writings: “YHVH”!
(For that title of the Name of G-d) {The word
"Torah" means "teaching" or "instruction";
not "law"!}
Alternatively, the fringes are like a royal
insignia, reminding their wearers that they are
always in the service of the King. The reminder
is provided by the symbolism of the turquoise
thread, which is the reminiscent of the Throne
of Glory! |
The ineffable Holy Name of G-d!
No
one has ever really knows for sure how to
pronounce the ineffable Holy Name of G-d!
(Except for some very elite Jewish Holy Rabbis’)
So in the course of time they came to a Name:
the Name “G-d” and occasionally, when you
read a Jewish writing or something written by a
Messianic Jew and you get to the Name of “G-d”
you will notice it as “G-d”! They never
spell out the Name "God"; they make a
“form” of the Name for G-d, because they revere the
Holy Name of G-d, even to this day to be so
HOLY, that you should not even pronounce
“it”! What they did is to take the Name “Adonai”,
which come together with the Name for G-d and
took the vowels of “Adonai” and put them
in the name of “Y-H-V-H” and that’s how
we came up with the Name “YHVH”, another
way Westerners say “Jehovah”
which is not a right translation: see at:
"YHVH
Elohim"
for more) They replace the first letter "Y" (Yud
in Hebrew) "with the English letter "J", which
does not exist in the Hebrew Alphabet.
It is the Jewish practice never to write this
Secret Name, but to replace it with the Name of
HaShem / Adonai, meaning, "the L-rd". There is
also a Rabbinical tradition of saying "G-d's
Name simply as " HaShem", meaning "the Name"! It
is a Jewish way in the Jewish literature that
may appear odd to non-Jewish readers. When
writing the Name "God", the Jewish writer will
leave out the "o" and write it "G-d"! This way
the Name of G-d has not been fully written;
therefore it is not defiled.
See
also: Is
the Name of "Jehovah" the Name of G-D? |
Halakhah”
means “walk” or "Teaching's
Because
they were hanging on the four corners of the
garment they were in full view of everyone
including the one wearing the garment. And G-d
said "that
this will be a constant reminder of G-d's laws".
The translation of the Hebrew word for “law”
which is “halakhah” it also means “walk”
or "Teaching's"! The word "Torah" means
"teaching" or "instruction"; not "law"!
The translation of the word "Torah" are greatly
misunderstood by most Christians. The Christian
translators nearly always translate both "Torah"
and "Nomos" as "Law" even though that is not the
meaningfor either the Hebrew or the Greek!
(Source: One new man bible; William J. Morford;
Page1794/Glossary)
Here we see a very profound message from G-d! He
wants us to have our daily walk governed by the
{Law} Teaching's/Instructions of G-d! It’s not
something
we visit on “Sabbath”
and then forget the six other days of the week!
G-d
said: I
want to give you a garment that’s going to
remind you about My Holy Law every moment of
every day!
So that you can look down and see G-d's 613 Commandments
and know that you have to live every day of your
life in such a fashion that you obey them and
honor YHVH! Representing the "Teaching's" or the
"Law" of G-d, by putting on a rope around it;
literally tying it around yourselves and
carrying "His Teaching's" is what G-d intended
that wherever we go we will be constantly
reminded of His Divine Word!
Today because Jewish people wear Western
clothes, instead of Eastern clothes they keep
this law by wearing a four corner garment as an
undershirt. The little tassels are coming out of
the four corners around their beltline, Why?
For the Orthodox Jew, this is their way of
honoring the commands given to them in the
Book of Numbers.
This modern day undergarment (an adaptation of
the traditional Prayer Shawl) keeps them focused
on G-d’s commands throughout their day. |
"Shuts out” the world around you...
When deep in prayer a Jewish man will put his
prayer-shawl up over his head, and crosses over
the fringes of the “tsiy tsith" representing the
Law and the Name of a Holy G-d {YHVH}. A Jewish
man will began to pray and in this fashion
literally “shuts out” the world around him.
Therefore when they pray under the “talith”,
the prayer-shawl,
they are symbolically and literally covering
themselves with the Shekinah presence of G-d!
From Ancient Biblical times a custom was a
“prayer-clothed” If you ever visit a Jewish
Synagogue or at the Western Wall in Jerusalem
you will see a Jewish man praying, covered with
his Prayer-shawl
·
The
white color on Prayer Shawl is
representing
the
purity and G-d's Heavenly Holy Throne! This
is the dwelling place of the L-rd!
