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announced who Shira was.
At her bat mitzvah, Shira read from
a Torah that belonged to our family in
India. Its wooden case is painted light
blue, ornamented with silver. The
Torah was dedicated in 1888 to the
Maghen David Synagogue in Calcutta
by Shira's great-great-great-grand
uncle, Yitzhak Sasson Musleah.
It's said that the color of the Torah
matched the blue of his eyes — a rare
color for someone of Baghdadi ances-
try. I'm sure Yitzhak Sasson wouldn't
have dreamt that one day, his great-
great-great-grand niece would be read-
ing from this Torah, and that its color
would match her tallit.
But that's what continuity is all
about, keeping traditions alive so they -
have meaning for us.

"If I come to the
Shema and I don't
have my tallit on,
it feels weird."

— Loen Amer

I have since thought a lot about the
making and wearing of tallitot. "It's
important for girls to wear a tallit,"
Shira says. "It's not like old times
when men get to be closer to God
than women. Everyone complains
women aren't equal to men, but we
have to do something about it."
And, she adds, "When I wear my
own tallit, it's unique, and I like to be
thought of as unique."
In school, Shira had studied the
Conservative movement's stance on
tallitot. Its permissibility in Jewish law
hinges on the rabbinic concept that
exempts women from positive com-
mandments done at a precise time. It
is acceptable in Conservative and
Reform circles if a woman chooses to
take on those obligations.

Men Vs. Women

Though the perception of a tallit as a
man's garment prohibited to women is
another objection, that is not the cru-
cial halachic (Jewish law) issue. As I
talked to friends, I found that the tallit
has become a creative personal expres-
sion that deepens the mitzvah of

prayer, a symbol of continuity with a
twist on tradition.
Its handmade feel — whether one is
a skilled craftsperson or not — stitches
together love, sacredness, tradition,
modernity, self and community.
"It's a mitzvah you can do complete-
ly: make it, wear it, and ensure that it
is kosher yourself," says Bev Fox,
teacher and assistant principal at
Solomon Schechter Day School in
Northbrook, Ill., who taught Flora
and other friends how to make a tallit.
Fox had wanted a tallit for a long
time, but it took the impetus of her
daughter Deena's bat mitzvah seven
years ago to motivate her to make her
own white wool tallit, following the
directions in The Jewish Catalog.
"It's important to have a role
model," Flora says.
When she first began wearing her
tallit, she was self-conscious. But that
feeling quickly passed. "Making my
own tallit has made my commitment
to the mitzvah of tallit more accessi-
ble. Wearing it reminds you to pay
attention to what you're saying when
you pray."
She notes that the when parents
make tallitot for their children, the
process strengthens the bond between
them. "All the attention, time and
effort you put into it makes them feel
important."
Another friend and school librarian,
Fran Katz, made her tallit at the same
time her daughter Eliana made hers.
The bat mitzvah marked a milestone
for Fran, too: "It was an appropriate
time for me to take on the mitzvot of
tallit and kippah," Fran Katz says.
"With my children officially Jewish
adults, I was now responsible for
myself."
Katz's tallit reflects her view that
"Judaism demands a woman's voice
with a different ring." Its white satiny
fabric, bordered with stripes of lace
and blue ribbon, symbolizes that femi-
nine — not feminist — aspect.
"Every time I put it on, it's like ,
dressing myself in tradition," she says,
albeit a new tradition for women.

A loving way to celebrate a simcha...
A meaningful way to help people with disabilities.

• Present each guest with a JARC Tribute
• Use personalized JARC place cards
• Request charitable contributions in lieu of gifts
• Create useful centerpieces and donate them to JARC
• Sponsor a JARC Shabbat dinner or
party in honor of your guests
• Your own idea – we love to create new opportunities!

JARC can help make your celebration more meaningful

For more information, call Rena Friedberg
at 248-538-6610, ext.314

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30301 Northwestern Highway
Farmington Hills, MI 48334
jarc@jarc.org • www.jarc.org

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Generational Link

For Meira Shapiro Saks, creating a tallit
for her son Ari's bar mitzvah enabled
her to simultaneously honor her father's
memory. She removed the atarah and
Dwir STICHES on page 40

Oliverio's
Entrees are now
at Hello Deli
& Strawberry
Hill Market

3/15
2002

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