Tzitzit

Tzitzit

Tzitzis
Halakhic texts relating to this article
Torah:	Numbers 15:38 and Deuteronomy 22:12
Babylonian Talmud:	Menachos 39-42
Mishneh Torah:	Ahavah (Love): Tzitzit
Shulchan Aruch:	Orach Chayim 8-25

Tzitzit (

Etymology

The word may derive from the Hebrew root נ-צ-ה‎ [n-ts-h].^[1] Tzitzit shares this root with the Hebrew for 'lock of hair'. For example, in the Book of Ezekiel an angel grabs the prophet "by the tzitzit of [his] head;" he could be said to be "dragged by his hair."^[2]

A popular etymological interpretation of tzitzit derives from another word which shares this root. Nitzah (נִצָּה‎ 'budding flower') may once have referred to floral ornamentation on clothing. One can hear distinct similarities with contemporaneous Akkadian clothing vocabulary: sisiktu ('thread', 'edge', 'loom') or tsitstsatu (a floral ornamentation).^[3] This hypothesis is supported by the fact that the custom of making fringes from extending the threads of embroidery was common in the ancient Near East as the means of strengthening the fabric. The further analyses of the antique iconography suggest that apart from this pragmatic purpose the tassels could also decorate the cloth and as such be a marker of the social status: the more elaborate and elegant the fringes, the higher the position of the owner. In addition to this and given the unique nature of each of the tassels it could also be used as a personal "signet" for sealing documents.^[4] This data has led the scholars to assume that the practice itself is of very ancient origins and evolved into Jewish ritual clothing where it was invested with religious meaning.^[5]

The ending -it is the feminine adjectival suffix, used here to form a feminine singular noun. In the

Torah sources

The

Hashem said to Moses as follows: Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them [that they must] make for themselves tzitzit upon the corners of the clothes for generations, and on the tzitzit give a string of techelet. And they shall have for themselves tzitzit and they will see them and they will remember all of the commandments of Hashem and they will do them, and they will not stray after their hearts and eyes so that they shall not pursue after them. So that they will remember and adhere to all of my commandments and will remain holy to their God. I am Hashem your God who took you out of the land of Egypt to be for you a God. I am Hashem your God.

— Numbers 15:37-41, Sefaria Community Translation^[7]

You shall make tassels on the four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself.

— 

Deuteronomy 22:12, Sefaria Community Translation^[8]

Since the Hebrew word kanaph can mean 'corner' or 'border', the specific place of the attachment of the fringes is unclear. Their exact number is also not specified. Lastly, the passage lacks any instructions on the binding of the fringes, save for the obligation to include "a cord of blue" (Heb. ptil tchelet). The lack of detail on these points suggests that the tying of tzitzit was to a great extent Oral Torah until the third to first century BCE with the codifying of the Talmud.

The primary mnemonic purposes of this mitzvah are expressed clearly: wearing tzitzit reminds a daily practitioner to bring God's love into action by practicing all other mitzvot. The paragraph from Numbers is included in daily prayer as the final paragraph of the

The

The Torah forbids shatnez ("intertying" wool and linen together).^[12] However, unlike other forms of kil'ayim (combinations of various phenomena like planting different types of seed or ploughing with different animals^[13]), there is an exception to the rule: shatnez was not only allowed but required in the priestly garments, which combined dyed-wool and linen threads.^[14] According to the rabbis, this exemption to shatnez applied only while performing priestly service.^[15] Rabbinic Judaism (but not Karaite Judaism or Samaritanism) makes a further exemption to this law for tzitzit, based on the Torah's juxtaposition of the laws for shaatnez and tzitzit in Deuteronomy 22:11-12.^[16] Thus, according to rabbinic Judaism, both laymen and priests were supposed to wear mixtures of wool and linen all the time. From this perspective, the shatnez of the layman reflects that of the priest.^[5]

In practice, the rabbinic sages permitted using wool and linen strings in tandem only when what they hold to be genuine tekhelet is available.^[17]

Threads and knots

The tassel (tzitzit) on each corner is made of four strands,^[18] which must be made with intent.^[19] These strands are then threaded and hang down, appearing to be eight. (It is customary that each of the four strands is made of eight fine threads, known as kaful shemoneh). The four strands are passed through a hole (or according to some: two holes) 1-2 inches (25 to 50 mm) away from the corner of the cloth. There are numerous customs as to how to tie the tassels. The Talmud explains that the Bible requires an upper knot (kesher elyon) and one wrapping of three winds (hulya). The Talmud enjoined that between seven and thirteen hulyot be tied, and that "one must start and end with the color of the garment". As for the making of knots in between the hulyot, the Talmud is inconclusive, and as such later poskim have interpreted this requirement in various ways.^[20] The Talmud described tying assuming the use of tekhelet dye. Following the loss of the source of the dye, various customs of tying were introduced to compensate for the lack of this primary element.

