Topics Page: Tzitzit

(38) Speak to the Israelite people and instruct them to make for themselves fringes on the corners of their garments throughout the ages; let them attach a cord of blue to the fringe at each corner. (39) That shall be your fringe; look at it and recall all the commandments of יהוה and observe them, so that you do not follow your heart and eyes in your lustful urge. (40) Thus you shall be reminded to observe all My commandments and to be holy to your God. (41) I יהוה am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I, your God יהוה.

(1) 24. Even though a person is only obligated to purchase a four cornered tallit in order to obligate himself for tzitzit, precisely where he wishes to be covered with a tallit of four corners, he is liable to put tzitzit on it. In any case, it is well and right for every person to take care and hasten in regard to the mitzvah of tzitzit, that he will have a small fringed garment which he will wear all day, for the essence of its mitzvah is in remembering the mitzvot, and in every hour and in every moment he therefore requires a physical representation of the thing, like a person who cautions his fellow about one matter, where he ties a knot on his belt in order that he remember it. Accordingly, there are five knots, corresponding to the five books of the Torah, and four corner pieces, where for every side to which he turns, he will remember. And greater is the punishment at this time for one who nullifies than what the punishment was at the time when the teheilet was in existence, for at that time it was not so easy to find, and not every one was able to pursue it, which is not so now. Even one who is not able to wrap himself the entire day needs to take care with it at the time of prayer. The Ba’al HaItur wrote: "As for those who gather up the tzitzit at the time of the recitation of the Shema and place (them) on the eyes, it is possible that they are accustomed to do so because of "You shall see them," on account of them being under his garments. Great is the mitzvah of tzitzit, for it is weighed against all of the mitzvot, as "You shall see it and you shall remember all the mitzvot of the Lord" is written. ‘Tzitzit’ adds up to six hundred, and eight threads and five knots are thirteen, which is six hundred and thirteen. Even though it is written lacking a ‘yud,’ he explains in the Tanhuma: "Three times ‘tzitzit’ is written in the section concerning tzitzit, yet one of them is ‘l’tzitzit,’ whereby ‘l’ (thirty) is sufficient for all of them, and it fills out the counting." Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai says: Anyone who had taken care concerning the mitzvah of tzitzit is well accounted, and sees the face of the Shekhinah. Here "You shall see it" is written and elsewhere "(The face) of the Lord your God (shall be seen)," you shall see and Him shall you serve. Resh Lakish said: Anyone who had taken care concerning the mitzvah of tzitzit is well accounted, for two thousand eight hundred servants shall attend him, as "Ten men from nations of every tongue will take hold – they will take hold of every Jew by a corner of his cloak" is stated. And of anyone who nullifies the mitzvah of tzitzit is said "So that it seizes the corners of the earth, etc." "At every moment, let your clothes be white," this is the mitzvah of tzitzit; "and your head never lack ointment," this is the mitzvah of tefillin. Rabbi Eleazar ben Yakov says: One who has tefillin on his head and on his arm, and a mezuzah on his entrance and tzitzit on his garment is assured that he will not sin, as "A threefold cord is not readily broken" is stated. And it states: "The angel of the Lord camps around those who fear Him and rescues them."

It is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Natan says: There is no mitzva, however minor, that is written in the Torah, for which there is no reward given in this world; and in the World-to-Come I do not know how much reward is given. Go and learn from the following incident concerning the mitzva of ritual fringes. There was an incident involving a certain man who was diligent about the mitzva of ritual fringes. This man heard that there was a prostitute in one of the cities overseas who took four hundred gold coins as her payment. He sent her four hundred gold coins and fixed a time to meet with her. When his time came, he came and sat at the entrance to her house. The maidservant of that prostitute entered and said to her: That man who sent you four hundred gold coins came and sat at the entrance. She said: Let him enter. He entered. She arranged seven beds for him, six of silver and one of gold. Between each and every one of them there was a ladder made of silver, and the top bed was the one that was made of gold. She went up and sat naked on the top bed, and he too went up in order to sit naked facing her. In the meantime, his four ritual fringes came and slapped him on his face. He dropped down and sat himself on the ground, and she also dropped down and sat on the ground. She said to him: I take an oath by the gappa of Rome that I will not allow you to go until you tell me what defect you saw in me. He said to her: I take an oath by the Temple service that I never saw a woman as beautiful as you. But there is one mitzva that the Lord, our God, commanded us, and its name is ritual fringes, and in the passage where it is commanded, it is written twice: “I am the Lord your God” (Numbers 15:41). The doubling of this phrase indicates: I am the one who will punish those who transgress My mitzvot, and I am the one who will reward those who fulfill them. Now, said the man, the four sets of ritual fringes appeared to me as if they were four witnesses who will testify against me. She said to him: I will not allow you to go until you tell me: What is your name, and what is the name of your city, and what is the name of your teacher, and what is the name of the study hall in which you studied Torah? He wrote the information and placed it in her hand. She arose and divided all of her property, giving one-third as a bribe to the government, one-third to the poor, and she took one-third with her in her possession, in addition to those beds of gold and silver. She came to the study hall of Rabbi Ḥiyya and said to him: My teacher, instruct your students concerning me and have them make me a convert. Rabbi Ḥiyya said to her: My daughter, perhaps you set your sights on one of the students and that is why you want to convert? She took the note the student had given her from her hand and gave it to Rabbi Ḥiyya. He said to her: Go take possession of your purchase. Those beds that she had arranged for him in a prohibited fashion, she now arranged for him in a permitted fashion. The Gemara completes its point about the reward of mitzvot and points out how this story illustrates the concept: This is the reward given to him in this world, and with regard to the World-to-Come, I do not know how much reward he will be given. § Rav Yehuda says: In the case of a borrowed cloak, for the first thirty days it is exempt from ritual fringes; from then on it is obligated.

