 Tzitzis | |
| Halakhic texts relating to this article | |
|---|---|
| Torah: | Numbers 15:38 andDeuteronomy 22:12 |
| Babylonian Talmud: | Menachos 39-42 |
| Mishneh Torah: | Ahavah (Love):Tzitzit |
| Shulchan Aruch: | Orach Chayim8-25 |
Tzitzit (Hebrew:צִיצִיתṣīṣīṯ,[tsiˈtsit]; pluralצִיצִיּוֹתṣīṣiyyōṯ,Ashkenazi:tzitzis; andSamaritan:ࠑࠉࠑࠉࠕṣeṣet) are specially knotted ritualfringes, ortassels, worn in antiquity byIsraelites and today by observantJews andSamaritans.Tzitzit are usually attached to the four corners of thetallit gadol (prayer shawl), usually referred to simply as atallit ortallis; andtallit katan (everyday undershirt). Throughsynecdoche, atallit katan may be referred to astzitzit.
The word may derive from theHebrew rootנ-צ-ה [n-ts-h].[1]Tzitzit shares this root with the Hebrew for 'lock of hair'. For example, in theBook of Ezekiel an angel grabs the prophet "by thetzitzit of [his] head;" he could be said to be "dragged by his hair."[2]
A popular etymological interpretation oftzitzit 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 contemporaneousAkkadian clothing vocabulary:sisiktu ('thread', 'edge', 'loom') ortsitstsatu (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 theHebrew Bible (Tanakh), this noun is used to refer to one or many tassels, but later scholars used the feminine pluraltzitziyot. In English-language academic texts on Judaica the term is sometimes translated asshow-fringes.[6] TheSeptuagint translation istassels (Greek pluralAncient Greek:κράσπεδαkraspeda, from singularAncient Greek:κράσπεδονkraspedon).
TheFive Books of Moses mention ritual fringes in two places:
Hashem said to Moses as follows: Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them [that they must] make for themselvestzitzit upon the corners of the clothes for generations, and on thetzitzit give a string oftechelet. And they shall have for themselvestzitzit 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.
You shall make tassels on the four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself.
Since the Hebrew wordkanaph 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 oftzitzit was to a great extentOral Torah until the third to first century BCE with the codifying of theTalmud.
The primary mnemonic purposes of thismitzvah are expressed clearly: wearingtzitzit reminds a daily practitioner to bring God's love into action by practicing all othermitzvot. The paragraph from Numbers is included in daily prayer as the final paragraph of theShema. Here,tzitzit also remind Jews that they are no longer slaves.[7]
TheTalmud equates observance oftzitzit with that of all themitzvot.[9]Maimonides includes it as a major commandment along withcircumcision and thePassover offering.[10]
Thetallit andtallit katan are four-cornered garments worn by practicing Jews which incorporatetzitzit. Thetallit katan garment itself is commonly referred to astzitzit.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 mostRabbinic Jews due to controversy over the dye-making process.
The medieval rabbis debated the source of thetzitzit obligation for garments made from different types of fabric. All agree that garments made from wool or linen (the typical materials of Biblical garments) requiretzitzit by Biblical law. However, they debated whether the requirement isBiblical or rabbinic if the garment is made from any other material. TheShulchan Aruch ruled that this obligation is rabbinic, while theRema ruled that it is Biblical.[11]
The Torah forbidsshatnez ("intertying" wool and linen together).[12] However, unlike other forms ofkil'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 toshatnez applied only while performing priestly service.[15] Rabbinic Judaism (but notKaraite Judaism orSamaritanism) makes a further exemption to this law fortzitzit, based on the Torah's juxtaposition of the laws forshaatnez andtzitzit 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, theshatnez 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 genuinetekhelet is available.[17]
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 askaful 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 thirteenhulyot be tied, and that "one must start and end with the color of the garment". As for the making of knots in between thehulyot, the Talmud is inconclusive, and as such laterposkim have interpreted this requirement in various ways.[20] The Talmud described tying assuming the use oftekhelet 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 thetzitzit 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 theshamash) is made longer than the others.[24] The long end of theshamash 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]
InAshkenazi custom, the four sections of winding number 7-8-11-13 winds, respectively.[28] 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 13hulyot of 3 winds each. Furthermore, the number 39 is found to be significant in that it is thegematria (numerical equivalent) of the words: "The Lord is One" (Deuteronomy 6:4). Others, especiallySephardi Jews, use 10-5-6-5 as the number of windings, a combination that represents directly the spelling of theTetragrammaton (whose numerical value is 26).
Before tying begins, declaration of intent is recited:L'Shem Mitzvat Tzitzit ('for the sake of the commandment oftzitzit').
Rashi, a prominent Jewish commentator, bases the number of knots on a gematria: the wordtzitzit (in itsMishnaic spelling,ציצית) has the value 600. Each tassel has eight threads (when doubled over) and five sets of knots, totaling 13. The sum of all numbers is 613, traditionally thenumber of commandments in the Torah. This reflects the concept that donning a garment withtzitzyot reminds its wearer of all Torah commandments, as specified in Numbers 15:39. (Rashi knots are worn by the majority ofAshkenazic Eastern European Jews.)
