Jewish prayer shawl (tallit) - Historical origin

The tallit is the Jewish prayer shawl that is worn during the morning Jewish services (the Shacharit prayers) in Judaism.

There is much confusion among the masses as to the origins of the tallit, the Jewish prayer shawl. In actuality, the actual four-cornered garment began with no relevance whatsoever to Jewish practice. Beginning when Moses received the Torah on Mount Sinai, the Jewish People were commanded to place tzitzis on the corners of their four-cornered garments. (Numbers 15:37-41 and Commandment 376 out of 613 in the Sefer HaChinuch). The purpose of such a commandment, as given by the verses in Numbers, is so that the Jews should glance at the strings and remember all of the 613 commandments.

Most people at the time (both Jews as well as non-Jews) wore clothing that bears little resemblance to modern apparel. Most clothing consisted of a sheet-like item wrapped around the body following the local customs of the time. This can perhaps be compared to the "'abayah," or blanket, worn by the Bedouins for protection from sun and rain, or the stola/toga of ancient Greece and Rome. As sheets, these garments had four corners and were thus subsequently (from Sinai, onwards) required to possess these tzitzis. As recorded in the Talmud, these were sometimes worn partly doubled, and sometimes with the ends thrown over the shoulders (Shabbos 147a; Menachos 41a).

As modern day dawned and people began wearing the apparel with which we are all quite familiar (shirts and slacks, etc.), the four-cornered sheet-like cloth fell out of style and practicality, and to this end, the Biblical commandment to attach tzitzis to one's garments effectively became obsolete. However, in a demonstration of love for the Almighty and their desire to keep His commandments, the Rabbis ordained that Jews should purposely wear four-cornered garments to necessitate the attachment of the tzitzis.

The tzitzis that are spoken about in Numbers (ibid.) refer to four twisted strings of wool that are inserted into a hole (or two holes, depending on varying tradition) on each of the four corners of the sheet-like cloth that are folded over to produce eight strings and then tied together in an intricate pattern of knots and twirlings.