Cloaks, Aprons, and Handkerchiefs
Should followers of the Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him) be wearing Jewish prayer shawls?
I have observed that the wearing of tallits is becoming more common in all kinds of congregations of the Children of Truth over the last decade or so. Ministers of all stripes have appeared on television wearing tallits. They are not just leaders in Messianic congregations nor are they only doing so while on a Holy Land tour. Some of them do so at special occasions while others do so on a seemingly daily basis. I have also observed that more and more tallits are appearing among the crowds at their events.
I have also noticed the same phenomenon at events that I have personally attended. You may have noticed this too and might be wondering what is going on. It may strike you as strange that so many Gentile Children of Truth have started wearing tallits.
In case you are not familiar the word "tallit" it is sometimes called a Jewish prayer shawl. Modern tallits come in two basic sizes and their basic shape depends upon the size of the tallit.
The larger tallit is called a tallit gadol (great tallit) and is usually a large white rectangular cloth with blue stripes along the edges. It will typically have border on one side with Hebrew writing called the atarah (crown) that distinguishes which side is the one to be worn over the head or around the neck. On each corner is a tassel called tzitzit. On each tzitzit is one one blue thread called the shamash (servant). Some will also have shorter fringes along the edges as well. Sometimes people wear these large tallits folded over and going over each shoulder to flow down the front like the academic stoles wore to denote some honor at a graduation ceremony. Sometimes they are worn over the shoulders like a cape. Other times people completely cover their heads with them and these large tallits are reminiscent of a tent. It is often very obvious when someone is wearing tallit gadol and the tallit gadol is most likely the tallit you may have seen someone wearing.
The smaller tallit is called a tallit katan (small tallit) and usually resembles a tee shirt that is not quite sown together all the way down. It usually has a tzitzit (tassel) on each corner with a blue thread. It is worn under the clothing often with just the tzitzits sticking out from underneath the bottom of the shirt that is over it. This is the type of tallit that was worn by the Jewish men in "Fiddler on the Roof". It is can easily be missed in a crowd and the tzitzits can be hidden completely if necessary. You are less likely to have seen someone wearing one of these tallits.
Alternatively to an actual tallit sometimes people wear just the tzitzits of a tallit on their belt loops. They are effectively turning their everyday clothing into a tallit.
So why are more and more Jewish prayer shawls being seen among the Children of Truth? Is this some sort of new trend that will fade away like wearing WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) bracelets? Is this just the latest fad? Is this from the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD)? What does the Book of Truth (the Bible) say about tallits?
It all started with picking up sticks.
The Father of Truth provided a sacrifice for those who sinned because they were ignorant of His commandments (Numbers 15:27-29). However there was no such provision for anyone who broke His commandments willfully in rebellion to Him (Numbers 15:30-31). [The Hebrew word translated as "presumptuously" literally means "in the face" which in context is rebelliously in the face of the Father of Truth.] Shortly after that a man picked up sticks on the Sabbath in rebellion to His commandment to rest on the Sabbath (Numbers 15:32-33). Since the man had done this rebelliously in the face of the Father of Truth he was stoned to death (Numbers 15:34-36).
So the Father of Truth made a new command that everyone, all Jews and all Gentiles that lived among them, were to wear a white tassel with a sky blue thread (a tzitzit) on the corner of their garments so that they would remember to keep His commandments (Numbers 15:37-40). These tzitzits were commanded to be worn on every garment that was large enough for people to cover themselves with and their garments were not to be made of mixed materials like a wool and linen blend (Deuteronomy 22:11-12). These tzitzits were the original WWJD bracelets and purity rings to help people remember to keep the commandments of the Father of Truth.
Originally, these tzitzits were worn on the corners of everyday clothes like belt loop tzitzits. In fact, this commandment was for everyone to wear tzitzits on the corners of their garments so that everyone would be reminded of the commandments of the Father of Truth. So this included women and children as well as men. There was simply no prohibition or exemption made for women and children wearing tzitzits on their clothing. Any such prohibition or exemption came years later and is just another example of Rabbinic Distort.
Over the years, it became common for tzitzits to only be placed on the corners of the large cloak that was commonly worn to protect people from the elements. This cloak is also called a mantle in the Book of Truth. This cloak is where the tallit gadol came from and is the cloak or mantle that is so often mentioned in the Book of Truth.
It was probably a tallit gadol that Jael (Yael) used to cover Sisera, the oppressor of Israel, with when she lulled him to sleep so she could kill him (Judges 4:18-21). (The Kenites were Gentiles that lived in the area of Mount Sinai and came with the Jews into the Promised Land. So they probably wore tallits since the commandment applied to the Gentiles who lived among the Jews. A quilt would be a covering for the body so it might have had tzitzits on the four corners. So if that is the case then it was a large tallit gadol that Jael covered Sisera with.) So this is the first time that a tallit was used in deliverance of the Children of Truth.
The corner of the tallit is called a "kanaph" and is often translated as "skirt" or "wing" instead of "corner". The Hebrew word "kanaph" translated as "wings" is the same Hebrew word translated as "corners" in the command to wear tzitzits. The corners of a garment are also called the wings of the garment for similar reasons that the corners of batman's cape help his cape form a wing shape on each side. The corner of the tallit gadol is the wing or skirt of a garment that is so often mentioned in the Book of Truth.
It was the corner of the tallit gadol of Boaz that Ruth asked to be covered with to show that he was going to provide and protect her as a husband (Ruth 3:9). In the same way the Father of Truth covered Israel with the corner of His tallit gadol to show that he was going provide and protect her as a husband (Ezekiel 16:8). So the tallit was used to show that one is under the provision and protection of the Father of Truth.
