Judaism 101 |
HOME | IDEAS | PEOPLE | PLACES | THINGS | WORDS | DEEDS | TIMES | LIFE CYCLE | REFERENCE |
A tallit is worn at morning services, both on weekdays and on Shabbat, and also on the night of Yom Kippur. Tefillin are worn at morning services on weekdays only.. For more information, see Signs and Symbols. Tallis and tefillin should be put on before you begin prayer, and tallis should be put on before tefillin. Donning a TallitStretch the tallit before you, holding it with both hands, and recite this blessing:
The blessing above is often embroidered on the atarah of the tallit, that is, on the ornamental area at the neck of the garment. If you are planning to embroider this yourself, please take particular care to alter the Divine Names to avoid the risk that something disrespectful might happen to the tallit and thereby to the Names. The way I usually see it on an atarah replaces the Yod-Yod above (which is actually a substitution anyway) with a Dalet-Yod, and the Eloheinu changed to Elokeinu (the Heh replaced with a Qof). See the Hebrew Alphabet page if you're not familiar with the letter names. Laying Tefillin![]() Putting on tefillin, traditionally described as "laying" tefillin, is difficult to explain with words alone. You should have someone experienced show you how to do it if you have never done it before. The instructions below merely provide a broad overview. Roll up your sleeve and place the hand tefillin loosely around the bicep of your non-dominant arm (left arm if you are right-handed; right arm if you are left-handed) and recite this blessing:
After reciting the blessing above, tighten the strap and wind it around the forearm. Wrap the rest of the strap temporarily around the palm of the hand (not around the fingers yet! That comes later). Then take out the head tefillin and place it loosely on the head, above the hairline between the eyes. Recite the following blessing:
Tighten the straps and drape the excess straps forward over your shoulders, hanging loosely in front of your chest. The excess hand strap is then unwrapped from around the palm and rewrapped around the fingers. Once it is properly wrapped around the fingers, recite this passage from the Biblical book of Hosea chapter 2:
© Copyright 5766-5771 (2006-2011), Tracey R Rich |