Tallit (Hebrew: tallit) is a rectangular prayer shawl, adorned with fringes (Hebrew: tzitzit. plural tzitziot) attached to the corners. It is worn by men during morning prayers (Hebrew: Shacharit). The custom of wearing a Tallit originates from the biblical commandment: “[…] make for themselves tassels for the corners of their garments, […] These will serve as tassels for you to look at, so that you may remember all the commandments of the LORD, that you may obey them […]" (Numbers 15:38-39). In traditional communities, men wear a smaller version of the Tallit called a Tallit Katan (Hebrew: tallit katan) under their clothing throughout the day, which is believed to offer protection against evil spells and demons (see more in: A. Untermann, Encyklopedia tradycji i legend żydowskich, Warsaw 1994, pp. 64, 262, 282).
Men are buried in the Tallit after death, with the fringes from one corner cut off. This custom symbolizes that the deceased can no longer fulfill the commandments.
The tallit from the collection of the District Museum in Leszno is a four-cornered, woolen, cream shawl decorated on the sides with narrower and wider stripes in a dark navy color (six on each side). The stripes near the edge have an additional geometric pattern – an ornament. At the two edges, there are frayed fringes made of the warp threads, which serve as the finishing of the fabric. The tzitziot are missing, most likely following the custom of cutting them off after the death of the owner of the tallit.
The item was purchased for the collection in 1996 from Aleksander Sanok, a private collector from Leszno. The tallit was brought from the southeastern part of Poland. The previous owner did not specify the exact place of its origin.
Dariusz Czwojdrak
