tallit

A tallit is a large, four-cornered shawl with fringes and special knots at the extremities, worn during Jewish morning prayers. The fringes, according to the Bible (Numbers 15.38-39), remind the worshiper of God’s commandments. In many communities today, both men and women, upon the occasion of their bar/bat mitzvah, will begin wearing a tallit during services. In Orthodox communities, the tallit is only worn by men. It is traditional for a man to be buried in his tallit, but without its fringes.