In Numbers 15:37-40, we read "The Lord also spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the sons of Israel and tell them that they shall make for themselves tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and that they shall put on the tassel of each corner a cord of blue. And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the Lord, so as to do them and not follow after your own heart and your own eyes, after which you played the harlot, in order that you may remember to do all My commandments and be holy to your God."

The modem prayer shawl is an expression of obedience to this commandment. It is rich in significance and an inspiration for all of us.

The tzit-zits, the tassels on the corners or wings of the prayer shawl, are to be a constant reminder of the commandments of the Lord and our call to walk in obedience to His Word. In a nutshell, the purposes of the tzit-zits is to remember the Word, to obey the Word, to keep ourselves from the lusts of the eyes and of the flesh, and to walk holy before the Lord.

Each tzit-zit is made up of 4 strings doubled over to make eight, five knots and four sets of windings between the knots totaling 39 windings. The count of the windings starting from the top are seven (7) then eight (8) then eleven (11) then thirteen (13). To understand their significance, we must be aware of two things. There are 613 commandments in the Hebrew scriptures (The Torah) and in them are 365 'thou shall not do the following things' and '248 thou shall do the following things'. There are not separate symbols for numbers in Hebrew. Each letter also has a numerical value. Therefore Hebrew words not only have a phonetic value, but also a numeric value that connects them in certain ways. (See Revelation 13:17-18)

The numeric value of the word tzit-zit is 600. Add to that the 5 knots representing the five books contained in the one Torah scroll and 8 strings making up the tzit-zit, we have the number 613. Once again 613 is the number of the commandments which God gave to Moses for the children of Israel to obey or live and be blessed by. Therefore the tzit-zit refers to the entire body of the commandments found throughout the Torah’s five books. Every time a Jew or Christian looks at the tzit-zit, they should be reminded of the sacredness of the Word of God and their responsibility to walk in obedience to it.

As a garment of prayer, the tallit is actually the original "prayer closet" referred to by Jesus in Matthew 6:6 according to Jewish sources.

Mat 6:5-6 KJV And when you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites [are]: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. (6) But you, when you pray, enter into your  closet, and when you have shut thy door, pray to your Father which is in secret; and your Father which sees you in secret shall reward thee openly.

It is a tangible symbol of God’s love - Jewish people call it a "hug from God" - when wrapped around them. For undistracted prayer, the tallit is draped over one’s head and gathered together in front so that the believer is "closeted" in its folds. In that secret place, communion with one’s Lord is facilitated and precious.

There are varied designs and colors on prayer shawls today, which allow for the personal preference of each person in choosing their own tallit. The color and design is not the most important issue; the using of the tallit for prayer and as an exhortation to obedience remains as its most important purpose.

The prayer shawl figured prominently in the ministry of Jesus who as an observant Jew would have worn one consistently. The woman with the issue of blood reached out to touch the "fringes" or tzit-zits of His garment. To the 12 year old daughter of Jairus, Y'hshua/Jesus said, "Talitha, cumi’; in other words, "damsel in the tallit, arise."

When they looked into the empty tomb. We read that the grave clothes were lying there but the napkin around Y'hshua’s head was neatly folded and in one corner of the tomb. Hebrew historians tell us that it was first of all not a napkin but a prayer shawl and was a sign that he had risen and his body had not been stolen by the Romans, because of way it was folded. Only a Jewish person would have known how to fold it.

At His return, He will come wearing a "garment dipped in blood" which will be His prayer shawl, draped around His shoulders, carrying the mark of His own blood. By Hebrew Law if a person is murdered and there is blood on his prayer shawl then in the resurrection that man murdered will judge the one or ones that murdered him. Since it is sin that caused the death of Y'hshua/Jesus then he has the legal right to judge every human being that has lived on planet earth or is alive at his coming. No one killed Him, for He stated Himself that he had the power to lay His life down and to lift it up again. That power of course was the Holy Spirit or the Ruach HaKodesh that was with Him.

Rev 19:11-16 NASB And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. (12) His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. (13) He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. (14) And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. (15) From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. (16) And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."

So we see Jesus or as his name is in Hebrew, Y'hshua, coming back with his blood on his prayer shawl and will be the judge of those he died for but did not accept him. Many believe where it says in our western translated Bibles that Sha'ul/Paul was a tent maker, along with Pricilla and Aquila that their occupation was really makers of prayer shawls and not tents. There is no Greek word for tallit.

Act 18:1-3 NASB After these things he left Athens and went to Corinth. (2) And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, having recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. He came to them, (3) and because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and they were working, for by trade they were tent-makers (prayer shawl-makers)

Yes it is a symbol, but one designed by God Himself as an aid to our understanding of Him. God created many symbols for our own learning and inspiration. This is one of His most precious.

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