The Ancient Roots of the Tallit

The word tallit comes from the Hebrew words…

  • Tal, which means “tent”
  • Ith, which means “little”

Therefore, wearing a tallit during your prayer time is symbolic of creating a “little tent” for which you and the Lord meet. 

The Tallit | A Tent of Meeting

In Hebrew, tabernacle means “dwelling place,” and was also referred to as the Tent of Meeting. It was a physical, earthly dwelling place of the Lord where the children of Israel would meet with Him. 

This tent was to be a sanctuary where God’s people would worship, praise, and commune with Him. Jesus taught on the deep connection of communing with God through prayer. 

  • “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”—Matthew 6:6

This is why you will often hear the tallit referred to as a “prayer shawl.” If you are exploring the roots of your faith, understanding the tallit is key. It is designed to help you experience the presence of God in new and powerful ways, breaking through curses and experiencing miracles in your life. 

The Tallit | A Place of Connection

The breakthroughs are not because the tallit itself holds a supernatural power; rather, it creates a point of contact for a Believer to seek God intentionally.

Just as you lift your hands in worship or close your eyes and kneel in prayer, praying under the tallit creates a place of surrender and invites the Spirit into your prayer time.  

It is not the “lifting of hands” or the “closing eyes and kneeling in prayer” alone that is supernatural, but this intentional act creates a space for God to reveal Himself to you. 

If you have ever experienced the presence of God, you know that when your physical body intentionally seeks God, your soul—your mind, will, and emotions—will align with the Spirit. 

By wrapping yourself with the tallit, it creates a connection—a physical place for Heaven to meet earth. It is a picture of Psalm 61:4…

  • “I will live in your tent forever and find refuge in the shelter of your wings.” (CJB)

The outstretched tallit is like the wings of God, protecting and guiding you as you recognize your dependence on Him. 

When you depend on Him, you agree with Jesus’ words in John 15:5…

  • “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

Essentially, you are surrendering your will and desires to the Lord and allowing His ways to be imparted to you. 

The Tallit and the Tzitzit

The tzitzit, translated as tassels or fringe, are placed on the four corners of the tallit. 

“Speak to the children of Israel: Tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners. And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the LORD and do them, and that you may not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined, and that you may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for your God.”

—Numbers 15:38-40

The Tzitzit Mystery…

You will notice a traditional tallit has fringes, or tzitzit, on the ends. These consist of knotted threads. 

  • The word tzitzit is also the numerical equivalent of 600, which represents life.
  • There are 8 threads, which represents new beginnings
  • There are 5 knots, which represents grace 

Were these knotted threads placed by accident? No. 

The numbers—600+8+5—equal 613, which are the number of mitzvot—commandments, or precepts—in the Torah.

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The Tzitzit | A Supernatural Conduit

You have heard those who describe experiencing God’s supernatural presence or power as “heat within.” You could say that this was His radiant power reaching deep within you. 

The woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years, mentioned in Matthew 9, experienced this power. 

By faith, she pressed through the crowd and touched the hem of Jesus’ garment, which was a corner of His tallit where the tzitzit was attached. 

  • “For she said to herself, ‘If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.’”—Matthew 9:21

Luke’s account of the event provides more revelation about the tallit.

Jesus was walking with a large crowd of people. Many were pressing in and touching Him. However, He turned around and said, “Who touched Me?” (Luke 8:45).

Peter, confused by the question because of the circumstance, answered, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” (Luke 8:45).

Then Jesus described the supernatural conduit situation… “Somebody touched me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” (Luke 8:46).

Jesus called attention to this event because it was a teaching moment in His ministry…

  • Someone who could not be healed by doctors was miraculously healed by the Great Physician (see Luke 8:43).
  • Someone who was shunned by society (see Leviticus 15:25) was welcomed by God when she placed her faith in Jesus.
  • Jesus, the Healer, fulfilled the law (see Matthew 5:17). Remember, there are 613 commandments represented in the tzitzit. Thus, when she touched Jesus’ garment by faith, she grabbed on to the fulfillment of God’s love summed up in the 613 commandments.

Restoring What Was Lost

God’s Word says that what has been lost will be restored. 

  • “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you.”—Joel 2:25
  • “…the Lord your God will bring you back from captivity, and have compassion on you, and gather you again…”—Deuteronomy 30:3
  • “Come, and let us return to the Lord; for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up.”—Hosea 6:1
  • “…Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.”—Acts 3:20-21

When we turn to the Lord and act in faith, just as the bleeding woman did, restoration at every level is on the horizon. 

If Jesus Himself wore a tallit—allowing it to be a tool where people could truly experience His healing power—we can meet with the Spirit under it and petition for that same healing power to be manifested in our lives. 

Again, it is not the tallit that holds the power, but the One who meets with you under it.

Are you ready to experience God’s presence at a deeper level? 

Get the Believer’s Guide to the Tallit HERE and wrap yourself in the revelation.

It is time we allow the Lord to restore us—mind, body, and spirit.