Question What is a tallit gadol?

Answer While observant men generally wear a tallit katan, it is also customary to wear a larger, special four-cornered garment during certain of the prayers. The tallit gadol (the "large tallit") or - as it is generally known - the tallit, consists of no more than a large cloth rectangle, into which tzitzit have been inserted in the corners. The cloth generally has stripes woven into it. In most instances, the stripes are either black or blue, but recent times have seen the emergence of individual, hand-woven tallitot (the plural of tallit) with stripes of numerous colors and shades. The latter have not yet gained acceptance among the general community, and are on the whole worn by those willing to act in a somewhat unconventional manner. Who wears the tallit is a matter of custom among the various communities. As a general rule, the cantor wears a tallit for every service at which he officiates, except for the evening service, as a sign of respect for the community. There is no such requirement to wear a tallit for the evening service, for there is no obligation to wear tzitzit at night, as pointed out above. In addition, the tallit is worn by the congregants for the morning service (and additional service, when there is one), but there are differences in custom as to who wears it, with three different customs: a) all males wear it (the Sephardic custom); b) all males of bar mitzvah age wear it (the German custom); c) all married males wear it (the custom of those Ashkenazim not of German ancestry). We should note that there are two types of tallitot: those made of wool and generally worn full-length with most of the fabric over one's back and the two front corners draped over the shoulders; and those made of silk, which are most often folded over into a narrow band and worn as a type of shawl around the neck. We should also note that while women are exempt from placing tzitzit in any four-cornered garment, the relatively recent decision by the Conservative movement to accept women as rabbis laid down the proviso that those women who wish to study for the rabbinate must observe all the commandments incumbent upon males, and that includes wearing a tallit. Among those women who do wear tallitot, multi-colored ones are quite popular.

Question The Bible (Num. 15:38) makes reference to a "blue string" within the tzitzit or fringes. To what does this allude?

Answer At the time of the Torah, one of the strings of the tzitzit was indeed a shade of blue referred to in the Torah as tekhelet. This blue color, as the Talmud tells us, was ultimately meant to remind the wearer of the sky, and hence of God. The color itself was derived from a mollusc of some kind. Unfortunately, the identity of the exact mollusc involved was forgotten, and the use of the blue thread lapsed. In our days, there have been hasidic sects which have claimed to have deduced, from the Talmudic literature, the correct source of the blue dye, and they wear tzitzit with such a blue thread. Most Torah scholars, though, question the authenticity of the source of this dye, and hence do not approve the use of a blue string in the tzitzit.

Question What are tefillin and when are they worn?

Answer The word tefillin is usually translated as "phylacteries," but it is doubtful that the translation will be very helpful to a person not familiar with tefillin. Based on Deut. 6:8, "You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and as frontlets between your eyes," the Oral Law tells us that this refers to two small black leather boxes with leather straps through an opening in each box. The straps enable one to attach one box to the hand (generally whichever hand one does not write with) and one box to sit on the forehead. Each leather box contains four paragraphs of the Torah, including the first two paragraphs of the Shema, a passage which is said at both the morning and evening services. The tefillin are worn only on weekdays, but not on Sabbaths and festivals. The explanation for this is that the tefillin are a sign acknowledging our relationship with God, as stated in the Torah verse above. As the Sabbaths and festivals are signs in their own right, there is no need for an additional sign on these days. Only males aged 13 and up must wear the tefillin. Women are exempt, as this law is a "time-related" one, applying only to the daytime. There have been cases throughout history of women wearing tefillin, and in our times some members of feminist groups, especially among the non-Orthodox ranks, have taken to wearing tefillin. As is the case with the tallit, all women candidates studying to be rabbis at the (Conservative) Jewish Theological Seminary must obligate themselves to fulfill all "time-related" commandments, and that includes wearing tefillin.