Garment of Glory
1. The Jewish talit has come to be known today as the "garment of glory" for good reason. God Himself designed it as an object lesson to be worn everyday, by every person in Israel.
2. Originally the talit was just everyday clothing. A man's talit could be made from a single piece of cloth about 2 1/2 feet wide and 6 or 7 feet long. After a hole had been cut in the middle for the head, the robe was complete. All that remained was for the garment to be tied around the waist with a belt or sash of some sort. In the winter the talit was an outer garment. During summer months it was worn with only the underwear underneath. In winter the talit could be removed and hung across the shoulders like a shawl, or mantle. People also slept in their talit. In fact, it was against Mosaic law to take a man's talit because that was his covering at night. (Exodus 22:26-27)
3. But God gave a commandment that changed the talit from ordinary, everyday clothing into a garment of glory.
Speak to the children of Israel: Tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put (give) a blue thread in the tassels of the corners. And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them, and that you may not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined, and that you may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for your God. Numbers 15:38-40
4. Notice that God commanded them to "give" a blue thread to the tassels. The blue thread came to be known as the "servant" thread. We shall see why.
5. The tassels were meant to remind the people of all of God's laws, so they invented a way of tying them for that purpose. Traditionally, they say there are 613 commandments written in the Law of Moses. So they tied the tassels in knots according to an alphabetic code that would remind them of those 613 laws. The Hebrew word "talit" numbers 600 according to the code. So the 8 strands of the tassels were tied in 5 double knots, making the total number 613!
6. Between the double knots the blue servant thread was wrapped around the other strands 7,8,11, and 13 times. This was alphabetic code for the "Shema" found in Deuteronomy 6:4-5 "Hear O Israel, The Lord our God, the Lord is one! And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength!" The people of Israel felt that the "Shema" summed up the whole Law of God.
7. But there is more: 7,8,11, and 13 adds up to 39 - which is the total number of books in the Old Testament! The tassels on the corners of the talit were tied very cleverly indeed! Anyone in Israel looking at them would be reminded of all of God's laws. 39 is also the number of Jesus' stripes by which we were healed.
8. The Pharisees actually taught that if everyone in Israel could keep all the laws of God perfectly for one Sabbath, the Messiah would come.
9. Some Jews also felt that if anyone could keep all of God's laws perfectly, without ever breaking any - he would be the Messiah!
10. The corners of the talit (where the "tsitsit" tassels were tied) were called kanfot. That same word, "kanfot", is also translated into English as "wings." There was a prophecy in the Old Testament about the "wings" of the Messiah.
But unto you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings. Malachi 4:2
note: (See also Ruth 2:12)
11. The woman with the issue of blood, obviously believed that Jesus was the Messiah! Since that was her belief, she felt that if she could just touch the corners (wings), of His talit (where the tassels were tied), she would be healed.
12. She was correct! She touched a corner of Jesus' talit and was instantly healed. This sparked a huge change in the land of Israel for...
Whenever He entered into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem (tsitsit0 of His garment (talit). And as many as touched Him were made well. Mark 6:56