Line #34 Main/GratuitousUseOfTheTallit


1	[[quoteright:220:[[WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tallit_wrong.png]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:220:In the Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse, not only can you wear a tallit to a funeral, but in a pinch a child's winter scarf is an acceptable substitute.]]
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4	The ''tallit'', (also pronounced ''tallis'' depending on dialect) or Jewish prayer shawl is a religious item worn during prayer by Jewish men in orthodox and traditional circles, and also by women in more liberal Jewish movements.
5
6	The tallit is such a cool, exotic-looking visual shorthand for "Jews Doing Jewish Stuff" that it tends to get used indiscriminately in TV, film, comic books and other visual media, almost always incorrectly.
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8	Many Orthodox Jewish men do wear an undershirt-like garment called the ''tallit katan'' (or "small tallit") at all times to fulfill the Biblical commandment to wear a "fringed garment." But a tallit katan is not a full-fledged tallit, and is not visible except for small fringes which dangle from the beltline.
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10	In most mainstream Jewish denominations and sects, the full tallit is only worn during weekday morning prayers, during morning Sabbath and festival services in synagogue, and on a few other very specific occasions. Even in synagogues, the tallit is only rarely worn during afternoon or evening services (and even then, depending on the denomination, only by the rabbi/cantor performing services), and it's virtually never worn for most other religious observances. In some ultra-Orthodox communities, traditionally a man does not even own a tallit before he is married. (There are some sects that encourage their members to wear the full tallit all day long, but this is a very uncommon practice.)
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12	Contrary to many media portrayals -- and with the marginal sects noted above possibly excepted -- you'd ''never'' see a full tallit worn:
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14	* At a funeral. [[note]]A male corpse is traditionally shrouded with his tallit, but that doesn't exactly count as "wearing".[[/note]]
15	* At a wedding, except by the groom or, in some communities, wrapped around the couple at one point in the ceremony. German Jews historically also had the officiating rabbi wear one.
16	* While lighting Chanukah candles.
17	* During a Passover Seder.
18	* While celebrating Israeli Independence Day or any other secular/culturally Jewish event.
19	* By a rabbi, just because he's a rabbi.
20	* By a cantor, just because he's a cantor, but not leading services (in many Ashkenazi communities).
21	* By an Orthodox Jew, just because he's an Orthodox Jew (marginal sects, again, excepted).
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23	A subtrope of CultureEqualsCostume.
24	----
25	!!Examples:
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27	[[foldercontrol]]
28
29	[[folder:Comic Books]]
30	* In a 1970s ''ComicBook/JusticeLeague'' Chanukah/Christmas story, a man is shown lighting his Chanukah menorah while wearing a tallit.
31	[[/folder]]
32
33	[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
34	* A tallit is worn by a ''plane'' from the fictional "Air Israel" in ''Film/{{Airplane}}''. This is of due to a policy of strict enforcement of RuleOfFunny (said plane also wears a beard and ''payess'').
35	* In ''Film/AustinPowers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'', the Orthodox Jews in the hotel dining room at the beginning are wearing tallit ''while eating''.
36	* Under the influence of drugs, James Franco briefly sports an improvised one in ''Film/ThisIsTheEnd''.
37	[[/folder]]
38
39	[[folder:Live Action TV]]
40	* ''Series/{{Blackadder}}'': The Jumping Jews of Jerusalem.
41	* ''Series/{{Community}}'': Rabbi Chang, brother of hilariously psychopathic Spanish teacher Ben Chang, wears one for absolutely no good reason when visiting Greendale Community College.
42	* ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'': The rabbi officiating at Jean-Ralphio's (fake) funeral dons one.
43	* ''Series/PeakyBlinders'': While Alfie Solomons ''does'' wear it correctly (with only the fringe visible), he wears it at times that are incorrect (the Passover seder in 2.05 amongst them).
44	[[/folder]]
45
46	[[folder:Theatre]]
47	* All of the male characters in ''Theatre/FiddlerOnTheRoof'' wear tallis, or prayer shawls as they call them, because of their tradition. What they should wear, except when praying at certain times or, as noted, possibly by the groom at the wedding is ''tallit katan'', the undershirt-like garment with only the fringes visible.
48	* Many stagings of [[Music/GiuseppeVerdi Verdi]]'s ''Theatre/{{Nabucco}}'', which depicts the exile of the Jews into slavery by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
49	* Justified in-story in ''Ragtime'', in which Tateh wraps his shivering daughter in his large woolen tallit regardless of the religious propriety of doing so.
50	[[/folder]]
51
52	[[folder:Video Games]]
53	* The Pastor's Vestments in ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' consist of an all-black ensemble with a clerical collar and topped off with a sash reminiscent of a Tallit draped across the shoulders. Somewhat justified in that some churches in the Commonwealth open their doors to all faiths, which would ostensibly include both Judaism and Christianity.
54	[[/folder]]
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56	[[folder:Web Original]]
57	* Web animation ''[[https://youtu.be/-evIyrrjTTY?t=2m26s This Land is Mine]]'' shows Jewish immigrants to the holy land wearing Tallit while fighting with Arabs over the land.
58	[[/folder]]
59
60	[[folder:Western Animation]]
61	* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': Upon embracing Lois' freshly uncovered Jewish heritage, Peter naturally overdoes it and starts wearing a tallit, among other things.
62	* Happens a lot in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' Chanukah special.
63	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': This happens on numerous occasions, usually in relation to Krusty. RuleOfFunny even mandated the appearance of a tallit on a Transformer CaptainErsatz.
64	* ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'': In the "Death of Dan Turpin" episode (an homage to Creator/JackKirby), the rabbi or cantor officiating at the funeral is wearing a tallit.
65	* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'': In the flash-forward episodes in which [[spoiler: Cartman]] has converted to Judaism, he's always seen wearing a tallit, even while hanging out at home with his family or meeting up with the guys. [[/folder]]
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67
68	[[folder:Real Life]]
69	* In January 2016, Swedish clothing company H&M got in trouble over marketing a scarf that, in the eyes of some, looked enough like a tallit to be considered blasphemous. Read more [[http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/this-hm-scarf-has-made-some-people-very-angry-for-its-resemblance-to-a-jewish-prayer-shawl--bygu1jdgMne here]].
70	[[/folder]]

Context Main / GratuitousUseOfTheTallit