(3) (Shemoth 28:31): "And you shall make the me'il of the ephod [i.e., belted by the ephod] entirely of blue wool [tcheleth]." It would seem that tcheleth was necessary because of what our sages of blessed memory have said about tzitzith (Menachoth 89a), that tcheleth is reminiscent of [the color of] the sea; the sea, of the firmament; and the firmament, of the Throne of Glory. That is, he shall remember thereby that he will come before the Throne of Glory. Similarly, in our instance. It is stated in Tanna d'bei Eliyahu, that the lashon hara that one speaks ascends opposite the Throne of Glory, as it is written (Psalms 73a): "They have placed their mouths in the skies, and their tongue walks the earth." Since he is clothed in tcheleth, he will remember and reflect upon whither his words ascend, and he will guard himself against this.

(8) A person is permitted to wear tzitzit at night, both during the weekdays and on the Sabbath, even though this is not the time when the mitzvah should be fulfilled, provided he does not recite a blessing.When should the blessing over tzitzit be recited in the morning? When [the sun has risen so] that one can differentiate between the strands of techelet and those which are white.Which blessing should be recited upon it? "Blessed are you, God, our Lord, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to wrap ourselves with tzitzit." Whenever a person wraps himself in tzitzit during the day, he should recite the blessing before doing so.No blessing should be recited on the tzitzit when making them, because the ultimate purpose of the mitzvah is that one should wrap oneself in [a tallit].

(1) The [fringe] strings have to be spun for their purpose.Rem"a: Some authorities are stringent to even comb them for their purpose. And the custom is to be lenient regarding combing. (Mordechai; Agudah, Section 23)[The spinner] should say at the start of the spinning that he is doing it for the purpose of fringes. Or he should say to a woman [who doing the spinning] "spin me fringes for a shawl." And if the strings were not spun for their purpose, they are unfit.

(1) R. Joshua of Sikhnin said in the name of R. Levi, “There are four things that the evil drive would refute [as irrational], and for each of them is written [the word,] huqqah (i.e., an unquestioned statute). Now these concern the following: (1) the nakedness of a brother's wife, (2) diverse kinds, (3) the scapegoat, and (4) the red heifer.” In regard to the nakedness of a brother's wife, it is written (in Lev. 18:16), “You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife”; [yet if the brother] dies without children [it is written] (in Deut. 25:5), “her brother-in-law shall have sexual intercourse with her [and take her for a wife].” And it is written about the sexual prohibitions (in Lev. 18:5), “And you shall keep [all] My unquestioned statutes [...].” In regard to diverse kinds, it is written (in Deut. 22:11), “You shall not wear interwoven stuff, [wool and flax together]”; yet a linen cloak with [wool] tassels is permitted. And for [this commandment also] it is written, [that it is] an unquestioned statute. [Thus it is written (in Lev. 19:19),] “You shall keep My unquestioned statute. You shall not mate your cattle with a different kind…, [nor shall you wear a garment with diverse kinds of interwoven stuff].” In regard to the scapegoat, it is written (in Lev. 16:26), “And the one who sets the azazel-goat free shall wash his clothes”; yet it is [the goat] itself that atones for others. And for [this commandment also] it is written (in Lev. 16:34), “And this shall be to you an unquestioned statute forever.” In regard to the red heifer, where is it shown? Since we are taught (in Parah 4:4), “All engaged with the [rite of the red] heifer from beginning to end render [their] garments unclean”; yet it is [the heifer] itself that purifies [what is] unclean. And for [this commandment also] it is written, [that it is] an unquestioned statute. Thus it is written (in Numb. 19:2), “This is an unquestioned statute of the Torah.”

Ẓizith [of a ṭallith used as a shroud] upon a corpse should not be undone. Abba Saul b. Boṭhnith said, ‘My father told me, “When I die, undo the zizith [in my ṭallith] because they come within the category of holiness”‘. The Sages said: It does not come within the category of holiness, so one may use it as a shroud for the dead or as a pack-saddle for an ass.

