Shlach 5786: An Uncommon Thread

GOOD MORNING! One of the advantages of getting older is that – if you’re paying attention – you have a unique perspective on life and the way things have changed over the years. Obviously, this includes things like technology, medical advances, or even the acceptability of certain foods (raw fish in the 1950s: insane. Sushi today: yes, please!).

It used to be that religious attire was viewed as unusual, foreign, or even unsettling. As a child growing up in Miami Beach in the mid-1970s there were few places where I could go wearing a yarmulke (skullcap) without someone asking me about the strange “beanie” on my head. Outside of areas with large religious populations (which Miami Beach was not at the time) it was uncommon for people to have familiarity with distinctive Jewish religious clothing such as yarmulkes or tzitzit (tassels or fringes placed on the corners of a four cornered garment).

Increased immigration, globalization, international travel, and the exponential growth of mass media have dramatically expanded public awareness of diverse religious traditions. Today, most people can readily recognize many forms of religious dress and understand that they often reflect cultural identity and religious commitment. In addition, over the past half-century, there has been a marked shift in social mores toward a broader willingness to accommodate individuals and communities that differ from prevailing cultural norms.

However, as a child, I found it difficult to explain to the uninitiated what tzitzit were, why we wear these odd tassels, and what purpose they served. As we shall see, this very special mitzvah (commandment) has deep meanings behind it – to the point that the Talmud has characterized it as equal to all the other mitzvot in the Torah put together! This obviously requires an explanation. Lucky for us, the source for this mitzvah is in this week’s Torah portion:

God said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them that they shall make tzitzit on the corners of their garments for all generations, and they shall place a blue thread (techeiles) on the tzitzit of each corner. It shall thus be tzitzit for you, and you shall see it and remember all the commandments of God, and you shall do them, and you shall not scout after your heart and after your eyes, which cause you to stray” (Numbers 15:37-39).

For much of Jewish history, the distinctive blue dye used on one of the strings of the tzitzit, was accessible and an integral component of every set of tzitzit. However, during the centuries following the destruction of the Second Temple, the true identity of the chilazon – the sea creature from which the dye was produced – was lost. By the time of the Geonic period, the blue dye had effectively disappeared from Jewish life, leaving Jews throughout the Diaspora wearing only white tzitzit for well over a millennium.

The modern search for the blue dye began in earnest in the late nineteenth century with Rabbi Gershon Henoch Leiner, the Radzyner Rebbe (1839-1891), who undertook extensive research and concluded that the chilazon was a species of cuttlefish (closely related to the squid). He established a production process and persuaded thousands of his followers to wear tzitzit with a blue thread from this dye.

Although his identification was later challenged, his efforts reignited worldwide interest in the subject. In the twentieth century, scholars and rabbinic authorities increasingly focused on the murex trunculus (a sea snail) as the most likely source of the ancient dye. Beginning in the 1980s and 1990s, organizations such as Ptil Tekhelet and others helped make this blue dye widely available with their efforts supported by archaeological, historical, and chemical evidence. Today, many observant Jews have elected to begin including this blue thread in their tzitzit, but most still do not. Nonetheless, the tens of thousands of Jews across a broad spectrum wearing tzitzit with the blue thread makes its revival one of the most remarkable restorations of a long-lost biblical practice in modern times.

There are two elements of the above passage in the Torah about tzitzit that I would like to examine. First of all, this paragraph became the third and final part of what is perhaps the most important prayer in the Jewish liturgy and the one that the Torah obligates us to recite twice daily; the shema. The shema is the daily acceptance of the Kingdom of God and a declaration of His absolute unity. What is it about these few sentences regarding tzitzit that encapsulate this and merit the final words of the shema prayer?

The Torah states that the purpose of the mitzvah of tzitzit is to serve as a reminder of all God’s commandments. How exactly do tzitzit accomplish this?

The second topic I’d like to examine is the blue thread. We have a fascinating statement in the Talmud (Menachos 43b) regarding the obligation of adding the blue thread to the tzitzit. “Rabbi Meir used to say: Why was the color blue chosen? What distinguishes it from all other colors? Because the blue thread (on the fringes) resembles the sea, the sea resembles the sky, and the sky resembles the Throne of Glory.”