·
The
Blue Color
represents
“Ruach
HaKodesh” the Holy Spirit of G-d!
It’s likely was the
L-rd Yeshua, Jesus the Christ,
means in Matthew
6:6
for Yeshua/Jesus is
talking about praying and He said:
But when you pray, go into your [most] private
room, and, closing the door, pray to your
Father, Who is in secret; and your Father, Who
sees in secret, will reward you {in the open}.
(Matthew 6:6
Amplified)
The
Greek word here for “closet” is
the Greek Word “tameion”. It literally means an
inner chamber or “secret Room” (does not really
refer the closet in your room or a room at home;
but it could used as a double application!) The
“closet” is actually the covering of the “Tallit”!
Prayer is an intense intimate personal
interaction between G-d and man! Prayer is
dialogue, it means that man speaks to G-d and
G-d speaks to man! You speak to G-d and then you
hear from G-d! It is a conversation that occurs
when a man is intensely focused entirely on
communion with G-d, having “shut out” all the
rest of what is in the world! You can easily get
rid of the distractions! When a Jewish man
wraps himself in a “Prayer-mantle”,
he is secluded from everything external! So that
his soul is consumed in thoughts of reverence
toward G-d!
He realizes that just his “talith”
adds value to his person, so his faith is to be
effective! It must involve the totality of his
life! All of a Jewish man’s actions throughout
the day are directly connected with his faith!
That is why they respond the way they do in
protecting their land, in protecting their
people! They don’t just go to the job and do
their military stuff during the day and come
home and think about G-d! We segment G-d to a
certain day and segment G-d to a certain place!
A Jewish man will have a “prayer closet” with
him always reminding him of the "commandments"
of G-d and of His Holy Name!
There is something's we need to discern,
understand, learn and apply in our lives!
Prayers sent to YHVH should not be a public
display of vain repetitions characterized
(acculturated) by religiosity! Prayer is a form
of "2 ways" communication with G-d! It is most
effective when all surrounding distractions are
removed. This is why a Jewish man encloses
himself in a “talith,” shutting off the mundane
and elevating his spirit; only to commune with
G-d! A secret place of prayer!
The mitzvah of tzitzit is in the third
section of the Shema, which is recited
during the morning prayers. Therefore, during
the morning prayers it is customary to don a
tallit gadol (“big tallit”)—a prayer shawl.
Wearing a tallit is the ideal way to
observe the mitzvah, for only in a tallit
is the individual enwrapped in the
garment. |
To recite a blessing, thanking G‑d (YHVH
- HaShem} -
צִיצִת
-Tzitzis The Blessing is placed over the head, on the outside, just like the tent walls of the Holy Tabernacle so that they would always hang the same way. As the “Atorah” was placed over the head, it formed his own "tent". “Wings” of the garment were formed when the arms were held out. Before performing a mitzvah, we are commanded to recite a blessing, thanking G‑d for sanctifying us with His commandments. The following blessing is recited before putting on the t
zitzit:
בָּרוּך
אַתָּה
ה'
אֱ-להֵינוּ
מֶלֶך
הָעוֹלָם
אַשֶׁר
קִדְשָנוּ
בְּמִצְוֹתָיו
וְצִוָנוּ
עַל
מִצְוַת
צִיצִת
Baruch atta Ado-noy Elo-hai-nu Melech ha'olam
asher kid-sha-nu b'mitz-vo-tav v'tzi-vanu al
mitzvat tzitzit.
One who wears a tallit while praying need
not recite this blessing. When reciting the
blessing on the tallit, he should have in
mind that this blessing covers his tzitzit
as well.
Tallit:
Before the morning prayers, we put on the
tallit before donning the tefillin.
The ideal way to perform the mitzvah of
tzitzit is by completely draping oneself in
the fringed garment, which is accomplished only
through wearing the tallit. A slightly
different blessing is recited when putting on
the tallit:
בָּרוּך
אַתָּה
ה'
אֱ-להֵינוּ
מֶלֶך
הָעוֹלָם
אַשֶׁר
קִדְשָנוּ
בְּמִצְוֹתָיו
וְצִוָנוּ
לְהִתעַטֵף
בְּצִיצִת
Baruch atta Ado-noy Elo-hai-nu Melech ha'olam
asher kid-sha-nu b'mitz-vo-tav v'tzi-vanu
l'hit-atef b'tzitzit.