The Prophets of Truth undoubtedly obeyed the command of the Father of Truth to put tzitzits on their garment, especially their long outer garments that covered their bodies. These outer garment were usually rectangular in shape like a cloak so their mantles and other outer garments definitely qualify as tallit gadols. However, these tallit gadols were not just religious garb for the Children of Truth who lived in Israel but were practical outer garments used to protect the wearer from things like sand, the sun, rain, cold weather and snow. These tallit gadols were basically used as cloaks with tzitzits on the corners.
It was the corner of the tallit gadol of Samuel (Shmuel) that was torn when the kingdom of Israel was torn out of the hand of King Saul (Shual) (1 Samuel 15:26-28). Years later when King Saul had the witch of Endor call up Samuel from the dead to consult him King Saul recognized Samuel by his tallit gadol (1 Samuel 28:13-15). Samuel then affirmed that the Father of Truth would use the Philistines to finish taking the kingdom of Israel taken away from the family of King Saul (1 Samuel 28:16-19). So this is the first time that a tallit was used by a Prophet of Truth in announcing judgment for disobedience to the Father of Truth and the transfer of power.
In similar manner Ahijah (Achiyah) the Prophet of Truth tore his own tallit gadol into twelve pieces and gave ten of the pieces to Jeroboam to show that ten of the twelve tribes of Israel would be given to Jeroboam to rule as judgment against King Solomon (Shlomo) for turning away from the commandments of the Father of Truth (1 Kings 11:29-34). So again a tallit was used by a Prophet of Truth in announcing judgment for disobedience to the Father of Truth and to signify the transfer of power.
When Elijah (Eliyahu) the Prophet of Truth heard the voice of the Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost) he wrapped his face in his tallit gadol before going out of the cave to talk with the Spirit of Truth (1 Kings 19:12-13). This Prophet of Truth was told who to anoint to replace the wicked rulers as well as who was to be his own replacement (1 Kings 19:14-16). This Prophet of Truth was then told that the wicked would be destroyed but the righteous would be preserved (1 Kings 19:17-18). Then Elijah placed his tallit gadol on the shoulders of Elishah to show that Elishah was to be his replacement (1 Kings 19:19). So again a tallit was used by a Prophet of Truth in announcing judgment for disobedience to the Father of Truth and the transfer of power.
Then Elijah used his tallit gadol to divide the Jordan river when Elishah asked for twice as much of the Spirit of Truth to be on him as Elijah (2 Kings 2:8-10). Then Elijah signified that he was transferring the Spirit of Truth that had been on him by giving Elishah his tallit gadol (2 Kings 2:11-13). Then Elishah put on the tallit gadol of Elijah and proved that the Spirit of Truth was now upon him by using the tallit gadol to divide the Jordan River like Elijah had done (2 Kings 2:14-15). So not only was a tallit used for the transfer of power but it was also used for the first time to demonstrate the power of the Spirit of Truth.
The Priest of Truth also were diligent to obey the command of the Father of Truth to wear tzitzits on their mantles, cloaks and other outer garments that covered their bodies. So their outer garments also qualified as tallit gadols.
Ezra the Priest of Truth also rent his tallit gadol when he heard of that the Jews had returned to disobedience to the commandments of the Father of Truth as soon as they returned to the Promised Land from their captivity that came from disobedience to those same commandments (Ezra 9:1-3). Tearing his tallit gadol was part of what caused those who remained faithful to the Father of Truth to join him in earnest prayer for the Jews who returned to the Promised Land to return to obeying the commandments of the Father of Truth as well (Ezra 9:4-6). So a tallit was used in bringing people to repentance.
In like manner, since the Children of Truth wore tzitzits on the corners of their garments in accordance with the command of the Father of Truth so that their outer garments were effectively tallit gadols. So it is tallit gadols that the Prophets of Truth referred to in their writings.
King David prayed in his prophetic Psalm that the wicked would be covered with shame in the same way that a righteous man covers himself with a tallit gadol (Psalm 109:29). Isaiah (Yeshayahu) the Prophet of Truth also said that the Man of Truth would cover himself with zeal for the Father of Truth like a man covering himself with a tallit gadol (Isaiah 59:17-21). So the Children of Truth are spoken of by the Prophets of Truth as covering themselves with tallits.
These large rectangular garments had taken more or less the form of a modern tallit gadol by the time that the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) came to the Earth. There were variations in the exact color scheme that distinguished different Jewish sects like the Pharisees and Sadducees from each other just as there are variations to distinguish Jewish sects like the Chasidic and the Conservative today. Still for most Jews in Israel when the Man of Truth preached these tallit gadols were still won as practical outer garments used to protect the wearer from the elements. The Children of Truth were still commonly wearing tallit gadols as cloaks with tzitzits on the corners in Israel and throughout the other countries where they had been scattered.
The Prophets of Truth said there was healing in the corners of the tallit gadol, where the tzitzits were, of the Man of Truth (Malachi 4:2). It is for this reason that the woman with the issue of blood had confidence in what the the Father of Truth said through the Prophets of Truth that lead to her touching the tzitzits on the corners of the tallit gadol of the Man of Truth (Matthew 9:20-22). [The Greek word translated as "hem" literally means "tassel".] It is for this same reason that the people of Gennesaret also sought to touch the tzitzits of the tallit gadol of the Man of Truth (Matthew 14:34-36). [The same Greek word is also translated as "border".] In fact the people there brought out all of their sick people into the streets of every village and every one of them who touched the tzitzits of the tallit gadol of the Man of Truth were healed (Mark 6:53-56). All of them were healed just like the woman with the issue of blood was healed when her confidence in what the Father of Truth had spoken lead her to touch the tzitzits of the tallit gadol of the Man of Truth (Luke 8:43-44). So the tallit gadol of the Man of Truth was used to bring prophecies of healing to fulfillment. Once again a tallit was used to demonstrate the power of the Spirit of Truth.
