Tallit & Bag (Object)
20th century
F79.243.23 & F79.243.24
What do you see? We can see a white cloth with blue stripes. We can also see lots of tassels on either end. Look closely, what do you see? What do we know? This is a tallit, or prayer shawl from the Pontypridd Hebrew Congregation. This tallit has the traditional pattern of blue and white...
Copyright/attribution: St Fagans National Museum of History
Copyright/attribution: St Fagans National Museum of History
Copyright/attribution: St Fagans National Museum of History
Description
What do you see?
We can see a white cloth with blue stripes. We can also see lots of tassels on either end. Look closely, what do you see?
What do we know?
This is a tallit, or prayer shawl from the Pontypridd Hebrew Congregation. This tallit has the traditional pattern of blue and white stripes with fringes at either end. A tallit is traditionally worn by men and boys over their shoulders when they are praying, however in some Jewish communities women and girls might wear a tallit as well. Usually a tallit is kept inside a bag, like this one made from red velvet with a star of David on the front.
Every tallit also has tzitzit, special fringes on each corner. The tzitzit are important because they remind Jewish people of the 613 commandments or mitzvot in the Torah.
What do you wonder?
We might wonder who owned this tallit and bag? We might wonder how often this was used? What do you wonder?
Discussion Questions
Why might the tallit be kept in a special bag?
Do you think a tallit must be made in a certain way using certain colours or patterns?