Related Links:
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/537949/jewish/What-is-the-Tzitzit-and-Tallit.htm |
The
Torah commands us to include a
blue
("techelet")
fringe among the tzitzit fringes. This
fringe must be
dyed blue
with the blood of a shellfish called "chilazon."
This rare fish is a denizen of the Mediterranean
Sea. After the Jewish people were exiled from
the Holy Land {Israel}, the chilazon was
no longer available. For many centuries Jews
wore tzitzit without a
techelet
fringe.
If techeilles treads are unavailable, however,
this absence did not prevent the performance of
the
blue thread,
the commandment of tzitzis remains in effect
nowadays even without techeilles
The
original requirement was to have a
blue thread
among the white threads; however, since the
precise shade of blue is no longer known and the
source of the dye used, only the white threads
are used (except among certain chasidic groups
that claim to know the "dye formula").
In the past century, there have been certain
venerable rabbis who claimed to have identified
the chilazon, based on this fish's
distinguishing features described in the Talmud.
Since then, tzitzit with techelet
has made a comeback, and one can often spot
people sporting such tallitot. There are
many, however, who have cast doubts on the
re-identification of the chilazon.
(Turquoise
wool. One of the strings of each fringe is to be
dyed turquoise
with the blood of an aquatic creature
known as chilazon. The exact indentify of the
creature that is the source of this blue dye
unknown nowadays, so that
techeilles is unavailable currently.
Rabbi Sholom DovBer, the fifth Rebbe of
Lubavitch, maintained that according to the
teachings of Kabbalah the chilazon will
not reemerge until the coming of the
Messiah! Three commands—blue ribbon:
1. Tell Israel to make
fringes
upon the borders of their garments.
Related Links:
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/530130/jewish/Tzitzit-and-Talit-Video.htm |
The strings of the tzitzit & tallit must be
inspected, to ensure that they are still kosher!
Since torn tzitzit strings could
invalidate the entire tallit (see
The Garment and Fringes),
the strings of the tzitzit and tallit
must be inspected every day before they are worn
to ensure that they are still kosher.
During the tzitzit inspection, it is
proper to separate and disentangle the
individual fringes. Each string is
representative of a particular and unique
mitzvah, and shouldn't be "entangled" with
another. |
In
most Ashkenazi communities, men begin to wear
the tallit only after marriage (and continue to
do so even if they are widowed or divorced).
According to Sephardic tradition, boys begin
wearing a tallit at the age of bar mitzvah (age
13) or even earlier.
In most communities, a person who is called up
to the Torah for an aliyah—even if he is
a bachelor or isn’t praying at the moment—dons a
tallit out of respect for the
congregation. Similarly, the chazzan
always wears a tallit, even if he isn’t
married, and even during the afternoon and
evening services, when he is the only one who
wears the tallit. On the other hand,
many, including Chabad, do not follow this
tradition. |
What is the deeper significance of the Tallit?
The
main idea of Jewish prayer is to connect to G-d.
But how can a finite, limited human being
connect to an infinite, unlimited G-d? Really,
it should be impossible. But G-d wants a
relationship with us, so He "limited" Himself.
He did this by expressing Himself in creation.
The world we live in is actually an expression
of G-d and everything in it is G-d's work of
art. We can't see G-d but we can see His
creation. So just like by looking at a painting
or hearing a song we can get a feeling of who
the artist is, by observing the beauty of this
world, its complexity and its rhythms we can
begin to appreciate G-d.
The Tallit has two parts - the garment itself
and the tzitzit or fringes. The garment
surrounds our body, and the fringes hang off it.
They represent the two aspects of G-d's being.
His true self is totally beyond our capacity to
grasp, represented by the garment that envelops
us. It is only a tiny fraction of His being we
can experience, the little fringes dangling off
the corners, that we can experience.
No matter how holy we feel, G-d is infinitely
Holier. He is the Tallit that surrounds us. But
no matter how unholy we feel,
G-d
comes down to us and asks us to talk to Him. He
is the Tzitzit reaching down for us to grab onto
and kiss. We need to have this in mind when we
pray, so we wear a Tallit. |
So what is a woman who wishes to wear a tallit
to do?
