Can Women Wear a Tallit?

In liberal congregations in which women wear a tallit, a girl would wear a tallit from bat mitzvah age onwards, even if those people come from places where a man would wait until marriage. 

Becoming a bar mitzvah or a bat mitzvah, referring to the person coming of age, means someone is a “son/daughter of the commandments” and that he or she is obligated in Tanakh-based and rabbinic mitzvot (commandments). While many boys will wear the tallit katan (undershirt with tassels) before this point, even in communities where the tallit is worn before marriage - most non-Ashkenazic communities- they still wait until bar mitzvah age.

The orthodox view on this subject is actually somewhat mixed, but this does not mean that things are merely a matter of preference. 

If a woman elects to wear a tallit, she is not even fulfilling a man’s mitzvah of the Tanakh as one doesn’t exist here. Rather, she is donning cloth designed for men, which is crossdressing, a biblical prohibition. This is primarily why most poskim (halachic decisors) do not allow women to wear a tallit even optionally.

Many women find the idea of adopting male-associated items to connect to G-d instead of the ways women have done for millennia would not be feminist in nature either. 

That said, a minority of poskim have allowed women to wear one by choice so long as it is designed for women specifically, and is visibly notable as such. The view here is that since women have begun to wear tallitot, often with uniquely feminine styles, the feminine versions would be an article of women’s clothing without the concern of crossdressing, which we have discussed here:

An orthodox woman can ask her rabbi what the local customs might dictate, but even if she does not wear one, there are no shortage of ways for her to connect with G-d through countless mitzvot, as well as learning Torah and participating in the local Jewish community.

Many non-Orthodox people have completely different approaches to the tallit on everyone. Many do not see tzitzit or the tallit as incumbent upon men to wear in a synagogue or anywhere else. Rather, for men and for women, this is a means of connecting to a long history that Jews have worn in synagogues throughout history, and even on their normal four-cornered clothes in our ancient culture. 

For many women now, this is viewed as a way to connect deeper to G-d using traditional Judaica, and would like to see the obligation of mitzvot as ubiquitous for anyone. It is also going to add to one’s mindfulness while engaged in prayer, by literally draping a piece of traditional Jewish garb. Many also do not see the mitzvot as applicable, and are therefore not concerned with the prohibition of crossdressing. In such communities where fulfilling mitzvot is deemphasized, public mitzvot like ones associated with a synagogue come to take extra prominence. 

Historically in the Reform movement, the first non-orthodox one, neither men nor women wore a tallit or used other iconic Judaica items like tefillin, as those were viewed as outdated. Many groups are reintroducing these traditional items so that congregants might connect more to their long legacy.

No community would force a woman to wear a woman's tallit, though some do have traditions of a bat mitzvah tallit. Whether that girl’s tallit is just for the occasion or she prays in it daily is a personal choice. This should not be worn as a stunt or a political statement, rather the women’s tallit should be worn as a way to connect more deeply to G-d and the other mitzvot.

Ultimately, while there are going to be many differing approaches to this subject, being considerate is key.

Many Jewish artists around the world have started making unique designs for this growing demand, and a wide range of women’s tallit styles have emerged, some plain and some with intricate Jewish imagery. 

If you would like to look for a women's tallit for yourself or for a girl coming of age, check out our Israeli-designed tallit selection here.