Q: Why do we present a Talit to Bar Mitzvah boys?
A: A Talit is presented to a boy at the time of his Bar Mitzvah because
it is one of the outward signs that his status in the Jewish community
as an adult has taken place as he turns thirteen years of age and a day
old. In most Conservative congregation, even young ladies have been encouraged
to wear a Talit to symbolize here coming of age as well.
A Talit is worn for the purpose of holding fringes on the corners of
the garment. In the Bible, in the book of Numbers 15:37-41, the children
of Israel are instructed by Moses to place fringes on the corners of their
garments so that they may look upon these fringes and be reminded of all
of God's commandments and to observe them. These fringes are also a reminder
for our eyes not to be led astray and worship other gods.
How do the fringes help us to remember to do what is right? They work
in much the same way that a thread tied around a finger helps us to remember
to do something. By looking at it, a certain memory or thought is triggered
in our minds! However, the fringes are not ordinary fringes that appear
on some garments. They are tied in a very specific way, with a certain
number of twists and knots. In the world of the Rabbis, these twists and
knots have numerical values that add up to a total of 613 which is the
same number of "Mitzvot" or "obligations" that are recorded in the Torah,
the first five books attributed to Moses. By merely looking at them when
we recite the words of the third paragraph of the Shema (where the words
cited above are recorded in the daily worship service), we remind ourselves
of all of the obligations that have been entrusted to us as adults in
the community of Israel.
