Tallit Katan
The Tallit Katan טַלִּית קָטָן "small tallit", also known as Arba Kanfot ("four corners"), is an undergarment for men in the form of a camisole , which is worn by devout Jews . With the Tallit Katan, the biblical commandment to wear tassels knotted at each of the corners of the garment , so-called zizijot , can be fulfilled all day long. The threads are intended to remind the wearer to observe the 613 mitzvot .
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After the tallit , to which Zizijot are also attached, was only put on during prayer over time and lost its function as an everyday item of clothing, this was transferred to the tallit katan, which is worn all day. Basically, the latter is a rectangular piece of fabric with a hole for the head in the middle, the cut comparable to a poncho . Modern shapes are similar to a T-shirt, but the sides must remain open because otherwise the garment does not have four corners to which the zizijot are attached to the side. The fabric is usually made of cotton, wool, or linen and is usually, but not necessarily, white. At Numbers 15:38 it says that Jews should wear tassels “on the corners of their clothes”.
The tallit katan is traditionally given in the morning after the ritual hand washing over an undershirt with the blessing “ Praise you, Eternal ... you who sanctified us by your commandments and we are commanded to put on the zits. “Dressed and worn under a shirt so that it remains hidden from others. The material and color of the Tallit Katan are less important, but the integrity of the Zizijot is. Some Orthodox consider it important to hang the tsiziyot over their trousers in order to follow the commandment to see the tsitsyot (Numbers 15:39) and thereby to be reminded of the commandments of God more precisely. Others put the tsizijot in their pants.
The five letters of the Hebrew word for zizit (ציצת) correspond to the numerical value 600. Therefore, devout Jews wear a tassel made of eight threads with five knots at every corner of their tallit katan. The sum of the three numbers (600 + 8 + 5) corresponds to the number of mitzvot in the Talmud , namely 613.
Wearing a tallit katan is only a custom and not a religious duty. "It is an additional expression of piety for those who consider this to be meaningful for themselves." Jews who, however, opt for an undershirt with four corners should also attach Zizijot to it. Orthodox Jews refuse to allow women to wear a tallit katan (just like a tallit), partly because women's clothing and men's clothing in Orthodox Judaism must be clearly different from one another.
literature
- Israel Meir Lau : How Jews Live. Gütersloh 1988, ISBN 3-579-02155-9
- Annette Böckler : Jewish worship, nature and structure. Berlin 2002, ISBN 3-934658-19-9