Rabbi
Moshe Feinstein, eminent 20th century halachic
authority, writes that a woman who desires to
wear a tallit may do so, provided that
she wears a distinctively feminine tallit.
He cautions, however, that this applies only to
women whose desire to wear a tallit stems
from a yearning to fulfill the mitzvah, though
recognizing that they are not required to do so,
and not to individuals who don a tallit
as a "protest," a means of challenging what they
perceive to be a gender bias in Jewish law. Such
an individual is not fulfilling a mitzvah, and
to the contrary. |
Kabbalah teaches that the tallit garment is a
metaphor for G‑d's infinite transcendent light.
The fringes allude to the immanent divine light
which permeates every element of creation. By
wearing a tallit gadol or a tallit katan, a Jew
synthesizes these two elements and makes them
real in his life. |
To remove a Tallit before entering...
It is customary, however, to remove a Tallit
before entering a restroom. This is an act of
respect accorded to a garment which is reserved
for prayer It is customary, however, to remove a
Tallit before entering a restroom. This is an
act of respect accorded to a garment which is
reserved for prayer |
Tallis/Tzitzis,
according
the Chumash
The
commandments of the tzitzis, the Torah states,
it is a "vehicle" that enable the Jew to
remember all the Torah's precepts. The passage
contains other general commandments that are
essential to maintaining allegiance to G-d, and
concludes with the oft-repeated statement that
He took the Ancient Jewish people out of Egypt
and as a consequence of that,, the Jewish
people (in that time and so today for us as
well) obligated to accept Him as our G-d!
38
צִיצִת
-Tzitzis
i.e., fringes, Alternatively, the word refers
not to the fringes themselves, but to what they
call upon their wearers to do. The translated
word "צִיצִת
" "
Tzitzis"
means to peer at something intently (Song
of Songs 2:9), and as states in verse 39, one
should look at the tzitzis
in order to remember all the
commandments.
On
the corners of their garments. The corners of a
garment are accessible and visible, which is
important in the context
of this commandment, since the fringes
must be seen in order to serve as reminders.
Garments are a person's means of playing a role,
of presenting himself to the world as he would
like to be perceived. It is important,
therefore that garments be "consecrated",
as it where, with reminders of G-d, so that they
not become the means to entice people away from
His service
By performing this commandment with the proper
intent, one can learn to see that G-d guides the
world, so that, in effect, one sees Him and
remembers the duty to be loyal to Him!. |
*Hem: Greek:' kraspedon' (GSN-2899), a tassel of twisted wool (Matthew 9:20; Matthew 14:36; Matthew 23:5; Mark 6:56; Luke 8:44). One was required at each of the four corners of the outer garment (Numbers 15:38-41; Deuteromony 22:12). Pharisees considered tassels special marks of sanctity and sought to enlarge them (Matthew 23:5). |
The woman with the 12 years of blood issue
She
had heard the reports concerning Jesus, and she
came up behind Him in the throng and touched His
garment, For she kept saying, If I only touch
His garments, I shall be restored to health. And
immediately her flow of blood was dried up at
the source, and [suddenly] she felt in her body
that she was healed of her [distressing]
ailment. And {Yeshua}Jesus, recognizing in
Himself that the power proceeding from Him had
gone forth, turned around immediately in the
crowd and said, Who touched My clothes? And the
disciples kept saying to Him, You see the crowd
pressing hard around You from all sides, and You
ask, Who touched Me? Still He kept looking
around to see her who had done it. But the
woman, knowing what had been done for her,
though alarmed {and} frightened and trembling,
fell down before Him and told Him the whole
truth. And He said to her, Daughter, your faith
(your trust and confidence in Me, springing from
faith in God) has restored you to health. Go in
(into) peace and be continually healed {and}
freed from your [distressing bodily] disease.
