04-09-2009, 07:59 AM
(This post was last modified: 04-09-2009, 08:14 AM by Director Michael.)
BS"D
Rabbi Moshe Weiner, author of "Sefer Sheva Mitzvot HaShem" and its translation, "The Divine Code," submitted the following guidance for our forum:
-----from Rabbi Moshe Weiner, Jerusalem:
Even if one has the opinion that a special garment for prayer is logical, as part of making prayer additionally special, adding tzizit fringes or something similar in appearance for Noahides would be an imitation of the Jewish mitzva, which relates to the shape of the garment (four corners) and is independent of prayer.
A beautiful garment of any size, color, any type of corners, without any tzizit fringes at all would be more appropriate than one with some type of tzizit fringes.
Just rounding one or more corners of a four-cornered shawl and adding fringes to the corners is only a minor change to the Jewish tallit, and misses the point that one should not make up new commandments for one's self.
If a Noahide were to go ahead and do so anyway, he should not say any blessing, or even attach any prayer to putting it on, since this would turn the wearing of the garment into an issue in its own right. The whole reason claimed for desiring to put on a prayer shawl is to assist in a Noahide's concentration in prayer, and no further religious rationals could be accepted.
If a Noahide wears a prayer shawl without tzizit-like fringes at all, then he is not imitating the Jewish mitzva. But Rabbi Shochet brought up another concern - a Noahide man who wears one might be mistaken for a Jew. In a synagogue, people don’t know of such a concept of inspecting other's tzizit fringes to see if they are tied in a Jewish style or otherwise. But if it would be a different type of garment - not like a Jewish tallis - then that wouldn’t be a problem either. *Nevertheless,* the general attitude of R. Shochet (which follows the rule explicitely given in the book "The Divine Code," Volume 1) is that a garment that looks generally like a tallis is not for Noahides.
Rabbi Moshe Weiner, author of "Sefer Sheva Mitzvot HaShem" and its translation, "The Divine Code," submitted the following guidance for our forum:
-----from Rabbi Moshe Weiner, Jerusalem:
Even if one has the opinion that a special garment for prayer is logical, as part of making prayer additionally special, adding tzizit fringes or something similar in appearance for Noahides would be an imitation of the Jewish mitzva, which relates to the shape of the garment (four corners) and is independent of prayer.
A beautiful garment of any size, color, any type of corners, without any tzizit fringes at all would be more appropriate than one with some type of tzizit fringes.
Just rounding one or more corners of a four-cornered shawl and adding fringes to the corners is only a minor change to the Jewish tallit, and misses the point that one should not make up new commandments for one's self.
If a Noahide were to go ahead and do so anyway, he should not say any blessing, or even attach any prayer to putting it on, since this would turn the wearing of the garment into an issue in its own right. The whole reason claimed for desiring to put on a prayer shawl is to assist in a Noahide's concentration in prayer, and no further religious rationals could be accepted.
If a Noahide wears a prayer shawl without tzizit-like fringes at all, then he is not imitating the Jewish mitzva. But Rabbi Shochet brought up another concern - a Noahide man who wears one might be mistaken for a Jew. In a synagogue, people don’t know of such a concept of inspecting other's tzizit fringes to see if they are tied in a Jewish style or otherwise. But if it would be a different type of garment - not like a Jewish tallis - then that wouldn’t be a problem either. *Nevertheless,* the general attitude of R. Shochet (which follows the rule explicitely given in the book "The Divine Code," Volume 1) is that a garment that looks generally like a tallis is not for Noahides.