Not for reasons unknown, a tallit but not a kipa. The tallit is commanded by Torah -- the kipa is a much later development. See, even by instinct, you are a true daughter of Torah.

Here's a riddle for the linguists among us -- how come tallitot (Hebrew, feminine) but taleisim (Yiddish, masculine)? And should it be talit or tallit?

When I became a Bat Mitzvah at the age of 45, (8 yrs. ago) the Rabbi suggested we (a group of 7 women) wear a tallitot only if we thought it would in some way make a difference to our worship. My husband lovingly said, "Find whatever makes you happy."
I wear my tallitot on Shabbat to set myself and my prayer in temple apart from my day to day life. I too feel more spiritually connected to God when I am robed in my tallitot.

I have a worn a small size tallit since my Bar Mitzvah, but will soon use a full size tallit as the chuppah at my wedding and will begin wearing that tallit afterwords. I've been wearing the small tallit for nearly 12 years and I think very little about it when I don it. Check in with me in a few weeks to see how I feel wearing my new tallit.

What about teffilin?

Larry:
I would spell it 'tallit' with two 'L's. The Hebrew spelling, טַלִּית, includes a dot, specifically a dageish chazak, in the Lamed. This indicates that the Lamed should actually be doubled. So we do the same in English.

Mary:
No prohibition. In the last paragraph of the Sh'ma/V'ahavta, we are commanded to "look at them [the tzittzit/fringes]" (Numbers 15:39). The Rabbis conclude that we are required to wear the tallit during daylight hours so that we can see the fringes in natural light. Customarily, the tallit is worn during morning services so that it would be worn during the recitation of Sh'ma/V'ahavta; however, anytime during daylight hours is great. In fact on Tisha B'Av, we do not wear our tallitot until the afternoon service. And, just to show that our tradition is loaded with inconcistancies, we also wear our tallitot during the Kol Nidrei service on the evening of Yom Kippur.

Wearing a kippa or tallit strikes me as superficial and regressive. Dressing as modern Americans in temple or outside it has been a hallmark of Reform Judaism. The rejection of the old world prayer costume by the founders and great leaders of our faith, was symbolic that Reform Judaism is a prophetic faith in which ethical living, not outdated, foreign customs and ritual, is central to our values.
I feel put off by those who would come into a temple with a kippa, for they reject the essential liberal aspects of our religion. In fact, I see many people who use a kippa or tallit as a substitute for ethical behavior. Some people would rather look religious than act religious. But is seems to me that there is an inverse correlation.

To M.B.

Wow... if there was ever a more self-righteous statement than what you wrote, i have yet to see it. If i may ask, who are you to decide what is 'outdated'? And how can you make such a blanket statement as to assume that those who wear a Kippah or Tallit are automatically trying to 'look religious' and therefore they don't 'act religious'? What kind of statement is that to make? If you are so tightly wound as to actually be PUT OFF by someone wearing a kippah or tallit, perhaps you may need to re-evaluate where your attention lies while in Shul. Are you really more concerned with someone wearing a kippah than your prayers while at services? For real? I mean, wow....