Rabbi Meir then quotes two verses that indicate this unique attribute of the color blue. The first appears in the story of the giving of the Torah (Exodus 24:10): “Under His feet was like a sapphire brickwork […]” and the second verse appears in the mystical vision of Ezekiel (1:26): “Like the appearance of a sapphire stone was the likeness of the Throne.” The Talmud is teaching us that the color blue can serve as a visual ladder to raise one’s consciousness to the immanence of the Almighty.

But why do we need such a roundabout route to get to the ultimate destination? Why say that the blue fringes remind us of the color of the sea, which reminds us of the sky, which reminds us of the Throne of Glory? Why not simply say that the blue threads remind us of the Throne of Glory?

The shema prayer – Hear O’ Israel Hashem is our God, Hashem is One (Deuteronomy 6:4) – readily declares the acceptance of Hashem (the ineffable name of the Almighty) as our God and that He has a unique unity: everything is part of the “One.”

What Rabbi Meir is explaining is that the blue thread is the ultimate expression of that unity – it is literally the common “thread” in creation. The fact that the ocean and sky are both blue is an expression of the unity of the entirety of creation as it is all a reflection of the Almighty’s Throne of Glory. The color blue is the common theme that brings it all together. We are therefore asked to go step by step to consider how everything in creation is a reflection of the unique unity of the Almighty.

As an aside, while the true source of the design of the Israeli flag is shrouded in the mists of history (Israeli history has no similar Betsy Ross canard), I have often considered that both the pattern and the color of the Israeli flag express exactly this theme. One can consider the bottom blue stripe to correspond to the ocean, the top blue stripe can easily represent the sky, and the blue Star of David in the middle can represent the unity of it all. For those of us who live in a theocentric universe there is no such thing as “coincidence.”

In fact, the Israeli flag has become a tribute to the power of the Almighty in this world. This tiny Jewish state is surrounded by some twenty-seven larger Arab states who would like to see Israel obliterated (and have tried no less than five times to accomplish that goal). Yet, Israel has not only survived but flourished and become the greatest military power in the region; it is a true testament to the unique unity and power of the Almighty.

When a person wears tzitzit, it is a constant reminder that all of creation is within the kingdom of the Almighty and that our expression of God’s kingship is predicated on us following His commandments. Each one of the tassels has five knots and eight strings – equaling 13 which, as the sages point out, is the numerical value of the Hebrew word “echad – one.” In addition, there are 39 loops between the five knots, and this is the numerical value of “Hashem echad – God is One,” the very words of the shema.

Thus, the prayer about tzitzit is not merely an appendix to the shema. It is actually a fitting culmination for the shema. After faith and commitment come the practical tools that allow a human being living in the physical world to remain constantly connected to the Almighty. That is why the shema concludes not with an abstract theological statement but with a physical garment, a blue thread, and tzitzit in one’s hand. The highest spiritual truths must ultimately be woven into the fabric of daily life.

Shlach, Numbers 13:1 - 15:41

The Jewish people received the Torah on Mt. Sinai and were ready to enter the Land of Israel. There was a consensus of opinion amongst the people that we should send spies to see if it was feasible to conquer the land. Moses knew that the Almighty’s promise to give the land included a guarantee to conquer it. However, one of the principles of life, which we learn from this portion, is: the Almighty allows each of us the free will to go in the direction we choose. Even though one man and the Almighty is a majority, Moses – by Divine decree – sent out the princes of the tribes (men of the highest caliber) to spy out the land.

Twelve spies were sent. Ten came back with a report of strong fortifications and giants; they rallied the people against going up to the land. Joshua ben Nun and Calev ben Yefunah (Moses’ brother-in-law) tried to stem the rebellion, but did not succeed. The Almighty decreed 40 years of wandering in the desert, one year for each day they spied in the land of Israel. This happened on the 9th of Av, a date noted throughout Jewish history for tragedy.