The tying method which gained the widest acceptance can be described as follows:^[21] The four strands of the tzitzit are passed through a hole near the garment's corner.^[22] The two groups of four ends are double-knotted to each other at the edge of the garment near the hole.^[23] One of the four strands (known as the shamash) is made longer than the others.^[24] The long end of the shamash is wound around the other seven ends and double-knotted; this is done repeatedly so as to make a total of five double knots separated by four sections of winding, with a total length of at least four inches, leaving free-hanging ends that are twice that long^[25] This tying procedure is used for each of the garment's four corners; if it has more than four corners, the four that are farthest apart are used.^[26][27]

In

Modern Biblical scholar Jacob Milgrom notes than in ancient Middle Eastern societies, the corner of the garment was often elaborately decorated to "ma[k]e an important social statement", functioning as a "symbolic extension of the owner himself".^[29] He also notes that the Torah requires tekhelet, normally a royal and priestly color, to be used by all Jews:

The tzitzit are the epitome of the democratic thrust within Judaism, which equalizes not by leveling but by elevating. All of Israel is enjoined to become a nation of priests... tzitzit is not restricted to Israel's leaders, be they kings, rabbis or scholars. It is the uniform of all Israel...^[30]

Color of the strings

Tekhelet

Tekhelet (תכלת) is a color dye which the Hebrew Bible commands the Jews to use for one, two, or four of the eight half-strings hanging down (as interpreted in Rabbinic Judaism), or a number of cords ranging from one up to the same number of threads as the non-tekhelet threads (according to opinions in Karaite Judaism). At some point following the destruction of the Second Temple, the knowledge and tradition about the correct method of the dye was lost for Rabbinic Judaism in Israel and since then, most rabbinic diaspora Jews and Israeli Jews as well have worn plain white tzitziyot without any dyes.^[31] Tekhelet, which appears 48 times in the Tanakh – translated by the Septuagint as iakinthinos (Greek: ὑακίνθινος, blue) – is a specific blue-violet dye produced, according to the rabbis, from a creature referred to as a Ḥillazon, other blue dyes being unacceptable. Some^[32] explain the black stripes found on many traditional prayer shawls as representing the loss of this dye.

While there is no prohibition on wearing blue dye from another source, the rabbis maintain that other kinds of tekhelet do not fulfill the mitzvah of tekhelet, and thus all the strings have been traditionally kept un-dyed (i.e., white) for many centuries. In recent times, with the (debated) re-discovery of the Ḥillazon in the

When tekhelet is used, there are varying opinions in rabbinic literature as to how many of the strands are to be dyed: one of eight (Rambam), two of eight (Raavad), four of eight (Tosafot). While the white threads are to be made of the material of the garment, rabbinic law instructs that the tekhelet-dyed thread must be made of wool.

According to several rabbinic sages, blue is the color of God's Glory.^[37] Staring at this color aids in meditation, bringing us a glimpse of the "pavement of sapphire, like the very sky for purity", which is a likeness of the Throne of God.^[38] Many items in the Mishkan, the portable sanctuary in the wilderness, such as the Menorah, many of the vessels, and the Ark of the Covenant, were covered with a blue-violet cloth when transported from place to place.^[39]

The other threads

The other threads in the tzitzit (all the threads, where tekhelet is not used) are described as "white". This may be interpreted either literally (by Rama) or as meaning the same colour as the main garment (Rambam). Normally, the garment itself is white so that the divergence does not arise. Similarly the threads may be made either of wool or of the same fabric as the garment; again many authorities recommend using a woollen garment so that all views are satisfied.

Tzitzit for women

In rabbinic law, tzitzit is considered a "time-dependent positive commandment", as the Torah (Numbers 15:39) mentions "seeing" one's tzitzit, and one could not see them in the darkness of night, but rather only in daytime.

Women in Conservative Judaism have revived the wearing of the tallit since the 1970s, usually using colors and fabrics distinct from the traditional garment worn by men.^[49] The Rabbinical Assembly has since formally approved the wearing and tying of tzitzit by women.^[50] It has become common in Reform and other non-Orthodox streams for girls to receive a tallit at their bat mitzvah,^[51][52] although some do not subsequently wear it on a regular basis.^[53] Other women have adopted the tallit later in life, to connect with their communities, embody egalitarian values, or create a personalized connection to Judaism.^[53] It is rare for women to wear a tallit katan.^[54]

Karaite tzitzit

In the Samaritan tradition, the tallit is a gown worn over their clothes during most holy days, and the tzitzit are the 22 "buttons" on the right lapel of the gown, and the corresponding loops on its left lapel.^{[citation needed]} The tzitziyot are always in the same color as the gown, which is usually white.

Another version of Samaritan tzitzit is the simple fringes on the sides of the very large white tallit worn by the priests when carrying a Torah scroll.

Similarly to most Orthodox rabbinic Jews, the Samaritans hold that the blue-violet tekhelet thread for their tzitziyot was produced from a specific dye, and claim that the tradition for producing it was lost.^[59]

Contrary to some rumors, the Samaritans do not use either rabbinic or Karaite tziziyot.^{[citation needed]}

In archaeology and secular scholarship

According to the modern documentary hypothesis, the reference to tzitzit in Numbers comes from the Priestly Code, while that from Deuteronomy comes from the Deuteronomic Code. They are believed to date to around the late 8th century BCE and late 7th century BCE, respectively, some time after the practice became part of regular ritual.^[60] The custom however, clearly predates these codes, and was not limited to Israel. Images of the custom have been found on several ancient Near East inscriptions in contexts suggesting that it was practiced across the Near East.^[61] Some scholars believe that the practice among ancients originated due to the wearing of animal skins, which have legs at each corner, and that later fabrics symbolized the presence of such legs, first by the use of amulets, and later by tzitzit.^[61]

While Numbers 15:37–41 uses the Hebrew tzitzit, Deuteronomy 22:12 employs the plural form of gadil, which is an Akkadian loanword for a 'cord' or 'string'. The reason for this lexical change is open to speculation, yet, the scholars are inclined to assume that in the times when Deuteronomy was composed, the meaning of the tzitzit of Numbers 15:37 had been lost and the gedîlîm is a dynamic translation of an unusual term.^[62]

See also

• Christianity and fringed garments

References