The Prophets of Truth also said that those who pierced the hands and feet of the Man of Truth would cast lots upon his tallit gadol (Psalm 22:16-18). [The word translated as "vesture" is literally "a splendid garment" which is fitting description of a tallit gadol.] So when the Man of Truth was crucified those who drove the nails into his hands and feet cast lots on his tallit gadol (Matthew 27:35). Those who crucified the Man of Truth cast lots on his tallit gadol to determine which of the other garments each man would get (Mark 15:24). Those who crucified him did not know that they were fulfilling the words of the Prophets of Truth when they cast their lots on his tallit gadol (Luke 23:33-34). Those who crucified him cast lots afterwards for the tallit gadol of the Man of Truth because a tallit gadol is woven as a single piece of cloth without seams so dividing it into pieces would have ruined its value (John 19:23-24). So the same tallit gadol that was used to fulfill prophecies of healing was used to fulfill prophecies of the death of the Man of Truth. Once again a tallit was used in delivering the Children of Truth.
So the Children of Truth wore tallits from the time that the Father of Truth first gave the commandment to put tzitzits on the corners of their clothes until the death of the Man of Truth. What about after the Man of Truth came back to life and left the Earth?
Examining the life of Paul the Jew (Shual aka Saul aka the Apostle Paul) should make the answer clear.
Paul the Jew forged a business relationship with Lydia the Jew when they met together on the river with the other Jews on the Sabbath at the river because she sold the blue dye used for the blue thread that was on the tzitzit on each corner of a tallit (Acts 16:13-15).
(Lydia the Jew was a seller of purple, a “porphyropōlis” in Greek, which was a literally someone that sold the garments dyed from the murex snail that was commonly called the purple fish due to the dye that was extracted from it. This dye was very expensive as it took about 60,000 snails to produce one pound of dye. This dye would color cloth to a deep purple if the cloth was kept in complete darkness during the dyeing process until the dye was set. However, this same dye but would turn to a sky blue if the cloth was exposed fully to the sun on a cloudless day immediately after being dipped in the dye. This was the Tyrian purple that emperors sought for their ceremonial clothes. This was also the dye that was used for the “tekeleth” (sky blue) thread required to be on each the tzitzits on the corner of the each garment known as a tallit. If Paul the Jew made tallits, then he would need to buy these sky blue threads from Lydia giving him a business association with her that he could build upon. Of course, there would be no need for this dye in tent making because the cost of the dyed cloth was so prohibitively expensive that one of the Roman Emperors denied his wife a dress that was made completely from this cloth due the cost. It would have also had very little use in making scene sets as well for the same reasons. So it is tallits that Paul the Jew made.)
Paul the Jew earned his living making tallits that he sold to other Jews and the Gentiles that joined themselves to the Jews (Acts 18:2-4).
(The Greek word, “skēnopoios” translated as "tentmakers" is literally someone that makes a “skene”. The Greek word “skene” in the strictest literal sense was originally a tent used for holding props and for actors changing costumes in a Greek play. The “skene” then became the hut that performed the same function as well as served as a place to attach the various backdrops when acts changed in the play. The “skene” then became larger to the point that the side facing the audience became the entire backdrop for the play. The English word “scene” used in theater comes from the Greek word “skene”. So Paul the Jew would have been making scene sets for the Greek theaters that were present in the large urban areas that he went to, if “skēnopoios” is meant to be taken in the most strictly literal sense. This is not entirely unreasonable since Jews had lived in Greece for more than five hundred years by this point and were heavily involved in the theater. However, the Greek word “skene” itself came from the Hebrew word “shakan” that means “tent”, which is what the “skene” originally was. The Hebrew word “shakan” is also the word that is the root of “mishkan” which is the Tabernacle. So in the Septuagint and the Renewed Covenant (B'rit Chadashah aka The New Testament) the Greek word “skene” is used for the Tabernacle. So Paul the Jew would have been making tents, if “skēnopoios” is meant to be taken in a less than strictly literal sense. This was possible, but not as practical, since most people lived in houses instead of tents in the urban areas where he ministered. However, there was also a figurative use of “skene” to denote a tallit because a tallit is symbolic of being wrapped in the Spirit of Truth and conveys the same symbolic meaning as the Tabernacle where the Spirit of Truth dwelt, which is a “skene” in Greek. So Paul the Jew would have been making tallits, if “skēnopoios” is meant to be taken in a figurative sense. This was very practical since the needed tools were easy to carry, he could carry the blue threads, and there was a demand for tallits every where that Jews lived. It is impossible to determine if Paul the Jew was making scene sets, tents or tallits based on this verse alone. However it is obvious that tallit maker is meant when one considers the entirety of the verses that give information about his trade.)
Not only did Paul the Jew make tallit gadols but he also made tallit katans that he sent out in his place to bring healing to the Children of Truth that he could not personally go to due to his work in the yeshiva of Tyrannus the Jew (Acts 19:9-12). [A Jewish yeshiva is literally a school of disputing.]
(These handkerchiefs were small tallits (four corner garments with a blue thread on the tassels (tzitzits) on the corners) that Jews had worn hidden under their normal clothing since the time of the Maccabees. This was so that the Syrian Greeks during the time of the Maccabees would not know that the Jews were keeping the commandment of God concerning their clothes, because the Syrian Greeks had made wearing tallits a death penalty crime in their zeal to assimilate everyone into the Greek culture. These aprons were mid-sized tallits shaped like a workman's apron that were worn around the waist and under the outer garments after wearing tallits stop being a death penalty crime but Jews were still being persecuted for wearing the tallit gadol. These aprons were not completely hidden as the tzitzits could be seen when close to the wearer but they were a lot less noticeable the tallit gadol that was worn like a cloak. The tzitzits could also be hidden quickly to avoid persecution. (The Rabbis later ruled that these had to be made larger and had go completely around the body so these aprons and handkerchiefs became the modern tallit katans similar to those worn in the movie “Fiddler on the Roof”. ) Paul the Jew could have made many of these tallit katans himself since that was his trade.)
