do modern jews still wear prayer shalls?

Question

if so, is this determined by sect? just curious.

oops... i misspelled that. i mean ''shawl.'' by the way... would Jesus have worn a prayer shawl?

Answer 1

Yes- orthodox men still wear the Tallis. The defining characteristic of the tallis is that it must be big enough to cover the majority of the body (the commandment is to wrap yourself in it- if it is too small you do not fulfill the commandment), have four corners and to have the tzit-tzit (specifically knotted tassels) hanging from the corners. In the past each corner had a thread of techeilis, which was a specific shade of blue from a die gathered form a species of shellfish. Unfortunately the exact species and the specific shade are lost to us, so the tzit-tzit are plain white. Nowadays the two main styles of Tallis seen are white with black stripes (in memory of the temple) and white with blue stripes (in memory of the techeilis)- some people have very artistic and bright ones, but they are not seen that often in orthodox communities.

Another aspect is the Tallis Katan. This is a vest like undergarment we wear all day in order to be able to fulfill the mitzvah of having tzi-tzit on our garments (we use a special garment since modern clothes do not fit the definition of a four cornered garment)- thats why you see some orthodox jews with those threads sticking out of their shirts and hanging loose or tucked into their pockets (some, like myself, wear them fully tucked in)

Answer 2

Orthodox Jews always wear the prayer shawls, known as the tallis (tall-iss). Conservative Jews usually do and Reform Jews sometimes do. Also, only Orthodox Jewish and Conservative Jewish men wear the tallis, but sometimes both Reform men and women wear it.

Answer 3

Orthodox men still do.

Conservative and Reform Jews do in smaller numbers. It's more an issue of whether or not the tradition is meaningful for these denominations.

Answer 4

Yes, though some have different customs of at what age a person should wear one.

Some say when you reach the age of 13 others say when you are married.

Answer 5

orthodox jews do. conservative jews usually do as well. reform jews often don't.