How to Use a Prayer Shawl

A prayer shawl is a religious garment that can be used for spiritual and religious practices. From religious ceremony to daily prayer, a prayer shawl can be used to mark a special event or bless a prayer session. While there are no specific instructions for a prayer shawl, there are a few common uses.

Instructions

1. Use a prayer shawl to protect the Torah during bar mitsvahs, weddings, burials and other ceremonies. Wrap the Torah in the prayer shawl to protect it during the ceremony as well as when it is being transported from one location to the next.

2. Use a prayer shawl in a Jewish wedding. Use four chupa or huppah poles to hang the prayer shawl and then have the bride and groom stand under it during the wedding ceremony.

3. Place the prayer shawl over your head during prayer. Guard the "wings" of the prayer shawl so it does not touch the floor. Continue to kneel and pray until the prayer is complete.

4. Use a tallit or prayer shawl to signify a special occasion. When dating, a man can gift his intended fiancée with a prayer shawl to demonstrate his love and desire to wed her in the future.

5. Use a prayer shawl to bury a deceased person. Bless the prayer shawl and then wrap the head or body of the deceased person with it. Lay an additional prayer shawl over the length of the body.