(Mark 5:27-34
Amplified) The woman with ‘the 12 years of blood issue’ had made a demand on the anointing-power of G-d! Her faith has made her whole! Just by touching in faith the “tassels” of His Garment! The L-rd spoke to her, that her trust and confidence; which is her faith, in Him, in G-d was the reason of her restored health. (Mark 5:34 Amplified) G-d will never say "No" to anyone who comes to Him in faith (Matthew 7:7-11; Matthew 17:20; Matthew 21:22; Mark 9:23; Mark 11:22-24; John 14:1-15; John 15:7,16; James 1:5-8). Jesus/Yeshua recognized that she had faith enough to get her healing. Here is an example of true faith and determination which all can follow with profit. The touch of faith is different from the physical touch but it is just as real. Too many people are looking to the faith of the preacher or the one who prays instead of getting and exercising personal faith. It is all covered by the promises of G-d. Personal faith comes by hearing the Word of G-d (Romans 10:17) and by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians. 12:4-11). Nothing is impossible for our "faith" today as in woman's time (Matthew 17:20; Mark 9:23). Scriptural References:
And behold, a woman who had suffered from a flow
of blood for twelve years came up behind Him and
touched the fringe of His garment; {The
authority of a Jewish man} For she kept saying
to herself, If I only touch His garment, I shall
be restored to health. {Yeshua} Jesus turned
around and, seeing her, He said, Take courage,
daughter! Your faith has made you well. And at
once the woman was restored to health.
And {Yeshua}Jesus said, Who is it who touched
Me? When all were denying it, Peter {and those
who were with him} said, Master, the multitudes
surround You {and} press You on every side! But
{Yeshua}Jesus said, Someone did touch Me; for I
perceived that [healing] power has gone forth
from Me. And when the woman saw that she had not
escaped notice, she came up trembling, and,
falling down before Him, she declared in the
presence of all the people for what reason she
had touched Him and how she had been instantly
cured. And He said to her, Daughter, your faith
(your confidence and trust in Me) has made you
well! Go (enter) into peace (untroubled,
undisturbed well-being). (Luke 8:44-48
Amplified) You shall make yourself tassels on the four corners of your cloak with which you cover yourself. (Deuteronomy 22:12 Amplified) Remember the commandment of the L-rd to wear the twisted coils! |
The
Mantle
was a covering that
represented a calling to service, protection, sanctification and covenant
relationship with G-d. The word "Mantle" translates to mean "Glorious",
"Powerful", "Noble" and "Worthy". According to Jewish tradition, the
mantle of Elijah
was placed in a small chamber in the golden altar. Hundreds of years later,
Zechariah removed the garment
and kept it for the ministry of his son, John the Baptist. When John appeared,
many believed he was Elijah, perhaps due to this
special mantle.
We
are told that Elijah the prophet
will appear in the future to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children
(Malachi 4:5).
Yet, just as John the Baptist carried a special anointing upon his life, we
believe G-d will raise up a team of men who carry the boldness and vision for
ministry that both
Elijah and
John carried in their generation!
Elijah was a
leader. As a man of G-d you are called to be a leader.
Elijah was bold and
uncompromising. You are called to be bold and uncompromising.
Elijah carried a
special prayer anointing. As one of G-d’s end time righteous; un-compromising
and over-comers - saints of the End-time. you are destined to
carry a special anointing!
Just as
Elijah
&
John
prepared a way and "made ready a people for the L-rd"
(Luke 1:17),
G-d is rising up men to help prepare the people for the return of
Yeshua Messiah!
The Prophet Elijah passed his "mantle" on to Elisha in (II Kings 2) Many believe that this “mantle” was actually his “Tallis” and was symbolic of the power of prayer that Elijah had saturated that “mantle” with. This “mantle” that Elijah left behind as he was taken up by a whirlwind into Heaven was what Elisha struck and parted the waters of the River of Jordan with! |
"This is my G-d and I will glorify Him" ( Exodus 15:2) The Talmud states "Beautify the Jewish man in front of Him with Mitzvot... a tzitzit!" (Shabbos 133b). This is the way of style in the garment of tzitzit for these are the essence of hiddur. NeaTzit strings are tied under strict Rabbinic supervision! |
Related Links according the Orthodox Jewish
Chabad
http://www.chabad.org/multimedia/media_cdo/aid/1504370/jewish/How-to-Put-On-a-Tallis.htm
Related Links according the Jewish Library
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/Tallis.html
|
Resources
This
"teaching Web-Page" of the
“Jewish-Prayer-Shawl
- Explained.”
is created by:
www.Godsoutreachministryint.org
www.Prophetoffice.org
www.Endtimeharvestrevival.org
|
God's
Outreach
Ministry Int. Inc.,
www.Prophetoffice.org
www.Endtimeharvestrevival.org