This past Shabbat, a group of Temple Shalom members joined me for a deep dive into the “why’s” and “how’s” of wearing a tallit, the prayer shawl traditionally worn by adult Jews at morning services. If you’ve never tried this mitzvah (sacred obligation) and want to check it out next time you’re at a Shabbat service, we have plenty of extra tallitot for you to borrow. Looking around the circle of folks who gathered to learn about tallit, I was struck by how many different variations of a piece of cloth with ritually tied fringes we had. There’s a concept in Judaism called hiddur mitzvah, beautifying the mitzvah. We can add beauty, in the full range of aesthetics, to the mitzvot we do, by crafting or purchasing special pieces of Judaica – and the tallit is no exception! I’ll share here a list of some of my favourite sources. Warning! Be wary when purchasing a tallit (or other Judaica products) on Amazon. Many times the items being sold are actually messianic, and have verses, words, or images expressing that. Stick with tried and true Judaica sources!
Gabrieli Tallit – This Israeli workshop makes beautiful woven tallitot in a wide variety of colours, materials, and sizes – you’ll often see me with my pink and gray Gabrieli tallit!
Yad Lakashish (Lifeline for the Old) is an amazing organization in Jerusalem that provides support, community, and vocational training for older adults, who then create incredible pieces of Judaica, including but not limited to tallitot.
Women of the Wall fights for women’s prayer equality at the Western Wall. Choosing one of their beautiful tallitot helps support their mission – I’ve had my eye on the “four mothers” tallit!
Judaica Web Store is a massive online Judaica shop, shipping from Israel, with a large selection of tallitot.
If you’d like to shop in person, check out Aleph Bet Judaica in Toronto, or the Temple Anshe Sholom gift shop in Hamilton.
Happy shopping – and praying!
