Under the Wings of the Prayer Shawl

Under the Wings of the Prayer Shawl. 

“And Yahweh said to Moses, ‘Speak to the people of Israel, instructing them to make, throughout all their generations, knotted tassels (“tzitzit”) on the wings (“kanaph”) of their garments, and to put with the tassel on each wing a blue thread. So it is to be a tzitzit for you to look at and thereby remember all of Yahweh’s commandments and obey them, so that you won’t go around wherever your own heart and eyes lead you to prostitute yourselves, but it will help you remember and obey all My commandments and be holy for your God. I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt in order to be your God.” (Numbers 15:37-41).

Tzitzit: The knotted tassel, or fringe, applied to each corner of the Jewish prayer shawl. The tzitzit was God’s memory device for the Jews to remind Israel of their identity as God’s people who were set apart to serve him. As the commandment from Yahweh makes clear, there were three main reasons for the tzitzit… to see it, to remember what it points to, and their obligation to practice God’s commandments. The holy fringes were also to remind the Jews of their redemption from slavery, of God redeeming them from Egypt. There is much to be discussed about the “biblical blue” tzitzit, and so please refer to another article in this series devoted to the tzitzit.

Kanaph: The Hebrew word for “wings” used over 100 times in the Hebrew Bible which has a variety of meanings, often giving us a picture of God in action or revealing for us aspects of God’s character… the literal wings of a bird; the corners of a prayer shawl; the outer extremities of a garment; the outstretched wings of angels; the protective presence God as a refuge and shelter; the glorious rays coming out of the sun; the sudden swooping presence of judgment; the strength of God to rescue and deliver from danger.

One of the Fundamentals. Rabbinic authorities have called this particular commandment in Numbers 15 one of the great commands of Judaism. It is so central that it became the third and concluding paragraph of the Shema, the supreme declaration of the Jewish faith that is repeated every morning and evening by faithful Jews to this s day. This initial command to wear the knotted tassels on every garment soon evolved into the tzitzit on the prayer shawls of pious Jews. This sacred garment has been called the “tallit” ever since (tuh-leet).

Tallit: The square or rectangular garment with four corners that is used as a prayer shawl for faithful Jews and many Christians who want to follow the daily practice of Jesus. Per the commandment above, the tallit is required to have a knotted tassel, or fringe, hanging from each of the four corners. The tallit was usually white and made of wool or cotton linen. The four corners of the garment represented the four extremities of the earth, and point to God’s complete sovereignty over the world, His universal Kingship. The four dimensions of height, width, length and depth also reminds us of God’s eternal and unlimited love for us. The four corners of the tallit were called “wings” because when someone who is wearing a tallit raises his arms in prayer, the appearance is one of bird in flight.

More thoughts on the four corners with their knotted tassels, their fringes: “Four? Why four? Why not one or two? The four corners of a tent. Nail down. Bind to the earth. Keep it together. Don’t go floating off, drifting away. This is a tie-down, to earth, to the Rock, a remembrance. This is who you are, what you say. You believe. Lash yourself to it. Doorposts, gates, fringes flapping in the breeze as we walk. Crowns, bands, hats keeping a lid on it. Fly your colors. Blue. Royal Blue. No longer a slave, but not just free of struggling. Kings and priests – Royal children of the ancient line of the King of Heaven. Lord of earth. Blessed be He, King of the universe, whose Son has led many, I say, many sons and daughters out of slavery on to glory. Alleluia.” (Sheridan M. Larson).

Two Tallit’s: An important tradition grew in which there were two tallit’s… a “lesser tallit” and a “greater tallit.” The lesser tallit is a small prayer shawl which is used for an undergarment beneath all the outer clothing that was worn daily. The larger tallit was a piece of outerwear worn on top of the daily clothing. Both tallit’s were required to have the tzitzit, the knotted tassels of blue thread attached to each corner. The two prayer shawls are said to represent the two dimensions of faith… the outer person and the inner person. The greater tallit is the faithful image one yearns to present to the world, the public who watches. The lesser tallit represents the face we show only to God Himself. As Rabbi Jonathon Sacks once said, “The smaller tallit represents the most inward, intimate, intensely personal aspect of faith whereby in our innermost soul we dedicate ourselves to God and His commands.” 

Wrapped in Torah. On the first day of Hebrew School for a Jewish child, a sacred tradition was to take a greater tallit and wrap it around the child until he looks like a scroll. Torah ws the highest Good in the Faith, and learning God’s Word has always been considered the highest form of worship in a Jewish household. So this moment when a child is wrapped in a prayer shawl to appear like a Torah scroll was highly treasured by every parent and child. So the tallit was a holy prop used to bring to mind how important it was to constantly be wrapped in the Word of God.

The Prayer at the Crown of the Tallit: Each prayer shawl has a blessing inscribed on the top of the shawl, to be recited at some point before it is put on for prayers… “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to wrap ourselves in the tzitzit.” An optional blessing is available for Messianic Christians who don the tallit for prayers… “Blessed are You, O Lord, King of the universe, Who has fulfilled the Torah through Jesus the Messiah, and has covered us with His righteousness.” Because followers of Jesus Messiah are “in Christ,” then believers are covered by His robe of righteousness.

The Prayer Before Putting On the Tallit: Orthodox Jews recite the opening verses of Psalm 104 before wrapping themselves in the tallit prior to the morning prayers: “Bless the Lord, O my soul! Lord my God, You are very great! You stretch forth the light like a garment; you unfurl the heavens like a curtain.” Rabbi Arthur Green has these comments on this reverent act, taken from his book These are The Words. “So the act of wrapping the tallit around the body before dawn is seen as copying God in the act of Creation. One might say that the imitation is mutual: God dresses like a prayer leader to create the light, and we, greeting the dawn, dress ourselves as God did in Creation. It is clear that the tallit represents the garment of God, and wrapping ourselves in it is being wrapped in God’s own loving Presence.”

The Prayer While Placing the Tallit on the Head: While wrapping the prayer shawl around one’s head in  prayer, these verses from Psalm 36:5-11 are recited… “Lord, your mercy is in the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds; Your righteousness is like the towering mountains of God, and Your judgments like the might deep. How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God; mankind trusts in You and takes refuge in the shadow of Your wings. With You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.” 

Moses’ Parting Words. In his last speech to the people right there at the front door to the Promised Land, Moses couldn’t resist reminding them of the importance of this particular command of Yahweh… “You shall sew several pieces of thread together, making knotted tassels (tzitzit) for all four corners of the garments you wear.” (Deuteronomy 22:12).