How to choose a prayer shawl

Traditional prayer shawl

Prayer shawls (Hebrew: talit, plural talitot) come in a wide variety of sizes and styles, and like so many things in the Jewish tradition, each detail has significance. Choosing a prayer shawl will say a lot about you, so take the time to understand the meaning of the different types of shawls.

Things You'll Need

• Samples of prayer shawls

Instructions

1. Determine the manner you intend to wear this talit: traditional or modern. The traditional mode has most of the shawl flowing over the back, with two corners draped over the shoulders. This style of wear is favored by Orthodox Jews. Conservative and Reform Jews often wear much smaller talitot, folded over like scarves and worn around the neck.

2. Determine the size of talit. For traditional wear, the talit should be long enough so that it drops below the small of the back, but does not reach the floor. For modern wear, the fringes should begin below the belt.

3. Choose the color of the talit. Orthodox Jews tend to wear more conservative styles, white with black or blue stripes, although some will favor talitot with color.

4. Choose the style of "atarah" or "crown" you wish to have on the talit. The atarah refers to the edge of the talit that is worn over the head or on the back of the neck. Traditional talitot have a simple cloth atarah, sometimes embroidered with the Hebrew text of the blessing or a person's name. For Sabbath wear, many choose a talit with a type of silver-colored metal band sewn in as an atarah.

5. Choose the type of fringes for the talit. Most talitot come with all-white fringes ("tsitsiyot," singluar "tsitsit"), which are the traditional option. Some Hasidic Jews prefer fringes that include one thread of blue.

Tips & Warnings

• There are many small variations in local practice that might be relevant to your decision, so it's always a good idea to discuss your choice of talit with your Rabbi before making a purchase.

• Before purchasing a talit, it's best to visit your favorite synagogue several times to see what is the prevailing fashion (synagogues customarily provide talitot for visitors, so you won't feel out of place without one). Showing up in a rainbow-hued talit when everyone else is wearing black on white can be embarrassing!

References

• Chabad: Tallit and tzitzit basics
• Judaism 101: Signs and symbols
• Judaism 101: Donning tallit and tefilin
• Jewish Virtual Library: Tallis/tzitzis

Resources

• Aish: How to put on a tallit