When I lived in Beitar Illit twenty years ago, I davened Shacharis for about six months in a shul called Kehilas Ashkenaz. In the Mizrach was a big tzaddik and a renowned posek by the name of Binyamin Zilber zt”l. On a few occasions I went to his house to ask him questions, so it was only natural that when I came across the four-volume set of responsa he wrote, Az Nidberu, I came up with the money to buy it. To this day I consult these responsa periodically, and this week I came across an interesting responsum on the meaning of wearing a tallis during tefilah (8, 42).
Way back in 5726 (1966) a chacham in Brooklyn wrote a letter in Hebrew to HaRav Zilber discussing whether you should wear a gartel during tefilah, noting that in Maseches Shabbos 81 we find that Chazal had special attire for tefilah, which is considered preparation in honor of standing before Hashem in prayer (“hikon likras Elokecha“). He goes on to note that we wear a tallis not just to fulfill the mitzvah of tzitzis (which can be accomplished with a tallis katan), but also that wrapping oneself in a special garment (ituf) is part of preparing for prayer.
In his reply, HaRav Zilber explains why the Mishnah Berurah — and even Shulchan Aruch HaRav — does not require a gartel. He then goes on to argue that we do not wear a tallis based on the principle of hikon, but rather hachna’ah (literally, “surrendering oneself”), saying everywhere that ituf is mentioned in the Gemara the meaning behind it is hachna’ah. He cites the Rambam’s description of how the Talmudic Sages would wrap themselves in a tallis to anticipate the arrival of Shabbos (Hil. Shabbos, 30, 2).
Thus the meaning of the tallis is to foster submission or humility or obeisance while standing before G-d during prayer.
He also cites the end of Hilchos Tzitzis where the Rambam writes that strictly speaking one is not required to go out and buy a tallis because the tzitzis are not a requirement incumbent upon the individual himself, but rather if one has a garment that requires tzitzis, only then is he obligated in the mitzvah, i.e. to put tzitzis on the garment. Nevertheless, “a pious man should not exempt himself from this mitzvah but rather should always strive to be wrapped in a garment that requires tzitzis in order to fulfill this mitzvah, and during prayer should be particularly careful in this matter. It’s highly unseemly for talmidei chachamim to pray without being wrapped [in a tallis]” (3, 19).
Note that the Rambam does not mention Shacharis in particular. There is a custom, followed today by a handful of Yemenite Jews here and there (including one in my neighborhood), to wear a tallis for Minchah as well.
HaRav Zilber denies that the Gemara cited by the questioner is based on the principle of hikon, citing a third place where the Rambam mentions ituf, this time Hilchos Tefilah, saying similarly “it is the way of the chachamim and their disciples not to pray unless they are wrapped [in a tallis]” (5, 5). The beginning of this halacha talks about the importance of dressing in a distinguished manner for tefilah, therefore, HaRav Zilber concludes, proper attire and ituf are part of the same din that in prayer one must see oneself as standing before the King.
