Tzitzit are the ritual fringes added to four-cornered garments. Four strings are threaded through each corner and folded over and knotted in order to produce eight fringes. Ideally, three of the strings should be white and the fourth should be azure, which is known as tekhelet in Hebrew.
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Threaded Reminders of Commandments
TANAKH
The tzitzit, or fringes, on a four-cornered garment are meant to serve as a physical reminder of the commandments and the importance of observing them. In the book of Numbers, God instructs the Israelites to attach fringes to their garments as a symbol of their commitment to holiness.
The Spiritual Significance of Tzitzit
MIDRASH
Tzitzit have their own religious significance — even as they also promote the performance of other mitzvot (commandments). In Rabbi Tobiah ben Eliezer’s medieval midrashic commentary on the Torah, Lekach Tov, he explores the spiritual significance of tzitzit, including its connection to the idea of holiness.
Tzitzit's Spiritual Significance
HALAKHAH
While there are easy ways around the obligation to wear tzitzit, interpreters argue that their religious significance is reason enough to wear them each day. In his 14th-century legal code, the Arba’ah Turim, Jacob ben Asher emphasizes the importance of tzitzit and the spiritual benefits of wearing them.
The Moral Motivation of Tzitzit
TALMUD
Tzitzit, intended to remind us of the mitzvot (commandments), can serve to motivate those who wear them to act differently. The Babylonian Talmud in tractate Menachot illustrates how tzitzit can serve as a moral compass, guiding the wearer towards righteous behavior.
A Thread of Blue
MUSAR
The tzitzit, the fringes on a four-cornered garment, are supposed to include a thread dyed with a particular shade of blue, called tekhelet. In Israel Meir Kagan’s Shemirat HaLashon, a 19th-century ethical work about proper speech, he explains the significance of the blue thread in the tzitzit.
Spinning with Purpose
HALAKHAH
Awareness of the religious purpose of tzitzit is crucial not only while wearing them but while making them as well. In the Shulchan Arukh, the foundational 16th-century code of Jewish law, Joseph Karo emphasizes the importance of intention in the process of weaving tzitzit.
The Blessing for Tzitzit
HALAKHAH
Like many commandments, the mitzvah (commandment) of tzitzit is traditionally performed after reciting a blessing. Rambam, in his 12th-century comprehensive legal code, the Mishneh Torah, provides specific guidelines about the timing and language of the blessing on tzitzit.
Paradoxes in the Commandments
MIDRASH
Tzitzit, made of wool, are meant to be placed on all four-cornered garments, including those made of linen—despite the Torah’s prohibition against wearing garments of wool and linen together. The early medieval Midrash Tanchuma discusses the paradoxical nature of this mitzvah.
A Priestly Garment for All
COMMENTARY
Though the purpose of tzitzit — to remind the wearer of the commandments — is expressed clearly in the Torah, the symbolic significance of the fringes themselves is open to interpretation. Elijah Benamozegh, in his 19th-century Torah Commentary, Em LaMikra, draws a parallel between the tzitzit and the garments of the high priest in Temple times.
A Not-So-Holy Garment
TALMUD
While the mitzvah of tzitzit is a biblical commandment, the fringes themselves are not, according to Jewish law, considered holy in and of themselves. Tractate Tzitzit, a rabbinic legal text written in the style of the Mishnah, clarifies that one need not be worried about desecrating tzitzit.
A Challenge to Tzitzit
MIDRASH
In the book of Numbers, a Levite named Korach challenges Moses’s leadership of the Israelites. The medieval midrash Bamidbar Rabbah elaborates on the story of their encounter and suggests that Korach began his challenge to Moses with an argument about the mitzvah (commandment) of tzitzit.
Rewarding Righteousness with Tzitzit
COMMENTARY
For some biblical interpreters, the mitzvah (commandment) to wear tzitzit is not merely a responsibility but a privilege — a reward for righteous behavior. The renowned northern French rabbi, Rashi, in his 11th-century commentary on the Torah, links the mitzvah of tzitzit to the biblical story of Shem and Japheth.
Русский:  Оскорблённый еврейский мальчик (An offended Jewish boy), Ivan Kramskoi (1837–1887).
Русский: Оскорблённый еврейский мальчик (An offended Jewish boy), Ivan Kramskoi (1837–1887).
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