Product Code Database
Tzitzit ( ṣīṣīṯ, ; plural ṣīṣiyyōṯ, Ashkenazi Hebrew: ; and Samaritan Hebrew: ) are specially knotted ritual fringes, or , worn in antiquity by Israelites and today by observant Jews and Samaritans. are usually attached to the four corners of the tallit gadol (prayer shawl), usually referred to simply as a or ; and tallit katan (everyday undershirt). Through synecdoche, a may be referred to as .
A popular etymological interpretation of derives from another word which shares this root. ( 'budding flower') may once have referred to floral ornamentation on clothing. One can hear distinct similarities with contemporaneous Akkadian clothing vocabulary: ('thread', 'edge', 'loom') or (a floral ornamentation).Francis Brown, Samuel Rolles Driver and Charles A. Briggs C.A., A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Oxford, 1907/2013) BDB, (CD-ROM), 8084. 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.Stephen Bertman, “Tasseled Garments in the Ancient East Mediterranean”, The Biblical Archaeologist, 24.4 (1961): 120-122, 128. Jacob Milgrom, “Of Hems and Tassels. Rank, Authority and Holiness Were Expressed in Antiquity by Fringes on Garments”, Biblical Archaeology Review, 9.3 (1983): 410. Jacob Milgrom, “Excursus 38 The Tassels (Tzitzit)”, in JPS Torah Commentary. Numbers, (Philadelphia, 1990), 62. See also: Eric Silverman, A Cultural History of Jewish Dress (London, 2013), ch. 1. 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.
The ending is the feminine adjectival suffix, used here to form a feminine singular noun. In the Hebrew Bible (), this noun is used to refer to one or many tassels, but later scholars used the feminine plural . In English-language academic texts on Judaica the term is sometimes translated as show-fringes.A Theological Commentary to the Midrash: Song of Songs Rabbah - Page 243 Jacob Neusner - 2001 "The religious duties beautify Israel, now with reference to not shaving, circumcision, and show-fringes. ... The religious duties embody God's love for Israel: show-fringes, phylacteries, Shema', Prayer; then tabernacle, " The Septuagint translation is tassels (Greek plural , from singular ).
Since the Hebrew word 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. ). The lack of detail on these points suggests that the tying of 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 are expressed clearly: wearing reminds a daily practitioner to bring God's love into action by practicing all other . The paragraph from Numbers is included in daily prayer as the final paragraph of the Shema Yisrael. Here, also remind Jews that they are no longer slaves.
The tallit and tallit katan are four-cornered garments worn by practicing Jews which incorporate . The garment itself is commonly referred to as .The tallit is typically worn over the shirt/ clothes, like a cloak, whereas the tallit katan (or arba kanfot) is smaller and worn underneath the clothing. It is a simplistic garment with a front and back fold, creating four corners to which the tzitzit are fastened. The blue thread mentioned in the Torah, tekhelet, is omitted by most rabbinic Judaism due to controversy over the dye-making process.
The Torah forbids shatnez ("intertying" wool and linen together).Leviticus 19:19, Deuteronomy 22:11 However, unlike other forms of kil'ayim (combinations of various phenomena like planting different types of seed or ploughing with different animalsCalum M. Carmichael, “Forbidden Mixtures”, Vetus Testamentum, 32.4 (1982): 394), there is an exception to the rule: was not only allowed but required in the priestly garments, which combined dyed-wool and linen threads.Exodus 28:6, 8, 15, and 39:29 According to the rabbis, this exemption to applied only while performing priestly service.Menachot 43a Rabbinic Judaism (but not Karaite Judaism or Samaritanism) makes a further exemption to this law for , based on the Torah's juxtaposition of the laws for and in Deuteronomy 22:11-12.Yevamot 4a, Nazir 41b, Leviticus Rabbah 22:10. See also Menahot 39b-40a where this is recorded as the position of Beit Hillel but not Beit Shammai. Rabbinic sources rule this practice as permissible, while Kabbalah sources go a step further by encouraging the practice () 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 of the layman reflects that of the priest.
In practice, Chazal permitted using wool and linen strings in tandem only when what they hold to be genuine tekhelet is available.
The tying method which gained the widest acceptance can be described as follows:Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 11:9-11:15 The four strands of the are passed through a hole near the garment's corner.Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 11:12-13 The two groups of four ends are double-knotted to each other at the edge of the garment near the hole.Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 11:14,15 One of the four strands (known as the ) is made longer than the others.Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 11:4 The long end of the 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 longShulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 11:14 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.Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 10:1 Rav's Beautiful Ratio: An Excursion into Aesthetics, Mois Navon, B'Or Ha'Torah, Vol. 19, 2009
In Ashkenazi custom, the four sections of winding number 7-8-11-13 winds, respectively. Ohr Sameach: The Wrap on Tzitzit The total number of winds comes to 39, which is the same number of winds if one were to tie according to the Talmud's instruction of 13 of 3 winds each. Furthermore, the number 39 is found to be significant in that it is the gematria (numerical equivalent) of the words: "The Lord is One" (Deuteronomy 6:4). Others, especially Sephardi Jews, use 10-5-6-5 as the number of windings, a combination that represents directly the spelling of the Tetragrammaton (whose numerical value is 26).
Before tying begins, declaration of intent is recited: ('for the sake of the commandment of ').
