Tallit gadol, the symbol that a beautiful union between two who love each other is about to take place, or has already been cemented. Whether it is as a gift to your partner, friend, relative, or maybe your own to adorn during the ceremony, there is no denying the symbolism it carries with it is of paramount importance to all those involved.
As important as the wedding ring is to the married couple, the tallit is what ties the couple together in a Jewish setting and signals to others that this union is a done deal.
Even though it is a custom that was largely practiced by Sephardic Jews, others are now beginning to take on the tradition especially during the recitation under the chuppah.
Just as with any other tradition out there, you’re not going to skimp on the quality of your contribution. That’s why you’re here. Whether you want your gift to stand out from the ‘crowd’ or want something unique, you have several options to choose from.
With the changing times, tastes and options, you can choose to have your tallit in a variety of shapes, styles, embroidery options and many more. However, these are the traditional types.
- Choice of fabric.
There are three main types of fabric used to weave a tallit.
- Wool: This is by far the most common and makes a vast majority of what is bought. This is made from ewe’s wool and is deigned adhering to all the rules of the Halacha. These are excellent if you want something that can provide warmth. There are also weaving techniques that allow woolen tallitot to be light and breathable.
- Acrylic: Where one has to worry about their budget or are looking for something to use quickly, these come in handy. They are made from acrylic and polyester and are less popular. They have been declared kosher under the Rabbinate of Tel-Aviv.
- Silk: For those looking for something a little less traditional than wool and linen, this is a perfect choice for something of a different feel. They are perfect if you want something light and breathable.
- Choice of color.
There is a large selection of colors to choose from, but this article will explore a variety of different options, from what is considered to be traditional to the more modern designs.
- Black stripes have mostly been a staple of the Ashkenazi community.
- White stripes on the other hand, have been a staple of the Sephardic communities.
- Thick black stripes are a staple of the Yemenite communities.
- Stripes of different colors are a popular choice for those looking for something more colorful. Most of these come in blue, purple and turquoise.
Modern tallitot come in a variety of shapes and colors that break up the traditional bars and monochrome colors. You can find embroidered tallitot of varying weights, lengths and colors, usually with artistic colors and gradients.
Before buying a tallit, there are a few things you have to look out for first to ensure you are getting the right one for the person.
- What is the height of the person?
Tallitot are woven to fit people of different sizes. Ensure you don’t get one that is several sizes too large or too small. Tallitot merchants will usually have a measurement chart that you can use to pick out the perfect size for the person you have in mind.
- What material do they prefer to have?
As illustrated above, there are a variety of fabrics to choose from. If it someone you know very well and know their style, you can choose what they like, maybe it’s silk. If not, wool is also a good choice.
There also are narrow and wide tallitots. If the person you are buying it for likes to wrap it around their body, then a wide tallit will do the trick. If it’s just around the shoulders, a narrow tallit will work.
- What do they want for Tzitzit?
Well, it would just be a shawl without the addition of Tzitzit. Some tallitot do not come with tzitzit as standard and hence you may be forced to buy separately. Find out what the potential wearer would like to have added on to the Jewish wedding tallit.
- What colors do they prefer to have?
As has already been mentioned before, there are different combinations of colors and stripes that you can choose for the tallit. Make sure your choice will be something that the person you’re gifting it to, whether someone else or yourself, will love the combinations. Whether it’s a beautifully embroidered or colored one, or a traditional one the choice may mean a lot to that person.
The background color also matters. You can have beautiful embroidery or colored stripes on a drab background and that will just water down your efforts. Channel your inner designer.
Where can you get Jewish Wedding Tallitot?
It will be of great value to you to buy tallitot from Israel. The main reason is the cost of producing kosher Judaica items is largely on labor, which is cheaper in Israel. Shipping is cheap as well.
One place to get your Jewish Wedding Tallit is at Galilee Silks. Yes, that’s us. All our tallitot are handwoven and we ensure they are of the highest quality standards and are kosher. We have 25 years of experience in hand dying white silk and producing unique Judaica textiles from silk, wool and acrylic.
Our silk products are perfect for weddings and you can find them in a variety of color, style and embroidery options. You will find what you desire from our range of tallitot and bags.
We also offer a variety of customization options such as custom embroidery or logos.
Another excellent place to get tallitot is from Ben’s Tallit Shop. You can find traditional woolen tallitot, handwoven silk tallitot which are perfect for weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, as well as tallit katan and various options of tzitzit.
