The Tallit is a shawl which we cover ourselves with (men), when we pray. There are different customs. Mostly, in Saphardic (Jews which come from the arab countries and spain) Jewish communities, all men and boys wear tallit. In Ashkenazi (Jews from northern Europe) communities, it is the norm to only wear the tallit when one is married. However, the Tzitzit are not tallit, they are the fringes which are attached to the tallit. There is a Tallit Katan (small), and a Tallit Gadol (large). The Tallit Katan may be, and should be, worn by all males. Because it allows us to complete the mitvah from the Torah... The Lord said to Moses as follows: Speak to the Iraelite people and instruct them to make for themselves fringes on the corners of their garments through out the ages; let them attach a cord of blue tot he fringe at each corner. That shall be your fringe; look at it and recall all the commandments of the L-rd and observe them, so that you do not follow your heart and eyes in your lustful urge. Thus you shall be reminded to observe all My commandments and to be holy to your G-d. I the L-rd am your G-d. I the L-rd am your g-d, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your G-d: I, the L-rd your G-d. (Numbers (Bamidbar) 15:37-41) This is a positive mitzvah If one is going to wear his Tallit Gadol during the morning prayers (shachrit), he should not say the above prayer when he puts on the tallit katan in the morning, but rather he should keep in mind that he will later say the blessing over the Tallit Gadol, and there by, in thought, he will include both. The Tzitzit are eight strands, one longer than the other 7, this one is called the shamish, it is the one that makes the coils. They equal all of the mitzvot together. How do they do this? There are 613 mitzvahs in the Torah. The numercal value of the word Titzit is equal to 600, plus the 8 strands, plus the 5 coils. This is a total of 613. The 5 coils also represent the name of Hashem (Yud / Key / Vav / Key). The coils are wrapped 7, 8, 11, 13. The seven and eight equals fifteen, which is equal to the two letters, yud and hey. The first two letters of the Name of G-d. Eleven is the equivalent of vav and heh, the last two letters of the Name of G-d. Together they make the complete 4 letter numerical value of the Holy Name of G-d. The thirteen is equal to the word "echad" which means "one". So when we look at the tzitzit, we see the Name of G-d, He is One, and His 613 mitzvot. And in this we enwrap ourselves. A small kabbalistic thought for those of you who are still wondering about spiritual contamination (Tuma), If you remember from the lesson on washing, the tuma sticks to the finger tips. Well that's the way of tuma, it likes to stick on the edges of things. Onto the husks of things. This is where it does the most good, clinging to the outer shell of things within this world. By placing the tzitzit on the corners of our material garments, we are protecting them, and ourselves, by way of G-d's Holy Name, and His 613 mitzvot. When one is wrapped within the Tallit, it is as if he is resembeling Hashem and the angels. He is wrapping himself in garments of majesty and light. The splendor of G-d's commandments. Remember this: You should never say a prayer with Hashems name in it, like the one above, in a toilet or washroom, or in garbage yard, or any other place where there is somthing that is not clean. Even in a place that only smells bad you should not say these prayers.

HOW TO TIE TZITZIT Make sure that your hands are clean before tying the tzitzit. And make sure that your mind is aware and at one with what you are doing. It is not proper to do something else at the same time. You may even wash ritualy before tying them if this will help you achieve the proper mood. One should also say: Le shem kadusha tzitzit (for the sake of the holiness of tzitzit) before tying. The tzitzit must only be strands made for this purpose, not regual pieces of string. You can get these at any judaic shop, our check our Shopping page for information. Even though you can buy tzitzit ready made, it is always nice to preform the mitzva of tying them ones self. There is a slight difference in how the Saphardic and the Ashkenazi tie them. You may consult your Rabbi, or drop us an email if you need specifics. "If you enjoy the website please remember to make a small donation to us."