16 Comments

  1. I really enjoy reading your blog, and finding new insight into the Temple and its significance.

    I wonder if it is appropriate to display a picture of the Jewish sacred garment… I know I would not be comfortable with a picture of Mormon garments on display.

  2. Carol Petranek

    I was raised Greek Orthodox (maiden name was Kostakos), and during one of the infrequent Sunday School classes that I attended as a child, I vividly remember the specific lessons where we learned about the vestments that the priest wears. I recall being bored to tears and totally annoyed that we were wasting time learning about clothing, when I wanted to learn about doctrine. Only now do I understand the significance of garments and robes. And yes, I do recall the emphasis made by the teacher that every piece of clothing worn by the priest had a special meaning, but I don’t remember the details. Your recent entries referencing some Orthodox practices have me thinking that it might be interesting to do a “compare and contrast” between Orthodox and LDS rituals. Thank you for a thought-provoking blog.

  3. I had a similar thought about the picture but thought instead that perhaps as Mormons we should not be surprised or react so harshly if others post a picture of Mormon garments, if done in good taste, as I believe your intentions are here with the tallit katan. More often than not it is not done in good taste and society at large has not come to the defense of the Mormons as they would if people paraded in front of a synagogue in New York making a complete mockery of the tallit or yarmulka. Perhaps that will come with time.

    I think Mormon garments are viewed with greater suspicion than the tallit katan or other religious clothing because we do have a stronger element of ‘secrecy’ in the way we interpret the charge to keep them sacred. We do not have fringe sticking out or do not outwardly have other signs of orthodoxy to act as visual cues; we do not talk about it them in our meetings and people are not exposed to them visually in society. I could have described a tallit and yarmulka when I was 6 having watched Fiddler on the Roof.

    I think part of the issue is also in the design, just the fact that Mormon garments take an ancient tradition and put them on clothing that has a modern look and feel, i.e. boxers and a t-shirt and not of a pattern or design that has a stronger, shall we say, artistic or ethnic touch. The tallit katan in design and fabric still has an ‘ancient’ look to it. We can see Jesus wearing this same style of dress and it does not seem unnatural to us but perhaps the same could not be said about a shirt that is modeled after a modern t-shirt. It is that blurring of ancient ritual and orthodoxy and the modern look of business suits that throws people for a loop with the Mormons.

    The Mormons view their garment as sacred and as such a civilized society should respect that view and consider it when they talk about the garment. But perhaps we as Mormons could speak more frankly about the garment and the deep meaning it has for us in appropriate settings and audiences.

  4. This was a very nice Article- I am not Mormon- I’m a Torah-Brit’ Chadacha Observant believer – the picture posted was in good taste – and Yeshua would have worn something like the garment worn here:

    http://www.israelvisit.co.il/beged-ivri/catalogue/Tallith.htm

    My Beloved Brothers and Sisters – We should not feel scared or timid in learning our Hebraic Roots… and I pray Yahweh Blesses you all in feeling more open and comfortable in seeing how the feasts He has ordained – eventually would give you pictures and types of Yeshua’s pupose and his Kingship…
    Shalom…

  5. Benjamin Uchytil

    I am a yeshiva-educated Orthodox Jew. We are not embarrassed by pictures of the tallit katan – not a problem. The tallit katan is not truly thought of as ‘underwear’, and so we are not embarrassed. Although most Jews were them under their shirts, some Chassidic Jews even wear them over their shirts for the whole world to see. Point being: your picture is in good taste; in fact, I was honored to see your picture and description. Thank you, everyone, for your sensitivity and caring.

  6. Dan Slobodkin

    I am also an Orthodox Jew. I don’t know the first thing about Mormon sacred garments, but the truth is the tallit katan itself is not sacred. According to halacha, any four-cornered garment must have tzitzits (ritual tassels). Today it’s very unusual to find a four-cornered garment that fits the requirement, because basically it would have to have slits along the sides that go more than halfway up, but in theory, even a work shirt, etc. would need tzitzits attached.

    For more background see http://www.tallit-shop.com/tallit-tefillin-blog/tzitzit-2/wear-tallit-katan/

  7. Faith Dreher

    Learned something new today. All comments were in good taste & respectful of individuals beliefs.

