History Main / GratuitousUseOfTheTallit

[[quoteright:220:[[WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tallit_wrong.png]]]]

* At a funeral.

* 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.

[[folder:VideoGames]]

* ''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:Real Life]]
* 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]].
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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 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.)

[[caption-width-right:220:In the Franchise/{{DCAU}}, not only can you wear a tallit to a funeral, but in a pinch a child's winter scarf is an acceptable substitute.]]

[[quoteright:210:[[WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tallit_wrong_1374.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:210:In the Franchise/{{DCAU}}, not only can you wear a tallit to a funeral, but in a pinch a child's winter scarf is an acceptable substitute.]]

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.

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 synagogue, the tallit is only rarely worn during afternoon or evening 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 which encourage their members to wear the full tallit all day long, but this is a very uncommon practice.)

* In a 1970's ''ComicBook/JusticeLeague'' Chanukah/Christmas story, a man is shown lighting his Chanukah menorah while wearing a tallit.

* At a wedding, except by the groom or, in some denominations, wrapped around the couple at one point in the ceremony.

* While celebrating Israeli Independence Day or any other secular/cultural Jewish event.

* By a cantor, just because he's a cantor.

* 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.