The Old Testament Prayer Shawl or Tallit

The Garment of the Soul

By Victoria Radin

“Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the L-rd, that you may obey them...” (Numbers 15:38-40)

The Hebrew word for tassel––tzitzit, pronounced “zeet-zeet”––means “to appear in visible form”. Four tzitzit are attached to the four corners of a garment called a Tallit or Prayer Shawl. The blue color of one of the cords of the tassel is the color of the anointing or presence of G-d––pointing to the presence of G-d in the garment.

Note:  The blue dye used in the prayer shawl and in the priest’s garments was extracted from a certain Mediterranean snail called a chilazon that disappeared from the Sea. Therefore, no blue cord appears in the tzitzit of Jewish prayer shawls today. Recently the chilazon has returned and they are beginning to produce  the dye required for the tzitzit. Prophetically, the return of the chilazon could be a sign that the anointing of G-d will be returning to Israel; then “all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26).

The tzitzit represent the Torah (the first five books of the Bible). In traditional Judaism, the rabbis describe the Torah as “the garment of the soul”. Therefore, wrapping oneself in a tallit symbolizes being wrapped in G-d’s Commands ––the bond between G-d and man. It is believed that the Tallit is filled with G-d’s Light:

“O L-rd my G-d, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty.  He wraps Himself in light as with a garment...” (Psalm 104:1-2)

In Hebrew, all 22 letters are assigned a numeric value. The numeric value of the letters in a word are added together to get the numeric value of a word.  In Hebrew reckoning, the numerology of the tzitzit shows it to be equal to the total of all the Laws in the Torah:

The numeric value of the word “tzitzit”                                  =    600
Plus the 5 knots and 8 strings                                              =      13
Equals the total number of commands in the Torah (The Law)        613

•  Each tassel (tzitzit) is made from 8 strings, 7 white and 1 blue.  ‘Seven’ is the number representing perfection in the physical realm.  ‘Eight’, therefore, transcends the physical realm and symbolizes a direct link to the spiritual realm.

•  Each group of 8 strings is knotted 5 times to form a tassel or tzitzit.  There are 5 books in the Torah (the first five books of the Bible). Symbolically, this demon-strates the way G-d has provided for man to reach spiritual heights––through His Word.

•  There are 4 tassels and 4 groups of windings between the 5 knots.  Four is the number of the earth.  Therefore, the 4 tassels and 4 windings serve as 4 witnesses on earth against sin.  There are also 4 letters in the unutterable name of G-d (known as the Tetragrammaton).

•  Each of the 4 tzitzit have 8 strings, making a total of 32 strings.  Thirty-two is the numeric value of the Hebrew word for “HEART”.  The tzitzit’s loose strings represent G-d’s heart strings.

•  The 8 strings plus the 5 knots equals the 13 attributes of G-d’s mercy. G-d’s mercy causes us to overcome the world through spiritual understanding of His Laws.

•  The 4 groups of windings represent ‘overcoming the world’ through obedience to the commandments of G-d. The total windings––7 + 8 + 11 + 13––equals 39.  Thirty-nine is the number of lashes given to a criminal, reminding the wearer that disobedience to the Word of G-d makes one a criminal worthy of punishment. The 39 windings also allude to G-d’s unity which binds everything together:

   7 = Perfection in the physical realm
+ 8 = Transcends the physical realm
  15 = The numeric value of the first two letters of G-d’s Name
+11 = The numeric value of the last two letters in G-d’s Name
+13 = The numeric value of the Hebrew word for “One”
  39 = The numeric value of the statement “G-D IS ONE”

Putting on the tallit is “putting on the Word of G-d”. Looking at the tzitzit of the tallit is a reminder to obey G-d’s commands which will protect one from all evil. The Jewish Sages teach that “He who carefully observes the commandments of the tzitzit will be able to behold the Face of the All-Present G-d” (Menachoth 436).

The New Testament Prayer Shawl

Jesus, the garment of our souls

In the New Testament, the apostle John teaches that Jesus is the “Word of G-d”. ‘Grapha’ is Greek for the written word, and ‘Rhema’ is Greek for the spoken word; but John used the Greek word ‘Logos’ in this passage which means ‘the written word and all that it implies in a natural and spiritual sense’.

Just as the tzitzit represents the Word of G-d and means, “to appear in visible form”, Jesus who is the Word of G-d, appeared in visible form as the Son of G-d.  Jesus is the bond between G-d and man––our direct link to the spiritual realm. The 39 windings reminds us that Jesus took the 39 stripes of a criminal on our behalf.

The blue string in each tassel represents the Holy Spirit anointing which is present when we wrap ourselves in His Word; not just in the reading of the Word, but in prayer, praise, worship and study as well. As we look at the tzitzit [read the Word], the Holy Spirit brings on us the conviction of sin in our lives thereby causing us to overcome evil. Through Him, we can reach great spiritual heights.

Being wrapped in the prayer shawl is tantamount to being wrapped in the Glory of G-d. It is filled with the ‘light’ of truth and understanding. As the sages say, “If we carefully observe the commandments of the tzitzit [that is Jesus], we will be able to behold the ‘Face’ of the All-Present G-d.” It is only through Jesus that we have access to the Father.

“Jesus said....’I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” (John 14:6)

Jesus, the Word of G-d, is the “garment of the soul”:

“...put on the L-rd Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” (Romans 13:14)

The Old Testament prayer shawl is the outward, visible sign of G-d’s love and care manifested in His revealed Word. The New Testament prayer shawl is the inward invisible sign of G-d’s love and care manifested in His revealed Son and Holy Spirit. In the Jewish prayer shawl we can see the Father [as the whole tallit], the Son [as the tzitzit], and the Holy Spirit [as the blue thread]. G-D IS ONE!

Barukh HaShem  (Blessed is the Name of G-d)