Nachmanides disagrees with Rashi, pointing out that the Biblical spelling of the wordtzitzit (ציצת) has the gematria of 590 rather than 600, which upends Rashi's proposed gematria. He points out that in theBiblical quote "you shall seeit and remember them", the singular formit can refer only to the thread oftekhelet. Thetekhelet strand serves this purpose, explains the Talmud, for the blue color oftekhelet 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 ofSephardic Jews andTeimani Jews)
Modern Biblical scholarJacob 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 requirestekhelet, normally a royal and priestly color, to be used by all Jews:
Thetzitzit 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]
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 theSecond Temple, the knowledge and tradition about the correct method of the dye was lost for Rabbinic Judaism in Israel and since then, most rabbinicdiaspora Jews and Israeli Jews as well have worn plain whitetzitziyot without any dyes.[31] Tekhelet, which appears 48 times in the Tanakh – translated by theSeptuagint asiakinthinos (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 oftekhelet do not fulfill the mitzvah oftekhelet, 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 theMurex trunculus mollusk,[33] some have noted that one cannot fulfill the mitzvah oftzitzit without thetekhelet strand.[34] This position, however, has been strongly disputed.[35] Others have disputed whether the coloring that comes from theMurex trunculus is the same as the biblicaltekhelet, based on the fact that according to traditional Jewish sourcestekhelet 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.[36]
Whentekhelet is used, there are varying opinions inrabbinic 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 thetekhelet-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]
_worn_on_each_of_the_four_corners_of_a_Jew%2527s_garment.jpg)
The other threads in thetzitzit (all the threads, wheretekhelet is not used) are described as "white". This may be interpreted either literally (byRama) 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.
In rabbinic law,tzitzit is considered a "time-dependent positive commandment", as the Torah (Numbers 15:39) mentions "seeing" one'stzitzit, and one could not see them in the darkness of night, but rather only in daytime.[40] In general, women are not required to perform time-dependent positive commandments,[41] but may perform them if they choose to. Therefore, manyRishonim permitted women to weartzitzit (includingIsaac ibn Ghiyyat,Rashi,Rabbeinu Tam,Baal HaMaor,Rambam,Raaviyah,Rashba, andRa'ah). Similarly, theShulchan Aruch rules that women may wear garments withtzitzit. Opinions differ on whether women may make the blessing on such "optional" commandments; in general Ashkenazi women make the blessing, and Sephardic women do not.[42]
At the same time, other Rishonim, beginning with R'Meir of Rothenburg, hold that women should not weartzitzit for various reasons. TheRema states that while women are technically allowed to don atallit, doing so would appear to be an act of arrogance (yuhara).[43] TheMaharil[44] and theTargumYonatan Ben Uziel[45] view a garment withtzitzit as a "male garment", and thus forbidden to women as cross-dressing. Some other sources mention concern forshaatnez orcarrying on shabbat.[42]
The vast majority of contemporary Orthodox authorities forbid the donning of atallit by women,[46] althoughMoshe Feinstein,[47]Joseph Soloveitchik, andEliezer Melamed approve women wearingtzitzit in private, if their motivation is "for God's sake" rather than motivated by external movements such as feminism.[42] When theSatmar Rebbe's wife died, she was found to be wearingtzitzit (atallit kattan) under her clothes.[48]
Women inConservative Judaism have revived the wearing of thetallit since the 1970s, usually using colors and fabrics distinct from the traditional garment worn by men.[49] TheRabbinical Assembly has since formally approved the wearing and tying oftzitzit by women.[50] It has become common inReform and other non-Orthodox streams for girls to receive atallit at their bat mitzvah,[51][52] although some do not subsequently wear it on a regular basis.[53] Other women have adopted thetallit 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 atallit katan.[54]
Karaite Jews maintain that thetzitziyot must be braided and have the appearance of chains, rather than being knotted as are thetzitziyot of Rabbinic Judaism.[55]
Karaitestzitziyot have blue-violet threads (tekhelet) in them. In contrast to rabbinic Jews, Karaites believe that thetekhelet 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 wasindigo orwoad (Isatis tinctoria).[56][57] Karaites also consider synthetic blue or blue-violet to be acceptable fortekhelet. Contrary to some claims, Karaites do not hangtzitziyot on their walls.[58]
In theSamaritan tradition, thetallit is a gown worn over their clothes during most holy days, and thetzitzit are the 22 "buttons" on the right lapel of the gown, and the corresponding loops on its left lapel.[citation needed] Thetzitziyot are always in the same color as the gown, which is usually white.
Another version of Samaritantzitzit is the simple fringes on the sides of the very large whitetallit worn by the priests when carrying aTorah scroll.
Similarly to most Orthodox rabbinic Jews, the Samaritans hold that the blue-violettekhelet thread for theirtzitziyot 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 Karaitetziziyot.[citation needed]
According to the moderndocumentary hypothesis, the reference totzitzit in Numbers comes from thePriestly Code, while that from Deuteronomy comes from theDeuteronomic 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 severalancient Near East inscriptions in contexts suggesting that it was practiced across the Near East.[61]WhileNumbers 15:37–41 uses the Hebrewtzitzit,Deuteronomy 22:12 employs the plural form ofgadil, 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 thetzitzit ofNumbers 15:37 had been lost and thegedîlîm is a dynamic translation of an unusual term.[62]
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