The Father of Truth wraps Himself in light like the Children of Truth wrapping themselves in a tallit gadol (Psalm 104:1-2). This made the tallit gadol remarkably important to the Jewish Children of Truth like Paul the Jew even when he was facing certain death and greatly desired to see Timothy the Jew (Timotheus) before he died in Rome (2 Timothy 4:6-9). Yet Paul the Jew considered his tallit gadol so important that he sent Timothy the Jew (Timotheus) hundreds of miles out of his way to fetch it before coming to see him during his final imprisonment in Rome (2 Timothy 4:13). This tallit gadol was so important to Paul the Jew that he wanted Timothy the Jew to make this side trip despite his urgent desire for Timothy the Jew to arrive in Rome before winter when all travel would cease (2 Timothy 4:21). Paul the Jew greatly valued his tallit gadol.
(The Greek word translated “cloke” here is “phailonēs” which comes from the Greek word for beaming rays of light, “phainō” and carries the idea of being clothed in light. This Greek word was used by Jews to denote a tallit gadol because when the tallit gadol was worn it was an earthly representation of the Father of Truth being clothed in light. This Greek word is used no where else in the Renewed Covenant but it is used in other ancient Greek literature to refer to a tallit gadol. Paul the Jew might have made this tallit gadol himself since that was his trade.)
So there can be no doubt that Paul the Jew made tallits when one considers all that the Book of Truth tells us about his trade. After the resurrection many of the Children of Truth continued to wear the tallit gadol like the Man of Truth had worn. In fact it was so common among the Gentile Children of Truth until about 350 AD that the Romans would mistake the Gentile Children of Truth for Jews because they commonly wore the tallit gadol that was distinctive of Jews even though they were not circumcised. Like the Jews during the times of the Maccabees the Children of Truth would also wear the original small tallits during periods of persecution instead of the tallit gadols. Many of the Children of Truth had this practice of wearing tallits passed down to them from those who knew Paul the Jew.
When the Man of Truth returns to this Earth and sends out the Law of Truth from Jerusalem the Jews will be wearing tallit gadols so that the Gentiles can grab the corners of their tallit gadols to be shown how to live according to the Law of Truth (Zechariah 8:20-23). So even in the future the Children of Truth will be wearing tallits.
It is plain that there is great precedent for the Children of Truth to wear tallit gadols when they gather together, during special ceremonies and at other times. It is plain that this was a common practice by the Children of Truth during the entire time that the Apostles of Truth were on this Earth and even for centuries afterwards. It is plain that the Children of Truth will wear tallits in the future when the Man of Truth is ruling the Earth. In these days leading up the the end times the Children of Truth have learned that the cloaks, aprons and handkerchiefs mentioned in the Book of Truth actually are various types of tallits. So many of the Children of Truth have rediscovered the true purpose of wearing tzitzits and tallits. It is for this reason that they have returned to wearing tallit gadols, tallit katans and belt loop tzitzits in ever increasing numbers. This is not a modern fad among the Children of Truth like wearing WWJD bracelets. Wearing Jewish prayer shawls is the revival of an ancient practice in response to the commandment of the Father of Truth that the Spirit of Truth has been reviving among the Children of Truth.
So it should not seem strange that the Children of Truth are wearing tallits when it's a Jewish thing to be following the Man of Truth. After all the Man of Truth is first and foremost the Messiah of Israel.
Still it is important to remember that the purpose of wearing tzitzits is to remind the Children of Truth to obey the commandments of the Father of Truth (Numbers 15:39). While some of the Gentile Children of Truth may benefit from wearing tzitzits just like some have benefited from wearing WWJD bracelets and purity rings they are under no obligation to do so in order to come into the House of Truth (Acts 15:28-29).
It should be remembered that tzitzits were given to Jewish people to help them to be the instruments of the Father of Truth to bring salvation to the whole world. It is important to remember to not mistake the lessor matters of the Law for the weightier matters of the Law. The Jewish Children of Truth should remember that it has always been about the Gentiles when they put on their tallits.
Those who come into the House of Truth are given a new heart and have the Spirit of Truth living in them so that they can keep His commandments (Ezekiel 36:26-27). Those who come into the House of Truth keep His righteous commandments by walking in step with the Spirit of Truth (Romans 8:3-5). Those who come into the House of Truth are given the Spirit of Truth so they can please the Father of Truth by keeping His commandments (Romans 8:8-9). Those who come into the House of Truth have His commandments written on their hearts on the inside by His Spirit instead His commandments being written on stone tablets on the outside by His finger (2 Corinthians 3:2-4). Those who come into the House of Truth do not need tzitzits to remember to keep His commandments (Galatians 5:16-18). Those who come into the House of Truth have come into a better covenant through the Man of Truth than the covenant that came through Moses (Hebrews 8:4-6). Those who come into the House of Truth have entered into the Renewed Covenant where the Father of Truth writes His commandments upon their minds so that they will not forget to keep His commandments (Hebrews 8:7-10). Being able to say that His commandments have been written on my heart by the Spirit of Truth is so much better than tying a tassel on the corners of your clothes to remind you to keep His commandments!
You can come into the House of Truth and receive the Spirit of Truth that the Father of Truth gives to all of His children (Romans 8:14-16). You come into the House of Truth when you surrender everything to the Man of Truth because you believe that His Father raised him from the dead (Romans 10:8-10). Both Jews and Gentiles can come into the House of Truth (Romans 10:11-13). Everyone who comes into the House of Truth will be made part of His forever family by the Spirit of Truth writing His commandments on their heart (Galatians 4:4-7)!
Come into the House of Truth.
