ומאי ניהו ארץ שנחצבה ממנו שמים והוא כסאו של הקב"ה, והוא אבן יקרה, והוא ים החכמה וכנגדה תכלת בציצית, דאמר ר' מאיר מה נשתנה תכלת מכל מיני צבעונין מפני שהתכלת דומה לים וים דומה לרקיע ורקיע דומה לכסא הכבוד שנאמר (שמות כ"ד י) ויראו את אלהי ישראל ותחת רגליו כמעשה לבנת הספיר וכעצם השמים לטהר, ואומר (יחזקאל א' כו) כמראה אבן הספיר דמות כסא:
Questions
1) What does t'cheilet evoke for you when you look at it?
2) The particular dye for t'cheilet was lost for many, many years but has now been found (we think). It comes from a particular snail found in the Mediterranean. Why do you think such a rare and difficult to obtain color would be used in the first place to dye one of the tzitzit threads?
וְהָיָ֣ה לָכֶם֮ לְצִיצִת֒ וּרְאִיתֶ֣ם אֹת֗וֹ וּזְכַרְתֶּם֙ אֶת־כָּל־מִצְוֺ֣ת יְהוָ֔ה וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָ֑ם וְלֹֽא־תָתֻ֜רוּ אַחֲרֵ֤י לְבַבְכֶם֙ וְאַחֲרֵ֣י עֵֽינֵיכֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־אַתֶּ֥ם זֹנִ֖ים אַחֲרֵיהֶֽם׃
[The tzitzit will remind one of all the commandments] because the numerical value of the letters of the word tzitzit is six hundred, and there are eight threads and five knots in the fringes, so that you have six hundred and thirteen [which is also the number of the commandments of the Torah].
Rashi on Numbers 15:39
Questions
1) How do the tzitzit remind us of the mitzvot?
2) How is wrapping oneself in a tallit an expressly intentional act?
3) The tallit and tzitzit manifest something spiritual into concrete form. How does this help to guide us in our prayer? Deepen our experience? And make meaning?
The Torah says tzitzit (fringes) rather than tallit (garment or shawl). This is because the garments already existed! The commandment was about the addition of the ritual fringes. The style of dress in Judaism's early days was a wrap of rectangular garments. Over the centuries styles changed, and in many parts of the Jewish world, this commandment and ritual was faced with extinction. The Rabbis of the Talmud (4th - 6th centuries CE) decided to make it a special duty for us to go out of our way to continue wearing four-cornered garments in order to obligate ourselves in this mitzvah. They instituted two different garments for this purpose:
1. The tallit katan (the small tallit, often referred to as the tzitzit or arba kanfot). It is a small rectangular garment with a neck hole in the center and the requisite ritual fringes on the corners. It is worn by some Jews under their regular clothing all day every day.
2. The tallit gadol (the large tallit, often simply referred to as the “tallit”). The tallit is essentially a large rectangular piece of cloth with a ritual knotted woolen fringe added to each of its four corners. It is worn as a shawl, generally only in Synagogue during the morning worship services.
The classic material for a tallit is pure wool. The options are almost endless, though, with so many colors and color combinations to choose from.
According to some interpretations of Jewish law, wool is the only kosher option.
Tallitot are also very popular in acrylic and other synthetic materials. Other modern tallitot can be made from cotton and even pure raw silk.
Just an interesting note that Rabbi Shimon's minority opinion became the one that is most followed in regards to women and the wearing of tzitzit. While the minority opinion is always included in the Talmud, it is not generally the one that is followed.
The Talmud (b. Menachot 40-43 and y. Berakhot 3:3 [6b]; see also Sifrei 115) records that the opinion of the majority of rabbis was that women were obligated to wear tzitzit to the same extent that men were. The Talmud relates that one second-century sage, Rabbi Judah, used to “attach blue-dyed (fringes) to the aprons of the women of his household.” (b. Menachot 43a). Only one second-century rabbi, Rabbi Shimon, was listed as exempting women from the commandment of tzitzit.