How do you tie your tzitzit?

[Mark]

Techelet is specifically the sea molusk. The term for the blue color comes from that. Before the molusk was identified, kosher tallitot had only white tassels, not because they didn't know what blue looked like; but because they didn't have access to tekhelet, the molusk specifically mentioned as the source of dye for that one thread. So the question that was relevant before the molusk was identified was, is the source dye what is commanded or simply the color? Now, the question is irrelevant because the source of the dye is now available. Our hypothetical question is relegated to "Do we obey what may be right?" or "Do we obey what we know is right?"

[Nachshon]

I disagree with Mark's (and the rabbinic community's in general) ascertion that there is only one proper techellet. There is only one word in the entire TN"K that referrs to any kind of blue, and that is Techellet. In later works there is at least one other word, but it is actually a lone word, not of Hebrew origin at all. Most blue dies are acceptable for tzitziot.

[Mark]

I appreciate your position and I hope that I have not appeared dogmatic in my position. The question though, for me, seems as easy as the difference between what must be right and what might be right.

[Nachshon]

mark said:

I appreciate your position and I hope that I have not appeared dogmatic in my position. The question though, for me, seems as easy as the difference between what must be right and what might be right.

I fail to see how most blues are any worse than the specific chilazon techellet. There is no real reason to believe that there is a specific, required blue dye. That would make chilazon equal to any other blue source.

[alon]

Mar 17, 2008 8:21:54 GMT -8 Nachshon said:

I disagree with Mark's (and the rabbinic community's in general) ascertion that there is only one proper techellet. There is only one word in the entire TN"K that referrs to any kind of blue, and that is Techellet. In later works there is at least one other word, but it is actually a lone word, not of Hebrew origin at all. Most blue dies are acceptable for tzitziot.

Absolutely agree! In fact, the techellet dye from the mollusk is treif, and therefore cannot be brought into the presence of HaShem! Almost none of the rabbinic sects of Judaism have adopted this. It is marketed mostly to Messianics, who want to do the right thing and so are easily sucked into this. I cut off all of the "snail blue" tzitz'yot and replaced them with wool or cotton (but never mixing the two).

I tie mine in the 10-5-6-5 pattern because that is halacha at Synagogue Beit Aveinu where I attend.

I prefer to wear a Tallit Ketan, however when working and sometimes when out and about I wear them on my belt-loops. This too is halacha for us; howeve like R Reuel I try not to offend anyone of Jewish descent by mutilating their customs. I make the ones for belt-loops with a loop at the top just big enough to thread the tzitzit through when tieing onto my trou. I try to evenly space them when I do this.

I've seen some really nice tzitz'yot where a light blue sewing thread was used for the shamash string. However the custom is to make them of the same size and material, the only difference being the shamash is blue. Moreover, using the principle of Kal Vahomer (Light and Heavy) if we are not to mix the materials used to make a garment, we certainly would not mix materials in a thing meant to remind us who we serve.

Oh, and I tie the square knots so that the techellet does not show. How, you may ask ...

_{VERRY CAREFULLY!}

Dan C

[Loxody]

I buy t-shirt talit katans from Greenfeld Judaica which are basically undershirts with the fringes attached. On that website you can order different tie styles such as Sephardic, Ashkenazic, and Chabad.  I buy the Sephardic tie style which has the same number of wraps as the Ashkenazic but has an extra wrap around each section between the knots.  I don't have a hard and fast opinion on which tie style is best but I prefer Sephardic as I follow mostly Sefardic customs (use Sefardic Hebrew, Sefardic Siddur, follow Sefardic Haftarah readings, etc.).

[alon]

Numbers 15:38-40 (ESV) “Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner. And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the Lord, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to sleeper after. So you shall remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God. 

OK, I have to say this: I've seen pictures online of Meshiachim getting a bit too creative with their tzitzyot. Some used  different colors, even mixing the colors so they had multicolored strings. They still kept the blue shamash, but it was difficult to discern it in the rest. Others just tie sort of a fluff ball with colored strings. Technically I suppose all those meet the requirements, however I fail to see how this would remind you of anything except how nicely you decorated your clothing.

Some get a little too creative with their knots, coming up with every wild combination imaginable. The knots were a later custom meant to replace the techelet commanded in scripture when that color was lost to history. Their foundation was in the knots royalty wore which was used as a sort of a seal when impressed into a clay tablet. Like pointing to the king whose knots were impressed in the clay, they are meant to in some way point to Elohim. For example, the most common 10-5-6-5 pattern spells out YHVH. Just tieing a bunch of fancy knots is more macrame than mitzvah. And while on this subject of macrame, some even weave in beads or other small items. It's not a Rosary! And I see this as an abomination, going completely outside scripture to decorate and call attention to ourselves rather than to HaShem!

Bad enough so many fall into the custom of wearing tzitzyot on belt loops. As I've said elsewhere, if there is the possibility of my being around machinery where they may be caught up and pull me in, I do wear them on loops designed to break away first. Otherwise I wear a tallit katan. As a Messianic following the principle of obeying the best I can when confronted with extenuating circumstances (like not knowing the actual shade of blue/turquoise originally used), I simply use one blue (shamash) thread and the rest are white, not only for custom but for contrast. They are meant to be a reminder, not Christmas ornaments for our wardrobe.

OK, rant over. Like I said, I just had to say this ...

Dan (he's such a jerk!) C