The Tallit
The published bible study “power in his wings” has over 60 pages of text on this beautiful garment, so then here I will provide you with some highlights on the what and why.
The Good News (Brit Chadassa) (New Testament) tells us about a woman with a really strong faith.
We do not know her name and neither do we know where she came from. What we do know is that she knew the prophets and that she understood the words of the prophet Malachi as written in Chapter 4 verse 2.
Malachi 4:2 (CEB)
“But the sun of righteousness will rise on those revering my name; healing will be in its wings so that you will go forth and jump about like calves in the stall. “
This woman was seriously ill and maybe even desperate. Matthew, Mark and Luke wrote about this woman of faith.
Matthew 9:20-22
“And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort;thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.”
The question for us is, what was it that this woman touched and what was it that she knew in faith that would heal her from her illness.
She had been bleeding for twelve years and none of the doctors could help her. What was it that she knew would make this prophet, this Jesus of Nazareth, different from any of the quacks she has been to?
She touched the border of His garment, but it was not just the border or hem of any garment; she touched was His tallit.
When we look at the text more closely, we realize that the woman touched the fringe of the tallit, the prayer-shawl, the corner fringes we call the TzitZit.
The Prayer Closet
One of the large translational errors to remove the Jewish identity from scripture is written in Matthew 6 : 6 “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet (g5009) and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”
T
he Greek word for closet is tamieion [tam-i'-on] a dispensary or magazine, i.e. a chamber on the ground-floor (generally used for storage or privacy, a spot for retirement):
--secret chamber, closet, storehouse. Enter into your tamieion: your chamber, your secret, quiet spot, your closet.
The Hebrew word is h2647 chuppah coming from chaphah h2645 meaning a canopy,chamber, closet, or defense.
From which again is derived the cloak or garment of the tallit: A square cover like the chuppah. Enter into your tallit, used in the old testament writings as the secret room, the Holy of Holies, enclose yourself and pray.
The Jews, which also means Jesus, understood the idea of a mobile tabernacle, outer court, inner court and an Holy of Holies. When the Jews were in the wilderness, they understood the meaning of the tabernacle. With so many of them, they took a little tent, Tallit, and covered themselves thus separating themselves from the world. So when you pray, wrap yourself in your closet, in your tallit and separate yourself from the world.
The disciples also had a solid understanding of this as well. Jesus said that we are taking this from the old covenant and into the new covenant. When you pray, wrap yourself into your prayer closet:your tallit.
Originally the word meant "gown" or "cloak." This was a rectangular mantle that looked like a blanket and was worn by men in ancient times. At the four corners of the tallit tassels were attached in fulfillment of the biblical commandment of tzitzit (Encyclopedia Judaica)
The importance and special meaning is all in the commandment of tzitzit in;
Numbers 15:37-41“
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes (tzitziot) in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue: And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them ; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God. I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD your God.“
Why? "because I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt to be your God.."
The tallit was usually made either of wool or of linen and probably resembled the abbayah ("blanket") still worn by Bedouin for protection against the weather.
The tallit made of finer quality was similar to the Roman pallium and was worn mostly by the wealthy and by distinguished rabbis and scholars.
The length of the mantle was to be a handbreadth shorter than that of the garment underneath it.
After the exile of the Jews from Erez Israel and their dispersion, they came to adopt the fashions of their gentile neighbors more readily.
The tallit was discarded as a daily habit and it became a religious garment for prayer; hence its later meaning of prayer shawl.
The tallit was usually white and made either of wool, cotton, or silk, although Maimonides and Alfasi objected to the use of the latter.
Strictly observant Jews preferred tallit made of coarse half-bleached lamb's wool.
In remembrance of the blue thread of the tzitzit, most talliot have several blue stripes woven into the white material.
Until recently, however, they only had black stripes.
No, it is not necessary at all to wear a tallit, and it is not making you any more religious either. It is, however, in the Bible.
God is teaching us through the natural Israel what it means to be in the Spirit of understanding for His Word.
It teaches us to love the Bible and the Jewish background of the Word so we will not be tempted to be anti-Semitic.
We will be ready for the End-time Plan and will be able to teach the Jewish people about their own Bible through the Spirit of Jesus.
It is a wonderful experience to know that you are under the wings of God almighty, holding on to the tzitzit, the name of God, the promise of Jesus, the commandments and promises of the Heavenly father.
Being covered by His love, under His firmament, inside of your own personal tabernacle, prayer closet, secret place, just you and God.
Abstract from "Power in His Wings"
