Question: What is the spiritual significance of the Jewish Prayer Shaw?
Dear Rabbi,
I was given a Jewish Prayer Shaw from Jerusalem as a gift. Can you give me some insight about the spiritual significance of the Tallis or Tallit.
Thanks, Richard
Answer: A tallit is made for the special tassels placed on a four-cornered garment, as the Torah says: "You shall put fringes on your four-cornered garment" (Numbers 15:37).
A tallit reminds one of all of the mitzvot. The numerical value of the Hebrew word "tzitzit" (fringes) is 600. Add to that the 8 strings and 5 knots on each corner, and you get the number 613, which is the amount of mitzvot in the Torah. (Rashi - Numbers 15:39)
In the biblical Song of Songs, the word L'HaTzitz means "to peak." In seeing the tzitzit, we have a tangible reminder of an intangible, invisible God. Our challenge is to make the unseen spiritual world a part of our daily reality. The tzitzit therefore serve as a "peak-hole," so to speak, enabling us to see the Almighty working in our lives.
With blessings from Jerusalem,
Rabbi Shraga Simmons
Aish.com
A tallit reminds one of all of the mitzvot. The numerical value of the Hebrew word "tzitzit" (fringes) is 600. Add to that the 8 strings and 5 knots on each corner, and you get the number 613, which is the amount of mitzvot in the Torah. (Rashi - Numbers 15:39)
In the biblical Song of Songs, the word L'HaTzitz means "to peak." In seeing the tzitzit, we have a tangible reminder of an intangible, invisible God. Our challenge is to make the unseen spiritual world a part of our daily reality. The tzitzit therefore serve as a "peak-hole," so to speak, enabling us to see the Almighty working in our lives.
With blessings from Jerusalem,
Rabbi Shraga Simmons
Aish.com
