
Tzitzit and Tallit Making Program
OVERVIEW:
Nothing says summertime like friendship bracelet making! This summer, turn your friendship bracelet making skills into a spiritual practice as you learn to tie your own tzitzit! In this program participants will learn about the practice and spiritual significance of tying tzitzit and then have the opportunity to make their own tallit (prayer shawl) with their own hand tied tzitzit.
Note: Materials for this program are expensive so have guests RSVP to get an accurate headcount for supplies. And don’t forget to apply for the Jewish Culture and Holiday grant and the Jewish Learning grant to help cover supply costs. Be in touch with your Jewish Life Specialist if you think you’ll need additional funds for this program beyond those two grants.
MATERIALS:
● Printed copies of the Tzitzit and Tallit Making Source Sheet
● Multiple packets of Tzitzit Strings
● Fabric(s) for tallit
● Needles and thread
● Embroidery Thread
● Embroidery Hoops
● Pins/Safety Pins
● Scissors
● Ribbon
● Speaker and device for streaming music
PROGRAM OUTLINE: (~1hr 30min)
● Welcome and Framing (10 min)
● Group Text Learning (20 min)
● Tzitzit Tying and Tallit Making (60 min)
PROGRAM DETAILS:
Beginning – Welcome and Framing (10 min)
● Welcome everyone and thank them for coming.
● Consider having some snacks or drinks for people to enjoy as they learn and make their tallitot and tzitzit.
● Explain the order of the program:
○ Example of what you could say:
■ Today we are going to level up our friendship bracelet making skills by turning it into a spiritual, Jewishly-rooted, practice. We are going to learn about the practice and spiritual significance of tying tzitzit and then each of us will have the opportunity to make our own tallit (prayer shawl) with our own hand tied tzitzit.
Middle – Group Text Learning (20 min)
● Learn through the Tzitzit and Tallit Making Source Sheet
○ You may choose to learn the source sheet as a full group or split up into learning pairs of two also known as chevruta. Alternatively, you could split the group into two smaller groups and divide up the sources on the page. Then come back together to have each group share what they learned/discussed.
End – Tzitzit Tying and Tallit Making (60 min)
● Put on some music and offer participants time to choose, cut, sew, embroider, etc. their tallit fabric and tie their own tzitzit!
● The source sheet can serve as a guiding tool for tying the tzitzit.
● Alternatively, please find a few videos/articles that also articulate how to tie tzitzit and make a tallit.
○ How to Tie Tzitzit – a quick tutorial with Rabbi Esther
○ How to Tie Your Own Tzitzit – My Jewish Learning
○ Making your Own Ritual Objects – My Jewish Learning
○ How to make your own tallit – Sew Jewish (this one heavily relies on a sewing machine which is not required.)
● Additionally if you want to finish the hole through which the tzitzit will go so the fabric doesn’t fray, watch this video on how to sew a button hole by hand.
● If participants finish their tallit at the event invite them to say the blessing and try on their new tallit for the first time!
○ How to say the blessing over the tallit – My Jewish Learning