Editing Tallit (section)

== Biblical commandment ==
The [[Hebrew Bible]] does not command wearing a prayer shawl. Instead, it presumes that people wore a garment of some type to cover themselves and instructs the [[Israelites]] to attach fringes ({{lang|he|ציצית}} ''tzitzit'') to the corners of these in [[Book of Numbers|Numbers]] 15:38, which is repeated in [[Deuteronomy]] 22:12: "You shall make tassels on the four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself." These passages do not specify tying particular types or numbers of knots in the fringes.

Customs regarding the [[Tzitzit#Threads and knots|tying of the tzitzit]] and the format of the tallit are of [[Rabbinic Judaism|Rabbinic]] origin and, though the [[Talmud]] discusses these matters, slightly different traditions have developed in different communities.<ref>{{cite web |author=Rabbi Shraga Simmons |url=http://www.aish.com/jl/m/mm/Tzitzit.html |title=Tzitzit |publisher=aish.com}}</ref> However the Bible is specific as to the purpose of these tzitzit, stating that "it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye go not about after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go astray; that ye may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy unto your God".<ref>{{bibleverse||Numbers|15:39–40|HE}}</ref>

The ''[[Encyclopaedia Judaica]]'' describes the prayer shawl as "a rectangular mantle that looked like a blanket and was worn by men in ancient times". Also, it "is usually white and made either of wool, cotton, or silk".<ref>Second Ed., Vol. 19, Som–Tn, 2007</ref>

Traditionally, a tallit is made of wool or linen, based on an understanding that reference to a "garment" in the Bible in connection with a mitzvah refers to wool and linen garments.<ref>{{cite web |title=What's Wrong With a Silk Tallit Prayer Shawl? |publisher=Chabad |url=http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1425700/jewish/Whats-Wrong-With-a-Silk-Tallit-Prayer-Shawl.htm}}</ref> Though other materials are sometimes used, the debate has not reached a conclusion, and many, especially among the orthodox, prefer wool, which is accepted by all authorities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.the-daf.com/talmud-conceptual/menachot-39b-tzitzit-wool-cotton-or-nylon/|title=Discussion on Mishnah Menachot 39b}}</ref> There is also debate about mixed wool and linen tallit, since the Bible forbids [[shatnez|kelayim (shatnez)]]—"intertying" wool and linen together, with the two exceptions being the garments of the [[kohanim|priests of the Temple]] and the tzitzit. Concerning tzitzit, [[chazal]] (the sages) permit using wool and linen strings in tandem only when genuine [[tekhelet]] (see below) is available, whereas [[kabbalist]] sources take it a step further by encouraging its practice.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tzitzit made of kilayim? |date=23 April 2014 |publisher=Kehuna.org |url=http://kehuna.org/tzitzit-made-of-shatnez/}}</ref><ref>[[Rambam]]: [[Mishneh Torah]], [http://www.mechon-mamre.org/i/2403.htm Laws of Tzizit, 3rd Chapter, #6/7] {{in lang|he}}</ref>
[[File:הרב חיים משה זילברשץ.jpg|thumb|An elderly Jewish man wearing a tallit]]
According to the biblical commandment in Numbers 15:38, a "[[tekhelet]]" thread is included in the tzitzit. (The colour of the tekhelet dye varies from blue to purple and red, although blue is the colour specifically associated with it in Judaism.) However, for many centuries since the [[Jewish diaspora]], tzitzit have been worn without a ''tekhelet'' fringe, though there has been something of a comeback in the last hundred years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tekhelet.com/|title=Ptil Tekhelet - The common thread uniting our Jewish past, present and future|website=Ptil Tekhelet}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/530127/jewish/Techelet-Blue-Thread.htm |title=Techelet (Blue Thread) |publisher=Chabad}}</ref>