A tallis is love.
It is one of the few mitzvos that encompasses nearly the entire body. Each morning, it wraps around me like an embrace—just me and Hashem, hidden away from the world for a few sacred moments.
It carries memories of huddling with my siblings beneath my father’s, sheyichyeh, tallis during Birkas Kohanim, pressed together, the warmth and love almost tangible in the crowded shul. It’s a moment of holiness and family intertwined, a treasured experience that I now have the privilege of sharing with my own children.
I kiss the tzitzis of the tallis, their strings reminding me of the 613 opportunities we are given to weave holiness into everyday life.
This is the tallis I began wearing after I married my incredible eishes chayil. It is the tallis I wrapped around my sons as I carried them to cheder after their upsherin, introducing them to the warmth and joy of Jewish life.
I roll my tallis in the Rebbe’s style – black in the front, white in the back – carrying the minhagim of his father, and his father-in-law. In that simple act, a quiet hiskashrus settles in, a feeling of connection and holiness.
The tallis does more than cover me; it uplifts me. It becomes royal garments as I prepare to approach the King.
The tallis is a hug, wrapping me as I prepare myself to express my love to my Father in Heaven.