I have observed that the wearing of tallits is becoming more common in all kinds of congregations of the Children of Truth over the last decade or so. Ministers of all stripes have appeared on television wearing tallits. They are not just leaders in Messianic congregations nor are they only doing so while on a Holy Land tour. Some of them do so at special occasions while others do so on a seemingly daily basis. I have also observed that more and more tallits are appearing among the crowds at their events.
I have also noticed the same phenomenon at events that I have personally attended. You may have noticed this too and might be wondering what is going on. It may strike you as strange that so many Gentile Children of Truth have started wearing tallits.
In case you are not familiar the word "tallit" it is sometimes called a Jewish prayer shawl. Modern tallits come in two basic sizes and their basic shape depends upon the size of the tallit.
The larger tallit is called a tallit gadol (great tallit) and is usually a large white rectangular cloth with blue stripes along the edges. It will typically have border on one side with Hebrew writing called the atarah (crown) that distinguishes which side is the one to be worn over the head or around the neck. On each corner is a tassel called tzitzit. On each tzitzit is one one blue thread called the shamash (servant). Some will also have shorter fringes along the edges as well. Sometimes people wear these large tallits folded over and going over each shoulder to flow down the front like the academic stoles wore to denote some honor at a graduation ceremony. Sometimes they are worn over the shoulders like a cape. Other times people completely cover their heads with them and these large tallits are reminiscent of a tent. It is often very obvious when someone is wearing tallit gadol and the tallit gadol is most likely the tallit you may have seen someone wearing.
The smaller tallit is called a tallit katan (small tallit) and usually resembles a tee shirt that is not quite sown together all the way down. It usually has a tzitzit (tassel) on each corner with a blue thread. It is worn under the clothing often with just the tzitzits sticking out from underneath the bottom of the shirt that is over it. This is the type of tallit that was worn by the Jewish men in "Fiddler on the Roof". It is can easily be missed in a crowd and the tzitzits can be hidden completely if necessary. You are less likely to have seen someone wearing one of these tallits.
Alternatively to an actual tallit sometimes people wear just the tzitzits of a tallit on their belt loops. They are effectively turning their everyday clothing into a tallit.
So why are more and more Jewish prayer shawls being seen among the Children of Truth? Is this some sort of new trend that will fade away like wearing WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) bracelets? Is this just the latest fad? Is this from the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD)? What does the Book of Truth (the Bible) say about tallits?
It all started with picking up sticks.
The Father of Truth provided a sacrifice for those who sinned because they were ignorant of His commandments (Numbers 15:27-29). However there was no such provision for anyone who broke His commandments willfully in rebellion to Him (Numbers 15:30-31). [The Hebrew word translated as "presumptuously" literally means "in the face" which in context is rebelliously in the face of the Father of Truth.] Shortly after that a man picked up sticks on the Sabbath in rebellion to His commandment to rest on the Sabbath (Numbers 15:32-33). Since the man had done this rebelliously in the face of the Father of Truth he was stoned to death (Numbers 15:34-36).
So the Father of Truth made a new command that everyone, all Jews and all Gentiles that lived among them, were to wear a white tassel with a sky blue thread (a tzitzit) on the corner of their garments so that they would remember to keep His commandments (Numbers 15:37-40). These tzitzits were commanded to be worn on every garment that was large enough for people to cover themselves with and their garments were not to be made of mixed materials like a wool and linen blend (Deuteronomy 22:11-12). These tzitzits were the original WWJD bracelets and purity rings to help people remember to keep the commandments of the Father of Truth.
Originally, these tzitzits were worn on the corners of everyday clothes like belt loop tzitzits. In fact, this commandment was for everyone to wear tzitzits on the corners of their garments so that everyone would be reminded of the commandments of the Father of Truth. So this included women and children as well as men. There was simply no prohibition or exemption made for women and children wearing tzitzits on their clothing. Any such prohibition or exemption came years later and is just another example of Rabbinic Distort.
Over the years, it became common for tzitzits to only be placed on the corners of the large cloak that was commonly worn to protect people from the elements. This cloak is also called a mantle in the Book of Truth. This cloak is where the tallit gadol came from and is the cloak or mantle that is so often mentioned in the Book of Truth.
It was probably a tallit gadol that Jael (Yael) used to cover Sisera, the oppressor of Israel, with when she lulled him to sleep so she could kill him (Judges 4:18-21). (The Kenites were Gentiles that lived in the area of Mount Sinai and came with the Jews into the Promised Land. So they probably wore tallits since the commandment applied to the Gentiles who lived among the Jews. A quilt would be a covering for the body so it might have had tzitzits on the four corners. So if that is the case then it was a large tallit gadol that Jael covered Sisera with.) So this is the first time that a tallit was used in deliverance of the Children of Truth.
The corner of the tallit is called a "kanaph" and is often translated as "skirt" or "wing" instead of "corner". The Hebrew word "kanaph" translated as "wings" is the same Hebrew word translated as "corners" in the command to wear tzitzits. The corners of a garment are also called the wings of the garment for similar reasons that the corners of batman's cape help his cape form a wing shape on each side. The corner of the tallit gadol is the wing or skirt of a garment that is so often mentioned in the Book of Truth.
It was the corner of the tallit gadol of Boaz that Ruth asked to be covered with to show that he was going to provide and protect her as a husband (Ruth 3:9). In the same way the Father of Truth covered Israel with the corner of His tallit gadol to show that he was going provide and protect her as a husband (Ezekiel 16:8). So the tallit was used to show that one is under the provision and protection of the Father of Truth.
The Prophets of Truth undoubtedly obeyed the command of the Father of Truth to put tzitzits on their garment, especially their long outer garments that covered their bodies. These outer garment were usually rectangular in shape like a cloak so their mantles and other outer garments definitely qualify as tallit gadols. However, these tallit gadols were not just religious garb for the Children of Truth who lived in Israel but were practical outer garments used to protect the wearer from things like sand, the sun, rain, cold weather and snow. These tallit gadols were basically used as cloaks with tzitzits on the corners.