(3) 3 (Numb. 16:1) “Now Korah […] took”: What is written above the matter (in Numb. 15:38)? “Speak unto the Children of Israel and tell them to make tassels (zizit) for themselves.’” Korah quickly said to Moses, “In the case of a prayer shawl (tallit) which is all blue, what is the rule about it being exempt from [having] the tassel?” Moses said to him, “[Such a prayer shawl] is required to have the tassels.” Korah said to him, “Would not a prayer shawl which is all blue exempt itself, when four [blue] threads exempt it? In the case of a house which is full of [scriptural] books, what is the rule about it being exempt it from [having] the mezuzah (which contains only two passages of scripture)?” [Moses] said to him, “[Such a house] is required to have the mezuzah.” [Korah] said to him, “Since the whole Torah has two hundred and seventy-five parashiot in it and they do not exempt the house [from having the mezuzah], would the one parasha which is in the mezuzah exempt the house?” [He also] said to him, “These are things about which you have not been commanded. Rather you are inventing them [by taking them] out of your own heart.” Here is what is written (in Numb. 16:1), “Now Korah […] took.” (Numb. 16:1) “Now Korah […] took”: Now “took (rt.: lqh)” can only be a word of discord, in that his heart carried him away (rt.: lqh). Thus is [the word] used (in Job 15:12), “How your heart has carried you away (rt.: lqh) […].” This explains what Moses said to them (in Numb. 16:9), “Is it too small a thing for you that the God of Israel has separated [you from the congregation to draw you near unto Himself, to perform the service of the Lord's tabernacle …]?” The sages have said, “Korah was a great sage and was one of the bearers of the ark, as stated (in Numb. 7:9), ‘But to the children of Kohath He gave no [wagons], because they had the service of the holy objects, which they carried on their shoulders.’” Now Korah was the son of Izhar, [who was] the son of Kohath. When Moses said (in Numb. 15:38), “And put on the tassel of each corner a thread of blue,” what did Korah do? He immediately ordered them to make two hundred and fifty blue shawls for those two hundred and fifty heads of sanhedraot who rose up against Moses to wrap themselves in, just as it is stated (in Numb. 16:2), “And they rose up against Moses, together with two hundred and fifty men from the children of Israel, princes of the congregation, chosen in the assembly.” Korah arose and made them a banquet at which they all wrapped themselves in blue prayer shawls. [When] Aaron's sons came to receive their dues, [namely the] breast and right thigh, they arose against them and said to them, “Who commanded you to receive such? Was it not Moses? [If so,] we shall not give you anything, as the Holy One, blessed be He, has not commanded it.” They came and informed Moses. He went to placate them. They immediately confronted him, as stated (ibid.), “And they rose up against Moses.” And who were they? Elizur ben Shedeur and his companions (the princes), the men (according to Numb. 1:17) “who were mentioned by name.” Although the text has not publicized their [names], it has given clues to their [identity], so that you [can] identify them from the [various] verses. A parable: To what is the matter comparable? To a scion of good parentage who stole articles from the bathhouse. The owner of what was stolen did not want to publish his [name. Rather,] he began to give clues about his [identity]. When they said to him, “Who stole your articles,” he said, “A scion of good parentage, a tall person with beautiful teeth and black hair.” After he had given his clues, they knew who he was. So also here where the text has concealed them and not specified their names, it comes and gives clues to their [identity]. You know who they are. It is stated elsewhere (in Numb. 1:16-17), “These were elected by the congregation, princes of their ancestral tribes, heads of thousands within Israel. So Moses and Aaron took these men who were mentioned by name.” Now here it is written (in Numb. 16:2-3), “princes of the congregation, elected by the assembly, men of renown. They gathered together against Moses and Aaron.”

(1) ויקח שם ויפת AND SHEM AND JAPHETH TOOK — (literally, “And Shem took and Japheth”) It is not written here ויקחו ‘‘And they took”, but ויקח “And he took”, in order to teach regarding Shem that he devoted himself to this duty with more eagerness than Japheth. Therefore have Shem’s sons received the privilege of wearing the cloak that has fringes, and the sons of Japheth were privileged to receive honorable burial, as it is said, (Ezekiel 39:11) “I will give unto Gog (a descendant of Japheth) a place fit for burial [in Israel]”. But as for Ham who despised his father — of his descendants it is said (Isaiah 20:4) “So shall the king of Assyria lead away the captives of Egypt, and the exiles of Ethiopia (these were peopled by the children of Ham) young and old, naked and barefoot and with buttocks uncovered etc.” (Genesis Rabbah 36:6 and Tanchuma 1:2:15). (2) ופניהם אחורנית AND THEIR FACES WERE BACKWARD — Wherefore is it written a second time (that they turned themselves backward)? It is to tell us that when they came near to him and it was necessary for them to turn round in order to cover him they kept their faces turned away (Genesis Rabbah 36:6).