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The Tallit -
is a prayer shawl, worn by Jewish men as a covering during prayer. The fringes, or "tzitzyot", on the four comers are required dress for Jewish men according to Numbers 15:37-41. They remind each Jewish man of his responsibility to fulfill God's commandments, "you will have these tasscis to look at and so will remember an the commandments of the Lord...".
This (zitzyot are tied into 613 knots to constantly remind the wearer of the 613 laws of Moses, ofwhich there arc 248 prohibitions and 365 affirmations. Historically, these tasscis also came to be associated with a persons
authority For example: In the caves of Ei n Gedi, David cut off the fringe of King Saul's garment, taking his authority He then gave it back to Saul in humility (Sam 24). Ruth said to Boaz, "spread the comer of your garment
over me since you are a kinsman-redeemer, "indicating she was placing herself under his authority (Ruth 3). In Mark 5:30-31, we see the woman who had an issue of blood for 12 years "touching the hem" of the garment
of Jesus, and she was healed. The "hem" was actually the tassels of His robes, which she understood to represent His authority. Her faith in Him healed her later, in Mark 6:53-56. we see others who had heard of this
miracle coming from all over Galilee and "they bagged Him to let them touch even the hem of His garment and all who touched Him were healed". |