It was the corner of the tallit gadol of Samuel (Shmuel) that was torn when the kingdom of Israel was torn out of the hand of King Saul (Shual) (1 Samuel 15:26-28). Years later when King Saul had the witch of Endor call up Samuel from the dead to consult him King Saul recognized Samuel by his tallit gadol (1 Samuel 28:13-15). Samuel then affirmed that the Father of Truth would use the Philistines to finish taking the kingdom of Israel taken away from the family of King Saul (1 Samuel 28:16-19). So this is the first time that a tallit was used by a Prophet of Truth in announcing judgment for disobedience to the Father of Truth and the transfer of power.
In similar manner Ahijah (Achiyah) the Prophet of Truth tore his own tallit gadol into twelve pieces and gave ten of the pieces to Jeroboam to show that ten of the twelve tribes of Israel would be given to Jeroboam to rule as judgment against King Solomon (Shlomo) for turning away from the commandments of the Father of Truth (1 Kings 11:29-34). So again a tallit was used by a Prophet of Truth in announcing judgment for disobedience to the Father of Truth and to signify the transfer of power.
When Elijah (Eliyahu) the Prophet of Truth heard the voice of the Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost) he wrapped his face in his tallit gadol before going out of the cave to talk with the Spirit of Truth (1 Kings 19:12-13). This Prophet of Truth was told who to anoint to replace the wicked rulers as well as who was to be his own replacement (1 Kings 19:14-16). This Prophet of Truth was then told that the wicked would be destroyed but the righteous would be preserved (1 Kings 19:17-18). Then Elijah placed his tallit gadol on the shoulders of Elishah to show that Elishah was to be his replacement (1 Kings 19:19). So again a tallit was used by a Prophet of Truth in announcing judgment for disobedience to the Father of Truth and the transfer of power.
Then Elijah used his tallit gadol to divide the Jordan river when Elishah asked for twice as much of the Spirit of Truth to be on him as Elijah (2 Kings 2:8-10). Then Elijah signified that he was transferring the Spirit of Truth that had been on him by giving Elishah his tallit gadol (2 Kings 2:11-13). Then Elishah put on the tallit gadol of Elijah and proved that the Spirit of Truth was now upon him by using the tallit gadol to divide the Jordan River like Elijah had done (2 Kings 2:14-15). So not only was a tallit used for the transfer of power but it was also used for the first time to demonstrate the power of the Spirit of Truth.
The Priest of Truth also were diligent to obey the command of the Father of Truth to wear tzitzits on their mantles, cloaks and other outer garments that covered their bodies. So their outer garments also qualified as tallit gadols.
Ezra the Priest of Truth also rent his tallit gadol when he heard of that the Jews had returned to disobedience to the commandments of the Father of Truth as soon as they returned to the Promised Land from their captivity that came from disobedience to those same commandments (Ezra 9:1-3). Tearing his tallit gadol was part of what caused those who remained faithful to the Father of Truth to join him in earnest prayer for the Jews who returned to the Promised Land to return to obeying the commandments of the Father of Truth as well (Ezra 9:4-6). So a tallit was used in bringing people to repentance.
In like manner, since the Children of Truth wore tzitzits on the corners of their garments in accordance with the command of the Father of Truth so that their outer garments were effectively tallit gadols. So it is tallit gadols that the Prophets of Truth referred to in their writings.
King David prayed in his prophetic Psalm that the wicked would be covered with shame in the same way that a righteous man covers himself with a tallit gadol (Psalm 109:29). Isaiah (Yeshayahu) the Prophet of Truth also said that the Man of Truth would cover himself with zeal for the Father of Truth like a man covering himself with a tallit gadol (Isaiah 59:17-21). So the Children of Truth are spoken of by the Prophets of Truth as covering themselves with tallits.
These large rectangular garments had taken more or less the form of a modern tallit gadol by the time that the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) came to the Earth. There were variations in the exact color scheme that distinguished different Jewish sects like the Pharisees and Sadducees from each other just as there are variations to distinguish Jewish sects like the Chasidic and the Conservative today. Still for most Jews in Israel when the Man of Truth preached these tallit gadols were still won as practical outer garments used to protect the wearer from the elements. The Children of Truth were still commonly wearing tallit gadols as cloaks with tzitzits on the corners in Israel and throughout the other countries where they had been scattered.
The Prophets of Truth said there was healing in the corners of the tallit gadol, where the tzitzits were, of the Man of Truth (Malachi 4:2). It is for this reason that the woman with the issue of blood had confidence in what the the Father of Truth said through the Prophets of Truth that lead to her touching the tzitzits on the corners of the tallit gadol of the Man of Truth (Matthew 9:20-22). [The Greek word translated as "hem" literally means "tassel".] It is for this same reason that the people of Gennesaret also sought to touch the tzitzits of the tallit gadol of the Man of Truth (Matthew 14:34-36). [The same Greek word is also translated as "border".] In fact the people there brought out all of their sick people into the streets of every village and every one of them who touched the tzitzits of the tallit gadol of the Man of Truth were healed (Mark 6:53-56). All of them were healed just like the woman with the issue of blood was healed when her confidence in what the Father of Truth had spoken lead her to touch the tzitzits of the tallit gadol of the Man of Truth (Luke 8:43-44). So the tallit gadol of the Man of Truth was used to bring prophecies of healing to fulfillment. Once again a tallit was used to demonstrate the power of the Spirit of Truth.
