Adulthood
f i v e  o b j e c t s

In past times, it was the males who required the provisioning of personal ritual objects. A Jewish woman of tradition would have a special head covering used for Sabbath and in the synagogue, and possibly a prayer book, usually in Yiddish, for use both at home and in synagogue. Her “hope chest” would include a simple white burial garment. The ritual needs of the males were more complex and mostly provided at the time of the Bar Mitzvah. A mature male requires a set of tefillin and a tallit (prayer shawl), usually kept in a set of attractive drawstring bags. A prayer shawl and kippa (skull cap) are worn during prayer, while the kippa is worn by some Jews during all waking hours of the day. It was a lovely Ashkenazi bridal custom for the engaged girl to sew and embroider a tallit bag and a tefillin bag for her betrothed. The orthodox males of some sects also require a fringed garment that is worn over the shirt and under the vest or jacket all of the time.