The Atarah of the Tallit

Hi,

Many people have the practice of making an Atarah (literally: crown) - lining a segment of the broad side of the Tallit with silver, a special fabric or a special design, marking that side as the external and "Up" side of the Tallit.

The idea behind making an Atarah is that this guarantees that specific corners will always remain the same - the front-right strings will always be in that corner, the front-left in the other front corner, the back-left in their spot and the back-right in their spot. Once you guarantee that a certain side is both external and "Up," this automatically follows.

This is done because of the belief that each corner has a unique type of sanctity, and so the 'inhabitants' of the more elevated corners should not be shifted down from their positions to lesser positions.

Some authorities insist that corner-constancy is not a requirement, and therefore there is no need for an Atarah at all. It's a matter of family and local custom.

(Mishneh Berurah 8:9)

Have a great day,
Mordechai