  8. Sarah

    The Tzitzit are meant to be seen, because the commandment is to look at them, and thus to be reminded of God, the commandments, and the fact that one should remain humble. There is a specific statement that if one’s practice of mitzvot is “perfect” in the outer sense, one should still look upon the tzitzit and be humbled, reminded that arrogance is a sin. The tallit katan is worn under the outermost clothes so that Jews can wear modern styles, and blend in at work and on the street. In some jobs there are expectations for professional dress that don’t fit with the tallit katan, but the tzitzit are small enough to be acceptable. Also, it keeps a tallit from getting stained.
    It is itself a mitzvah to do good publically and appear righteous and a greater sin to sin publically than to sin privately….for appearing lax in observance or sinning publically might cause others to think your behaviour is acceptable or common and emulate it. You add the sins of leading others astray and “putting a stumbling block before the blind” onto the initial sin.
    For this reason Jews often don’t understand the vehemence shown to the Pharisees and the avoidance of appearing good in public that Jesus appears to be commanding. One’s inner state (of humility or arrogance) is known only to God and attempts to discover someone’s inner state without any evidence and punish them in this world shows a lack of faith in God. Only arrogant statements and behaviour or hypocritical behaviour that is obvious is the province of other humans to condemn. Condemning people whose inner state can’t be known is “lashon hara”, the evil tongue/gossip.

  9. Joel

    I enjoyed your article.
    I happen to be wearing my tallit katan and I never take it off. I own two of them so one can be washed while the other is being used.
    I am Sephardic Jew, and many of us tend to wear the fringes tucked into our clothing to don normal accepted styles while at work or even about around town.
    The commandment states that the fringes must be seen to remind us, therefore in my case I leave them visible.
    The accepted length of each fringe is 24 cm. from the top knot to the bottom of each fringe. These can be pulled out to hang freely from the waistband if you are hanging out at home or shopping, however like Sarah mentioned one should be aware that by having the fringes visible he is representing Judaism as a whole and should be very careful not to do anything that others might take wrongly.
    For instance: If you have to use the facilities and the only place available is McDonalds, In this case you would not want to mislead people into thinking that McDonalds is Kosher and acceptable so you should tuck the fringes out of sight and wear a hat over your Kippah while entering the facilities.
    Personally if I need to adjust my fringes for work use will pull them further into the waist band leaving them visible however not obvious.
    The fringes are not used in arrogance, rather as simple reminders to follow G-d’s commandments. It is a Mitzvah to don them.
    The assumed Jesus’s mockery of the use of the fringes and Tefillin as far as I’m concerned is unfounded. Could anyone ever be condemed for following the word of G-d. If there weren’t restrictions at work I would hang my fringes out to full length, not for the showing of them to anyone that might take notice, but rather to remind ME beyond a shadow of doubt of our covenant with G-d.
    Even your Jesus stated in Matthew 5:17 “Do not for a moment suppose that I have come to abrogate the Law or the Prophets: I have not come to abrogate them but to give them their completion.
    I take this to say that even Jesus supported the use of Tallit katan and Tefillin, however this statement appears to be refering to the use of the fringes in misleading ways or circumstances (like using the facilities at McDonalds with them on).
    I don’t know much about your Jesus, however I do know that the Tallit katan is a great Mitzvah for me that I can perform every day of my life. I don’t do it for you or anyone else, I don them because G-d told me too. I’m not embarrased by them nor do I flaunt them. I just perform my Mitzvah.
    Thank you and G-d bless

  10. Joel

    Just a follow up statement. A photograph of the Tallit katan or any tallit is more than acceptable. even the descriptions of them is allowed. There is no problem with interest in our religious objects. I would however advise that the donning (wearing) of these item by a non-jew is not acceptable. Even the ‘Messianic-Jews’ should not don any one of these objects as they are not true Jews. There is no Mitzvah for a non-Jew to don any of these items. A person qualified to don these items must be of a Jewish Mother, or an orthodox convert only.
    There are no exceptions.

  11. תומר

    As a traditional Jew, I can testify that there is no problem whatsoever with displaying an image of a טלית קטן. Another name for it is “arba kanfos” (“four corners”), because it is only on a garment that has 4 corners that the commandment to attach tzitzith applies. Also, I guess it might happen among Conservative and other “streams” of Jewish practice, that women would also wear a talleth qatan, but I would say it is “unusual” at best, among Orthodox, Chassidic, or other types of traditional Jewish practice, since the positive commandment of tzitzith requires that they be /seen/. Since they can only reliably be seen during the daytime, the commandment of tzitzith is considered time-bound, and therefore not obligatory for women.

  12. Andrew

    The church has recently posted pictures of the garments so I think as long as others do it out of respect and use what the church has published about the garment it would be fine.

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