This is a funny subject. It remains one of the two most difficult things for Gentiles to adopt (the other being tefillin, which of course, even Jews find difficult to wear). I've watched movie after movie of Yeshua, and rarely do they show him wearing a tallit.

Others have shown other Jewish men wearing them - but always the villains in the movie! Never Joseph, nor his family, nor Yeshua's Talmidim ... no wonder you can't get Christians to wear them! "Show me in the Scriptures where such a thing is commanded, and I'll do it!" they say about some things. Apparently, the Tallit is not one of them.

The Tallit is also known by the silly name "prayer shawl". I've never heard a Jew say "Prayer shawl". The Tallit comes in different sizes and colors, from the Tallit qatan, a small Tallit worn under the clothing, to a Tallit Gedolah (the more common variety). I tend to prefer the larger size Tallit, which are 72" wide or so. Do I wear a Tallit Qatan under my clothes? Of Course.

The purpose of the Tallit, strange as it may seem, is merely to hold the ritual fringes, the tzitzit צִיצִת. For various reasons we won't get into here, suffice it to say that most Jews do not wear the blue thread anymore, keeping them all white. The Tallit usually comes with a number of stripes across it (usually black), with each number standing for a different meaning. When purchasing a Tallit, it is best to buy one that appeals to you—but be sure to visit the congregation you wish to attend before buying one.

What if you get a brightly colored Tallit, like a Gabrieli or an Agam, and the congregation you end up attending at wears only the orthodox black and white? These are more than fashion concerns! It might be felt that you are not giving enough reverence to the Tallit, the Temple in Jerusalem, the western wall, Yeshua or even Bibi Netanyahu (I have no idea—everyone takes their beliefs seriously, as they should, and like thinkers tend to congregate together. Should you attend a congregation where everybody wears the orthodox Tallit, you should too; unless of course, it's because the congregation is poor and that's the least expensive Tallit you can buy).

But what is a Tallit? There are many biblical references to it: It was the "seamless garment" worn by Yeshua and gambled for by Romiyim, the garment that touching it healed. The exact numbering of the word tzitzit adds to 613, the number of the commandments. The tzitzit is an "OT אות", a visual reminder of HASHEM 's covenant with us, and the 613 commandments. The word Ot אות is unusual; it comprised Aleph א and Tav ת, the first and last letters of Emet אֶמֶת. Note that the middle letter is Mem מ, the first letter of Mashiach מָשִׁיחַ. Note the middle two letters of Mashiach are the first two letters of Yeshua's — יְשׁוּע — name reversed, which brings us back to the middle letter of יְשׁוּע's name — Vav ו! Ot can be seen as Aleph Vav Tav, or Aleph (the first) and Tav (the Last). The only letter not used in יְשׁוּע's name is the Ayin ע06;, which stands for the Hebrew word for "Eyes" — Which brings us back to Ot, a visual reminder.

So the Greek way to say this is Alpha and Omega. Yeshua — יְשׁוּעָ  — is saying, "I am the first and the last, the truth, the direct object of Torahh." Et, את, is the Hebrew word to show the direct object of an action, a sentence, or an originator of an action (it has no translation). Notice the last letter of Et and Ot are also the first and last letters of tzitzit (tzitzit might also be seen as an anagram of the three words Righteousness, Y'shua (salvation) , Torah — Tzedek, Y'shua, Torah repeated twice. The first for Messiah's coming as suffering servant, and the second for his return as triumphant King Messiah). Is the tzitzit a garment of glory? It is a living symbol of Messiah's sacrifice, and return, a living symbol of truth, Messiah, and Torah, all rolled into one.

Conclusion: Have you ever noticed that the word Amen is an anagram of Emet, Mashiach Natan, or "The truth Messiah Gives?" How many of you have noticed continued references here to Cha’zon? It's not intentional, but as I researched the Tallit, it kept pointing that way! The Tallit is a symbol, something we wear in prayer. Reluctance to wear one is odd when you research it, and hardly understandable. When you finally get one, the blessing for it is:

Baruch ata Adonai, Elohaynu Melech ha'olam, asher kidshanu b'mitsvotav l'hitatef b'tzitzit.
Blessed are you HASHEM our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with your commandments on wearing tzitzit.

Try it, you'll like it!