The Prophets of Truth also said that those who pierced the hands and feet of the Man of Truth would cast lots upon his tallit gadol (Psalm 22:16-18). [The word translated as "vesture" is literally "a splendid garment" which is fitting description of a tallit gadol.] So when the Man of Truth was crucified those who drove the nails into his hands and feet cast lots on his tallit gadol (Matthew 27:35). Those who crucified the Man of Truth cast lots on his tallit gadol to determine which of the other garments each man would get (Mark 15:24). Those who crucified him did not know that they were fulfilling the words of the Prophets of Truth when they cast their lots on his tallit gadol (Luke 23:33-34). Those who crucified him cast lots afterwards for the tallit gadol of the Man of Truth because a tallit gadol is woven as a single piece of cloth without seams so dividing it into pieces would have ruined its value (John 19:23-24). So the same tallit gadol that was used to fulfill prophecies of healing was used to fulfill prophecies of the death of the Man of Truth. Once again a tallit was used in delivering the Children of Truth.
So the Children of Truth wore tallits from the time that the Father of Truth first gave the commandment to put tzitzits on the corners of their clothes until the death of the Man of Truth. What about after the Man of Truth came back to life and left the Earth?
Examining the life of Paul the Jew (Shual aka Saul aka the Apostle Paul) should make the answer clear.
Paul the Jew forged a business relationship with Lydia the Jew when they met together on the river with the other Jews on the Sabbath at the river because she sold the blue dye used for the blue thread that was on the tzitzit on each corner of a tallit (Acts 16:13-15).
(Lydia the Jew was a seller of purple, a “porphyropōlis” in Greek, which was a literally someone that sold the garments dyed from the murex snail that was commonly called the purple fish due to the dye that was extracted from it. This dye was very expensive as it took about 60,000 snails to produce one pound of dye. This dye would color cloth to a deep purple if the cloth was kept in complete darkness during the dyeing process until the dye was set. However, this same dye but would turn to a sky blue if the cloth was exposed fully to the sun on a cloudless day immediately after being dipped in the dye. This was the Tyrian purple that emperors sought for their ceremonial clothes. This was also the dye that was used for the “tekeleth” (sky blue) thread required to be on each the tzitzits on the corner of the each garment known as a tallit. If Paul the Jew made tallits, then he would need to buy these sky blue threads from Lydia giving him a business association with her that he could build upon. Of course, there would be no need for this dye in tent making because the cost of the dyed cloth was so prohibitively expensive that one of the Roman Emperors denied his wife a dress that was made completely from this cloth due the cost. It would have also had very little use in making scene sets as well for the same reasons. So it is tallits that Paul the Jew made.)
Paul the Jew earned his living making tallits that he sold to other Jews and the Gentiles that joined themselves to the Jews (Acts 18:2-4).
(The Greek word, “skēnopoios” translated as "tentmakers" is literally someone that makes a “skene”. The Greek word “skene” in the strictest literal sense was originally a tent used for holding props and for actors changing costumes in a Greek play. The “skene” then became the hut that performed the same function as well as served as a place to attach the various backdrops when acts changed in the play. The “skene” then became larger to the point that the side facing the audience became the entire backdrop for the play. The English word “scene” used in theater comes from the Greek word “skene”. So Paul the Jew would have been making scene sets for the Greek theaters that were present in the large urban areas that he went to, if “skēnopoios” is meant to be taken in the most strictly literal sense. This is not entirely unreasonable since Jews had lived in Greece for more than five hundred years by this point and were heavily involved in the theater. However, the Greek word “skene” itself came from the Hebrew word “shakan” that means “tent”, which is what the “skene” originally was. The Hebrew word “shakan” is also the word that is the root of “mishkan” which is the Tabernacle. So in the Septuagint and the Renewed Covenant (B'rit Chadashah aka The New Testament) the Greek word “skene” is used for the Tabernacle. So Paul the Jew would have been making tents, if “skēnopoios” is meant to be taken in a less than strictly literal sense. This was possible, but not as practical, since most people lived in houses instead of tents in the urban areas where he ministered. However, there was also a figurative use of “skene” to denote a tallit because a tallit is symbolic of being wrapped in the Spirit of Truth and conveys the same symbolic meaning as the Tabernacle where the Spirit of Truth dwelt, which is a “skene” in Greek. So Paul the Jew would have been making tallits, if “skēnopoios” is meant to be taken in a figurative sense. This was very practical since the needed tools were easy to carry, he could carry the blue threads, and there was a demand for tallits every where that Jews lived. It is impossible to determine if Paul the Jew was making scene sets, tents or tallits based on this verse alone. However it is obvious that tallit maker is meant when one considers the entirety of the verses that give information about his trade.)
Not only did Paul the Jew make tallit gadols but he also made tallit katans that he sent out in his place to bring healing to the Children of Truth that he could not personally go to due to his work in the yeshiva of Tyrannus the Jew (Acts 19:9-12). [A Jewish yeshiva is literally a school of disputing.]
(These handkerchiefs were small tallits (four corner garments with a blue thread on the tassels (tzitzits) on the corners) that Jews had worn hidden under their normal clothing since the time of the Maccabees. This was so that the Syrian Greeks during the time of the Maccabees would not know that the Jews were keeping the commandment of God concerning their clothes, because the Syrian Greeks had made wearing tallits a death penalty crime in their zeal to assimilate everyone into the Greek culture. These aprons were mid-sized tallits shaped like a workman's apron that were worn around the waist and under the outer garments after wearing tallits stop being a death penalty crime but Jews were still being persecuted for wearing the tallit gadol. These aprons were not completely hidden as the tzitzits could be seen when close to the wearer but they were a lot less noticeable the tallit gadol that was worn like a cloak. The tzitzits could also be hidden quickly to avoid persecution. (The Rabbis later ruled that these had to be made larger and had go completely around the body so these aprons and handkerchiefs became the modern tallit katans similar to those worn in the movie “Fiddler on the Roof”. ) Paul the Jew could have made many of these tallit katans himself since that was his trade.)
