Obj. ID: 39372  Prayer shawl (Tallit), Yemen, circa 1930

The following description was prepared by William Gross:

The Tallit is a Jewish prayer shawl, worn on the shoulders over the outer clothes during morning prayers and on a few special occasions as well, such as Yom Kippur evening or the wedding ceremony. Traditionally the Tallit is made of wool or linen, but sometimes from other textiles as well, such as silk or polyester and cotton. In most cases, the Tallit is worn from the time of the Bar Mitzvah and is often a gift from father to son on that occasion. Generally the Tallit is given with a bag with which to carry and store it. This object is such an example.

It is generally assumed that this special black Tallit was worn on Shabbat or, according to others, on Tisha Be'av. Although one of the great recorders of Yemenite traditions, the famous Jerusalem Rabbi Kapach, z"l, has written that such Tallitot were worn all the time throughout the day. In any case, such tallitot are extremely rare and amost interesting example of a very special custom from Yemen.