(לז) וַיֹּ֥אמֶר יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ (לח) דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם וְעָשׂ֨וּ לָהֶ֥ם צִיצִ֛ת עַל־כַּנְפֵ֥י בִגְדֵיהֶ֖ם לְדֹרֹתָ֑ם וְנָֽתְנ֛וּ עַל־צִיצִ֥ת הַכָּנָ֖ף פְּתִ֥יל תְּכֵֽלֶת׃ (לט) וְהָיָ֣ה לָכֶם֮ לְצִיצִת֒ וּרְאִיתֶ֣ם אֹת֗וֹ וּזְכַרְתֶּם֙ אֶת־כָּל־מִצְוֺ֣ת יְהוָ֔ה וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָ֑ם וְלֹֽא־תָתֻ֜רוּ אַחֲרֵ֤י לְבַבְכֶם֙ וְאַחֲרֵ֣י עֵֽינֵיכֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־אַתֶּ֥ם זֹנִ֖ים אַחֲרֵיהֶֽם׃
(37) Adonai spoke to Moses saying: (38) "Speak to the people of Israel and instruct them to make for themselves fringes (tzitzit) on the corners of their garments throughout the ages; let them attach a cord of blue (techelet) to the fringe at each corner. (39) That shall be your fringe; look at it and recall all the commandments of God and observe them, so that you do not follow your heart and eyes in your lustful urge."
ברכת ציצת
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה, יְיָ
אֶלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם,
אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו
וְצִוָּֽנוּ לְהִתְעַטֵּף בַּצִּיצִת.
Blessing for those who wear Tallit:
Blessed are you Adonai our God,
Sovereign of the universe,
who hallows us with mitzvot,
commanding us to wrap ourselves in the fringes.
[The tzitzit will remind one of all the commandments] because the numerical value of the letters of the word tzitzit is six hundred, and there are eight threads and five knots in the fringes, so that you have six hundred and thirteen [which is also the number of the commandments of the Torah].
תכלת. צֶבַע יָרֹק שֶׁל חִלָּזוֹן:
תכלת BLUE PURPLE — It is the blue dye of (obtained from) the blood of the Chilazon.
תניא היה ר' מאיר אומר מה נשתנה תכלת מכל מיני צבעונין מפני שהתכלת דומה לים וים דומה לרקיע ורקיע לכסא הכבוד שנאמר (שמות כד, י) ותחת רגליו כמעשה לבנת הספיר וכעצם השמים לטהר וכתיב (יחזקאל א, כו) כמראה אבן ספיר דמות כסא
It is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Meir would say: What is different about tekhelet from all other types of colors such that it was chosen for the mitzva of ritual fringes? It is because tekhelet is similar in its color to the sea, and the sea is similar to the sky, and the sky is similar to the Throne of Glory, as it is stated: “And they saw the God of Israel; and there was under His feet the like of a paved work of sapphire stone, and the like of the very heaven for clearness” (Exodus 24:10), indicating that the sky is like a sapphire brickwork. And it is written: “The likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone” (Ezekiel 1:26).
What is the connection between the color of Tekhelet and God's throne?
מַתְנִי׳ מֵאֵימָתַי קוֹרִין אֶת שְׁמַע בְּשַׁחֲרִית? מִשֶּׁיַּכִּיר בֵּין תְּכֵלֶת לְלָבָן. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר: בֵּין תְּכֵלֶת לְכָרָתֵי.
MISHNA: From when does one recite Shema in the morning? From when a person can distinguish between Ticheiles and white. Rabbi Eliezer says: From when one can distinguish between Ticheiles and leek-green.
ויעבור ה' על פניו ויקרא א"ר יוחנן אלמלא מקרא כתוב אי אפשר לאומרו מלמד שנתעטף הקב"ה כשליח צבור והראה לו למשה סדר תפלה אמר לו כל זמן שישראל חוטאין יעשו לפני כסדר הזה ואני מוחל להם ה' ה' אני הוא קודם שיחטא האדם ואני הוא לאחר שיחטא האדם ויעשה תשובה אל רחום וחנון אמר רב יהודה ברית כרותה לי"ג מדות שאינן חוזרות ריקם שנאמר (שמות לד, י) הנה אנכי כורת ברית
§ The verse states: “And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed” (Exodus 34:6). Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Were it not explicitly written in the verse, it would be impossible to say this, as it would be insulting to God’s honor.
The verse teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be God, wrapped Godself in a prayer shawl like a prayer leader and showed Moses the structure of the order of the prayer.
God said to him: Whenever the Jewish people sin, let them act before Me in accordance with this order. Let the prayer leader wrap himself in a prayer shawl and publicly recite the thirteen attributes of mercy, and I will forgive them.
The gemara in Rosh Hashana describes that God donned a tallit like a Shaliach Tzibbur at the moment God revealed to Moshe the thirteen attributes; and from here we learn that every shaliach tzibbur who leads davenen dons the tallit.
What is the connection between you wrapping yourself in a tallit and God wearing a tallit?
The tallit has several functions: it reminds us of God’s presence, guidance and care ( see the third paragraph of the Shma which speaks about the blue threads: one interpretation of “ureitem Oto”- is “and you shall see God” – not “it” meaning the thread). It reminds us of the mitzvot and encourages us to keep them (third paragraph of the Shma). It provides a connection with the traditionally dignified garb of our Biblical ancestors, (an extra layer or cloak symbolizing a wealth and community status) and with the traditional prayer garb of later generations. It allows us to fulfill a commandment (putting fringes on the corners of garments), and provides a way to transition from mundane to sacred time and space. (It has the added benefit of keeping one warm in air conditioned synagogues)!
(CJLS Responsa)
Women are full members of our communities and as such should be urged to take on this mitzvah. Even those who are reluctant should be encouraged to try it at least three times before making their decision (Thank you to Shira Berkowitz for this suggestion).
The color, style and fabric of the tallit is up to personal preference, as long as it has 4
corners… girls and women can wear feminine looking tallitot if they wish.
(CJLS Responsa)
Reform Responsa:
He continues that we may offer the talit to the non-Jew “for the sake of peace.” However, Rabbi Walter Jacob[2] mentions that wearing the talit is a mitzvah from the Torah and requires a berakhah which specifically mentions the chosenness of Israel and so may be recited only by a Jew.
Yet for a Gentile to don a talit at a public worship service, something he or she need not do in order to take part in that event, is to identify physically as one of us. Again, our position is based primarily upon the symbolic function of the talit as a statement of Jewish identity and of membership in the covenant community. The Gentile cannot make this statement; therefore, he or she should not wear a talit at our synagogue services.
It is the consensus of the CJLS that congregations should be especially insistent with the Shaliach Tzibur (prayer leader) and Baal Koreh (those called to read from the Torah).
All Jewish adults should wear a tallit while davening. Ideally they should commit to davening daily and wearing it every time they daven. But even if they do not daven regularly, they should wear one when they do pray the morning service, weekday
Shabbat or holidays as well as Kol Nidre and afternoons of fast days
Efforts should be made to include a blue thread now that we are once again able to
identify and obtain the color tkhelet
What about other roles in which a person is interacting with the Torah?