The Father of Truth wraps Himself in light like the Children of Truth wrapping themselves in a tallit gadol (Psalm 104:1-2). This made the tallit gadol remarkably important to the Jewish Children of Truth like Paul the Jew even when he was facing certain death and greatly desired to see Timothy the Jew (Timotheus) before he died in Rome (2 Timothy 4:6-9). Yet Paul the Jew considered his tallit gadol so important that he sent Timothy the Jew (Timotheus) hundreds of miles out of his way to fetch it before coming to see him during his final imprisonment in Rome (2 Timothy 4:13). This tallit gadol was so important to Paul the Jew that he wanted Timothy the Jew to make this side trip despite his urgent desire for Timothy the Jew to arrive in Rome before winter when all travel would cease (2 Timothy 4:21). Paul the Jew greatly valued his tallit gadol.
(The Greek word translated “cloke” here is “phailonēs” which comes from the Greek word for beaming rays of light, “phainō” and carries the idea of being clothed in light. This Greek word was used by Jews to denote a tallit gadol because when the tallit gadol was worn it was an earthly representation of the Father of Truth being clothed in light. This Greek word is used no where else in the Renewed Covenant but it is used in other ancient Greek literature to refer to a tallit gadol. Paul the Jew might have made this tallit gadol himself since that was his trade.)
So there can be no doubt that Paul the Jew made tallits when one considers all that the Book of Truth tells us about his trade. After the resurrection many of the Children of Truth continued to wear the tallit gadol like the Man of Truth had worn. In fact it was so common among the Gentile Children of Truth until about 350 AD that the Romans would mistake the Gentile Children of Truth for Jews because they commonly wore the tallit gadol that was distinctive of Jews even though they were not circumcised. Like the Jews during the times of the Maccabees the Children of Truth would also wear the original small tallits during periods of persecution instead of the tallit gadols. Many of the Children of Truth had this practice of wearing tallits passed down to them from those who knew Paul the Jew.
When the Man of Truth returns to this Earth and sends out the Law of Truth from Jerusalem the Jews will be wearing tallit gadols so that the Gentiles can grab the corners of their tallit gadols to be shown how to live according to the Law of Truth (Zechariah 8:20-23). So even in the future the Children of Truth will be wearing tallits.
It is plain that there is great precedent for the Children of Truth to wear tallit gadols when they gather together, during special ceremonies and at other times. It is plain that this was a common practice by the Children of Truth during the entire time that the Apostles of Truth were on this Earth and even for centuries afterwards. It is plain that the Children of Truth will wear tallits in the future when the Man of Truth is ruling the Earth. In these days leading up the the end times the Children of Truth have learned that the cloaks, aprons and handkerchiefs mentioned in the Book of Truth actually are various types of tallits. So many of the Children of Truth have rediscovered the true purpose of wearing tzitzits and tallits. It is for this reason that they have returned to wearing tallit gadols, tallit katans and belt loop tzitzits in ever increasing numbers. This is not a modern fad among the Children of Truth like wearing WWJD bracelets. Wearing Jewish prayer shawls is the revival of an ancient practice in response to the commandment of the Father of Truth that the Spirit of Truth has been reviving among the Children of Truth.
So it should not seem strange that the Children of Truth are wearing tallits when it's a Jewish thing to be following the Man of Truth. After all the Man of Truth is first and foremost the Messiah of Israel.
Still it is important to remember that the purpose of wearing tzitzits is to remind the Children of Truth to obey the commandments of the Father of Truth (Numbers 15:39). While some of the Gentile Children of Truth may benefit from wearing tzitzits just like some have benefited from wearing WWJD bracelets and purity rings they are under no obligation to do so in order to come into the House of Truth (Acts 15:28-29).
It should be remembered that tzitzits were given to Jewish people to help them to be the instruments of the Father of Truth to bring salvation to the whole world. It is important to remember to not mistake the lessor matters of the Law for the weightier matters of the Law. The Jewish Children of Truth should remember that it has always been about the Gentiles when they put on their tallits.
Those who come into the House of Truth are given a new heart and have the Spirit of Truth living in them so that they can keep His commandments (Ezekiel 36:26-27). Those who come into the House of Truth keep His righteous commandments by walking in step with the Spirit of Truth (Romans 8:3-5). Those who come into the House of Truth are given the Spirit of Truth so they can please the Father of Truth by keeping His commandments (Romans 8:8-9). Those who come into the House of Truth have His commandments written on their hearts on the inside by His Spirit instead His commandments being written on stone tablets on the outside by His finger (2 Corinthians 3:2-4). Those who come into the House of Truth do not need tzitzits to remember to keep His commandments (Galatians 5:16-18). Those who come into the House of Truth have come into a better covenant through the Man of Truth than the covenant that came through Moses (Hebrews 8:4-6). Those who come into the House of Truth have entered into the Renewed Covenant where the Father of Truth writes His commandments upon their minds so that they will not forget to keep His commandments (Hebrews 8:7-10). Being able to say that His commandments have been written on my heart by the Spirit of Truth is so much better than tying a tassel on the corners of your clothes to remind you to keep His commandments!
You can come into the House of Truth and receive the Spirit of Truth that the Father of Truth gives to all of His children (Romans 8:14-16). You come into the House of Truth when you surrender everything to the Man of Truth because you believe that His Father raised him from the dead (Romans 10:8-10). Both Jews and Gentiles can come into the House of Truth (Romans 10:11-13). Everyone who comes into the House of Truth will be made part of His forever family by the Spirit of Truth writing His commandments on their heart (Galatians 4:4-7)!
Come into the House of Truth.
Labels: Jewish Prayer Shawls, Tallits, Tzitzits
posted by The House Of Truth @ January 25, 2015
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