Tallit

Introduction

Tallit on Shoulder

Today we are talking about Jewish traditions. The Bible was not written in a Christian world. It was written in a Jewish world. And part of Jewish customs that we see and that help us to understand the Bible is that of the Tallit. Which many of you might have seen but many of you don’t know.

Found in Numbers, even though the world Tallit is not present in the scripture.

Numbers 15:37-41

Numbers 15:37–41 LEB

Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites, and tell them to make for themselves tassels on the hems of their garments throughout their generations and to put a blue cord on the tassel of the hem. You will have a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commands of Yahweh and do them, and not follow after the unfaithfulness of your own heart and eyes, so that you will remember and do all my commandments, and you will be holy for your God. I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God; I am Yahweh your God.”

The Word Tallit simply means a robe, a cloak or a sheet. it is a prayer shawl. The Tallit has not always looked like the one I have. It has changed over the years and years and years that it has been around. Be bible is pretty generic in the description but that it be a garment with tassels and blue cord. so at some point in history it has looked like this. others it looked more like a sheet with a hole for your head. It has been in all different colors including color coded to what tribe you were from.

The point of it was to remember the commands of Moses.

Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 15

15:39 remember all the commands of The tassels served as a physical reminder of the need for the Israelites to remain faithful to God’s law.

The tassels themselves represent the 613 laws of moses

According to Jewish understanding, the numerical value of the Hebrew word tzitzit (fringes) is 600. Each of the fringes contains 8 threads and 5 knots, making a total of 613. Based on rabbinical Judaism, this number corresponds to the 613 commandments contained in the Torah.

Got Questions Ministries, Got Questions? Bible Questions Answered (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2002–2013).

Put it on

1. Hold Crown in front facing you

“Blessed are You, God, Ruler of the Universe, who sanctified us with God’s commandments and commanded us to wrap ourselves in tzitzit.”

2. place over head crown past forehead, some gather all four corners and place them over your left shoulder.

While covered time to pray silent prayers

3. Crown on back of neck. make sure all four corners are on all four corners. bring hands out just past corners, lift up arms, drape the back behind you comfortably and bring front corners in front of you.

4. Ready for prayer.

Jesus and the Tallit

Jesus was an observant Jew. He would have worn a Tallit. Depending on who you ask, how that exactly looked. I don’t really know. I will leave that debate for those who have more expertise in this.

But we do know that the Tallit was part of Jewish custom.

Look at

Matthew 23:1–5 LEB

Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on the seat of Moses. Therefore do and observe everything that they tell you, but do not do as they do, for they tell others to do something and do not do it themselves. And they tie up heavy burdens and put them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing with their finger to move them. And they do all their deeds in order to be seen by people, for they make their phylacteries broad and make their tassels long.

Jesus wears a Tallit.

As Jesus wears a tallit we know that we can’t follow the commandments fully yet they wrapped themselves in it to remind them of the law. Jesus is able to follow the Law. It is part of what he does.

I want to show you something

Malachi 4:2 LEB

But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise, with healing in its wings, and you will go out and leap like fattened calves.

The Hebrew wings could refer to like the rays of the sun. The sun will bring healing in its rays, but that work is also the same word for hem of the robe.

lets move to Matthew chapter 9:20-22

Matthew 9:20–22 LEB

And behold, a woman who had been suffering with a hemorrhage twelve years approached from behind and touched the edge of his cloak, for she said to herself, “If only I touch his cloak I will be healed.” But Jesus, turning around and seeing her, said, “Have courage, daughter! Your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that hour.

What is she grabbing hold of. It’s not the edge of his cloths it the tassels on his tallit. We tend to miss this as we read in English.

They would grab the corner for healing. and like sun rays the power of God flowed out from him.

I think as we see this it was a reminder to the Jews and to us as well that we are to be open conduates in which we spread the love, healing, joy, peace of God. We are a to love because we first were loved.

But as I see Jesus here. I see that God came down so that he could be grabable, touchable. We hang on to alot of things, doubt, worry, fear, anxiety. You can’t grab hold of the tzitzit without letting go of the other things first. and as they hold on to Jesus they would become whole. Tzitzit come from a Hebrew word to bloom and florish. as we hold on to Jesus we begin for bloom to flurish. If we hang on to other things we begin to get sick again.

God’s New Covenant people are not called upon or required to wear the prayer shawl or any other type of fringed garment. The Law of Moses was not abolisthed but fulfilled. We no longer are covered by the law of Moses, wrapped in the Tallit. we are covered by the Blood of Jesus Christ. Who came to earth to be grabable, touchable, knowable. God came down so that no matter what our sins he can be knowable. and there will be healing in his wings

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