Nachmanides disagrees with Rashi, pointing out that the Biblical spelling of the word () has the gematria of 590 rather than 600, which upends Rashi's proposed gematria. He points out that in the Hebrew Bible quote "you shall see it and remember them", the singular form it can refer only to the thread of . The strand serves this purpose, explains the Talmud, for the blue color of resembles the ocean, which in turn resembles the sky, which in turn is said to resemble God's holy throne – thus reminding all of the divine mission to fulfill His commandments. (Nachmanides knots are worn by the majority of Jews and Teimani Jews)
Modern Biblical scholar Jacob Milgrom notes than in ancient Middle Eastern societies, the corner of the garment was often elaborately decorated to "make an important social statement", functioning as a "symbolic extension of the owner himself". Of Hems and Tassels, Jacob Milgrom, BAR 9:03, May-Jun 1983. He also notes that the Torah requires , normally a royal and priestly color, to be used by all Jews:
(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- 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 without any dyes.[http://www.divreinavon.com/pdf/HistoryMesorahNignaz.pdf On History, Mesora and Nignaz], Mois Navon, 2013 Tekhelet, which appears 48 times in the Tanakh – translated by the [[Septuagint]] as iakinthinos (, 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[https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/536810/jewish/Why-the-Tallit-Barcode.htm Why the Tallit Barcode?]; Pri Megadim, Orach Chaim 9:6 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 do not fulfill the mitzvah of , 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 Murex trunculus mollusk, Threads of Reason, Mois Navon, Threads Of Reason, 2013 some have noted that one cannot fulfill the mitzvah of without the strand. Tekhelet in Tzitzit: A Choice Mitzvah or an Absolute Obligation R. Shmuel Ariel, Techumin 21 (5761) This position, however, has been strongly disputed. The Definition of Nullifying a Mitzvah, R. Yehuda Rock, Techumin 24 (5764) Others have disputed whether the coloring that comes from the Murex trunculus is the same as the biblical , based on the fact that according to traditional Jewish sources is supposed to be a dark shade of blue, while wool that was discovered in archaeological excavations and was found to have been colored with Murex dye is violet.
When is used, there are varying opinions in rabbinic literature as to how many of the strands are to be dyed: one of eight (Maimonides), 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 -dyed thread must be made of wool.
According to several rabbinic sages, blue is the color of God's Glory. Numbers Rabbah 14:3; Hullin 89a. 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.Exodus 24:10; Ezekiel 1:26; Hullin 89a. 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.Numbers 4:6-12.
At the same time, other Rishonim, beginning with R' Meir of Rothenburg, hold that women should not wear for various reasons. The Moses Isserles states that while women are technically allowed to don a , doing so would appear to be an act of arrogance ().Shulkhan Arukh, Orah Hayyim 17:2 in Mappah The MaharilSefer Maharil 7 and the Targum Yonatan Ben UzielDevarim 22:5 view a garment with as a "male garment", and thus forbidden to women as cross-dressing. Some other sources mention concern for shaatnez or Hotzaah.
The vast majority of contemporary Orthodox authorities forbid the donning of a by women, although Moshe Feinstein,Igrot Moshe, Orah Hayyim 4:49, s.v. ibra d'ika Joseph Soloveitchik, and Eliezer Melamed approve women wearing in private, if their motivation is "for God's sake" rather than motivated by external movements such as feminism. When the Joel Teitelbaum's wife died, she was found to be wearing (a ) under her clothes. Mipi Sefarim VeSofrim - Der Idisher Levush, Der Blatt, R Haim Teitelbaum, 7 Adar Alef 5774. Text for reference: ציצית און א גארטל ביי נשים. כ'האב געהערט מפי הגה"צ רבי יוסף ישראל זעגלבוים זצ"ל, דער ווינער רב, מח"ס עדות לישראל, אז ער האט געהערט גוף די חברא קדישא פון ק"ק סאטמאר, אז הרבנית הצדיקת מרת חוה ע"ה מחברתו הטהורה פון מרן רבינו הקדוש והטהור בעל דברי יואל מסאטמאר זי"ע בזיווג ראשון, א טאכטער פון הגה"ק רבי אברהם חיים הורוויץ זצ"ל, דער פלאנטשער רב, אז ווען די נשים צדקניות פון די חברה קדישא האבן זיך מטפל געווען מיט איר, נאך איר הסתלקות ביום ה' שבט שנת צרו"ת, האט מען געפינען אז אונטער אירע אויבערשטע מלבושים האט זי געהאט אנגעטוען א טלית קטן און א גארטל.
Women in Conservative Judaism have revived the wearing of the since the 1970s, usually using colors and fabrics distinct from the traditional garment worn by men. The Rabbinical Assembly has since formally approved the wearing and tying of by women.Rabbi Shoshana Gelfand (2025). 9780916219192, The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Conservative Movement. . ISBN 9780916219192 It has become common in Reform Judaism and other non-Orthodox streams for girls to receive a at their bat mitzvah, although some do not subsequently wear it on a regular basis. Other women have adopted the later in life, to connect with their communities, embody egalitarian values, or create a personalized connection to Judaism. It is rare for women to wear a .
Karaites have blue-violet threads () in them. In contrast to rabbinic Jews, Karaites believe that the source can be any dye, except those produced from impure (a definition mostly overlapping "un-kosher") species, such as the molluscs used by Rabbinic Jews. Instead, Karaites propose that the source of the dye was indigo or woad ( Isatis tinctoria)., Kharaite Judaism Dr. Curtis D. Ward, "What is the True Tekhelet?", 5 January 2011, Ward blog Karaites also consider synthetic blue or blue-violet to be acceptable for . Contrary to some claims, Karaites do not hang on their walls.
Another version of Samaritan is the simple fringes on the sides of the very large white worn by the priests when carrying a Torah scroll.
Similarly to most Orthodox rabbinic Jews, the Samaritans hold that the blue-violet thread for their was produced from a specific dye, and claim that the tradition for producing it was lost.
Contrary to some rumors, the Samaritans do not use either rabbinic or Karaite .
|
|
