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Article: Jewish prayer shawl carries historical and family associations.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
- Article from:
- Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service
- Article date:
- August 23, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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PHILADELPHIA _ "As we wrap up in our tallitot (prayer shawls), we visualize the "tallit as pure light. Hold it over your head, and feel the light pour down through your body."
That is from a meditation in "For All Who Call, a new prayer manual from the Melton Research Center for Jewish Education. The book devotes several meditations to this common ritual item, the fringed "tallit that adult Jews wear on their shoulders at synagogue services.
Another meditation urges people to think of the shawl "as a kind of blankie for adults. It reminds us of the aspects of the natural world that protect and nourish us."
Observant Jews might blush at the ...