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the role of the talit
Yesterday our new associate rabbi led our weekday mincha service. When he arrived he asked if there was a talit available and I suggested a place to look (successfully, it turned out). The request surprised me, so in typical fashion, I'm now going to deconstruct it. :-)
Traditionally, one dons the talit (prayer shawl) for morning prayers. (There is a solitary exception to this rule coming up this week, by the way. [1]) Everyone [2] does; it's not just a rabbi thing. The talit is expressly not worn at other times, and I've never seen my rabbi wear a talit at the afternoon (or evening) weekday service. But he does on Friday nights, and I can think of two related customs.
First, in many places it is customary that everyone called to the torah wears a talit, even if he wouldn't normally. I've been in synaogogues where someone went up and was given a talit to wear before saying the blessings. It would not be a huge leap to extend this reasoning to the person who conducts the service, or at least the torah service. Most Reform congregations read torah on Friday nights, so it is possible that my rabbi wears a talit then due to this custom. Our congregation doesn't mandate talitot for people called up, and in fact it's rare to see anyone else wear one then. (In the morning, sure.)
(Aside: we do have occasional Friday-night services where torah is not read, and my rabbi wears a talit. This could be to avoid confusing the congregation, or it could be for some other reason.)
That would possibly explain my congregation and maybe Reform congregations in general. However, I've also seen the leaders of Shabbat evening services in two Conservative congregations wear talitot, even though torah is not read then. This would suggest a custom (in some places, at least) that the leader wears a talit no matter what. This could be the associate rabbi's custom.
Which all makes me curious about what my rabbi's custom actually is. :-) (No, it doesn't keep me up nights, and it'll probably never bubble up to the top of the list of things to discuss with him. I'm just idly curious.)
[1] On Tisha b'Av, a national day of mourning, the talit is not worn in the morning. It is then worn in the afternoon, I'm told.
[2] Depending on where you are: every adult Jew, or every adult male Jew, or every married male Jew.
Traditionally, one dons the talit (prayer shawl) for morning prayers. (There is a solitary exception to this rule coming up this week, by the way. [1]) Everyone [2] does; it's not just a rabbi thing. The talit is expressly not worn at other times, and I've never seen my rabbi wear a talit at the afternoon (or evening) weekday service. But he does on Friday nights, and I can think of two related customs.
First, in many places it is customary that everyone called to the torah wears a talit, even if he wouldn't normally. I've been in synaogogues where someone went up and was given a talit to wear before saying the blessings. It would not be a huge leap to extend this reasoning to the person who conducts the service, or at least the torah service. Most Reform congregations read torah on Friday nights, so it is possible that my rabbi wears a talit then due to this custom. Our congregation doesn't mandate talitot for people called up, and in fact it's rare to see anyone else wear one then. (In the morning, sure.)
(Aside: we do have occasional Friday-night services where torah is not read, and my rabbi wears a talit. This could be to avoid confusing the congregation, or it could be for some other reason.)
That would possibly explain my congregation and maybe Reform congregations in general. However, I've also seen the leaders of Shabbat evening services in two Conservative congregations wear talitot, even though torah is not read then. This would suggest a custom (in some places, at least) that the leader wears a talit no matter what. This could be the associate rabbi's custom.
Which all makes me curious about what my rabbi's custom actually is. :-) (No, it doesn't keep me up nights, and it'll probably never bubble up to the top of the list of things to discuss with him. I'm just idly curious.)
[1] On Tisha b'Av, a national day of mourning, the talit is not worn in the morning. It is then worn in the afternoon, I'm told.
[2] Depending on where you are: every adult Jew, or every adult male Jew, or every married male Jew.
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(Actually, as long as you're here... I have the impression, perhaps incorrect, that you say the bracha upon first putting on the talit gadol. Is that right? I'm specifically wondering about the case where you go to more than one morning service, e.g. because you go to your own and then go late to another for a bar mitzvah. If you took off the talit between, do you need a bracha when you put it back on?)
no subject
CYLORConsult your regular decision-making process. :-)One says the bracha upon first donning the tallit gadol, if it is one's own.
If when removed it one specifically had the kavannah that it's a temporary removal (for example, one lends one's tallit to an unmarried man getting an aliyah), then when one puts it back on it's considered a continuation and no bracha is recited. If one did not have that kavannah, or if the interruption is significant in time, or (according to some) if the interruption involved use of the rest rooms (where wearing the tallit gadol is forbidden) then one must say a new bracha before re-donning.
My understanding is that one does not say a bracha on another person's tallit except when it's specifically lent for the duration of the Shacharit service for the purpose of being able to say the bracha.
There's a dispute as to whether one needs to say the bracha over one's own tallit gadol if one is shaliach tzibbur at Mincha or Arvit. (I.e., which rule takes priority: that one makes a bracha on one's own tallit or that one does not make a bracha outside of the Shacharit timeframe?) By wearing a borrowed tallit one dodges the question because everyone agrees that there is no reason to make a bracha then.