Prayer Shawl for a Wedding (Tallit) is a great gift. Traditional Jewish weddings are always conducted beneath a wedding canopy called a chuppa in hebrew.  The custom of using a prayer shawl as the chuppa dates back to ancient biblical times.  

A prayer shawl, called a tallit in hebrew brings a personalized element to the ceremony. This is especially true when the prayer shawl belonged to the father or grandfather of the bride or groom.  Once the couple is married the prayer shawl becomes a treasured family heirloom that often gets passed down to the next generation to use as their wedding chuppa.

Genarally, there are two distinct types of prayer shawls worn by religious men.  A small sized prayer shawl is referred to as a "tallit katan" meaning small prayer shawl in hebrew.  It is worn by a Jewish male beginning on his third birthday.  He will typically wear it underneath his shirt with the four fringes(tzitzit in hebrew) either exposed or tucked inside of his pants.  The second type of prayer shawl is called "tallit gadol" which is the hebrew term for large prayer shawl.  A religious Jewish man wears the small prayer shawl until he gets married and wears the large prayer shawl once he is married.  A common traditional wedding ritual is that the bride to be buys a prayer shawl as a gift for her future husband's religious use  throughout the rest of his life.  The gifted prayer shawl is first used as their wedding canopy on their special day and is subsequently worn by the husband thereafter.

In order to utilize the large prayer shawl as a chuppa, it must be suspended by four poles by carefully inserting them in through the existing holes at the four corners of the prayer shawl where the fringes are attached.  Each of the four poles or sticks is hand held by members of the wedding party.  Customarily,  the individuals chosen for this honor are unmarried and it is believed that their participation in the ceremony will increase the likelihood that they will find brides to marry in the near future.  The prayer shawl, wedding canopy represents G-d's divine presence signifying the holy sanctity of their marriage.  Jewish weddings are often conducted outdoors to fulfill a Torah mitzvah (law) of being married beneath the heavenly stars.

The chuppa has no walls and is open and accessible from all four sides.  This is symbolic of the hospitable nature of a Jewish home that welcomes others who may come from any direction.  This prayer shawl canopy harkens back to the patriarch Abraham and his wife, matriarch Sarah who together warmly welcomed all into their home.  Also, the design for the chuppah tallit is done in a way that it lacks any furniture or unnecessary ornaments. This is to convey the simplicity of the Jewish family who values love and kind deeds over material possessions.

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The Prayer Shawl for a bar mitzvah is a major part of Jewish culture. For five thousand Years, the Jewish people has strived to uphold the laws of the old testament. These mitzvahs (laws) provide the guidelines necessary to lead a Torah observant lifestyle.

Of all the Jewish rituals and customs prescribed in the bible, the bar-mitzvah is probably the one observance(law) that is most widely recognized amongst all sects of Judaism; reformed, conservative and orthodox Jews all celebrate a Jewish boy's transition into manhood at the age of thirteen. When a boy becomes a bar-mitzvah he receives a prayer shawl (tallit) that he wears when he prays. All prayer shawls have one commonality: each of the prayer shawl's four corners contain the Tzizis (specific fringes with intricate knots). The hebrew word tallit has a numeric value (according to gematria) of 613, representative of the 613 mitzvahs (laws) which are commanded to be performed daily.

The bar-mitzvah boy dons his newly acquired prayer shawl during his ceremony wherein reads the weekly sabbath portion for the entire congregation to hear as well as teaches a related lesson that reflects personal meaning and inspiration. Although the four fringes on each corner of the rectangular prayer shawl are universal; the style, color, design, size and material can vary widely. Those aspects of the prayer shawl are a matter of personal choice and cultural preference.

Black and white striped prayer shawls (tallies) made of wool are the most traditional styles. Cotton, silk, linen or polyester fabrics with multiple colors and artistic designs are more typically seen amongst less conservative Jewish men. The prayer shawl is the most commonly bought gift for a thirteen year old bar-mitzvah boy. It is usually purchased by the boy's parents or grand parents because of its symbolic representation of manhood. The bar-mitzvah boy often assists his elders in choosing the type of prayer shawl he prefers since it is a personal ritual object that he will likely wear throughout his lifetime. Often both sets of the boys grandparents will purchase the prayer shawl together so it will carry their combined sentimental value.

The prayer shawl is the most common bar mitzvah gift since it is a required ritual object in order to accurately perform the ceremony of entering adulthood's responsibilities to ones community. The prayer shawl is commonly bought together with a matching fabric tallit bag that may have the bar mitzvah boy's hebrew name embroidered on. In addition, the prayer shawl is accompanied by a skullcap(yarmulke) that serves to cover the young man's head in reverence for G-d.

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