Tzitzit: Tying Us to Our Purpose

"Why do you wear those strings?" asked Cody Webb, a professional dirt biker, pointing to my tzitzit fringes. I had approached Cody after spotting him by the Western Wall wearing a Red Bull hat - the distinct mark of a competitive extreme athlete - out of place amidst a sea of religious Jews deep in prayer. He told me about his upcoming dirt-biking competition in Israel and I invited him to ask me anything about Judaism and Israel. Sure enough, as I’ve often found, his first question was about my tzitzit.

Unraveling the Mitzvah

In this week’s Torah portion God gives us the mitzvah of tzitzit:

"[The children of Israel] shall make for themselves Tzitzis on the corners of their garments, throughout their generations, and they shall affix a thread of sky blue wool (techeiles) on the fringe of each corner.¹ They shall be Tzitzis for you, and when you see them, you will remember all the commandments of God to perform them, and you shall not wander after your hearts and after your eyes after which you stray." (Numbers 15:38-41)

From these verses, we see three answers to Cody's question of why we wear tzitzit:

1. God commanded us to wear them
2. They remind us of all the commandments
3. They prevent us from straying after our hearts and our eyes.

The first answer seems clear enough, but the second two should trouble us. How could mere dangling strings possibly remind us to keep all 613 commandments? What power do these simple tassels possess to guard our wandering eyes and restless hearts?

From Fig Leaves to Fringes

Before we answer these questions about tzitzit, which we wear on the corners of our clothes, let's step back and remind ourselves why we wear clothes in the first place. The Torah teaches that Adam and Eve began their lives in the garden completely naked. After they sinned, they became embarrassed by their nakedness, so God benevolently made them clothes to help combat their newfound shame.

But the real story lies in the details. What exactly caused Eve to sin? “The woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise” (Genesis 3:6). The verse clearly shows that Eve's desire for the fruit’s pleasures caused her to stray from God’s command. By giving in to this desire, Eve didn't just commit a personal sin—she fundamentally altered human nature itself. As the progenitor of all humanity, her choice created a spiritual precedent that would echo through every generation. Eve's surrender to physical temptation embedded this weakness into humanity's very DNA. From that moment forward, physicality would possess an almost magnetic pull away from spirituality, leaving humans nearly indistinguishable from animals in their susceptibility to instinct and desire—a reality we witness everywhere in our world today.

To combat this newfound vulnerability, God gave them clothing. By covering their bodies, Adam and Eve would distinguish themselves from the animal kingdom and declare their intention to rise above base instinct. Clothes therefore represent both our ability and our moral obligation to overcome our lower, animalistic nature and reclaim our spiritual destiny.

But for the Jewish people, God took this obligation a step further. The commandment of tzitzit, as an extension of clothing, represents an extension of our moral and spiritual obligations here on earth. Not only must we overcome our animal instincts, but we must channel our energy towards a higher cause.

Rabbi Shimon Schwab, one of the great Jewish leaders of the last generation, explains:

“As far as the Jewish people are concerned, a person’s ability to subdue his animal nature grows and flowers (tzitz) into an even higher moral calling - that of acceptance of the mitzvot of God. Where moral decency – with which all humanity is charged – ends (i.e. at the corners of their garments), the specifically Jewish mandate begins. The Torah presupposes the highest form of decency and dignity. We, as the Jewish people, are to make “extensions” of our clothing to symbolize our special mandate. So, when we look at our tzitzit we are reminded that our membership in the Jewish nation, through the acceptance of the mitzvot, extends our humanity to a higher moral calling."

To summarize, clothes distinguish us from animals and remind us to rise above base desires and instincts. The tassels of our tzitzit distinguish us from other humans and remind us to channel our energy towards serving God.

Purpose Woven Into Thread

This concept becomes even more remarkable when we examine the intricate details of our tzitzit.

• The Blue Thread - The Ramban reveals that the Hebrew word "Techeilet" (the blue thread) shares its root with the word "Tachlit"— purpose.² Every glance at our tzitzit awakens us to our purpose—the additional moral responsibility to fulfill the 613 mitzvot prescribed by the Torah.
• Knots and Strings - According to Rashi, these 613 mitzvot are embedded into our tzitzit: "The numeric value of the word tzitzit—600, plus each tassel’s 8 strings and 5 knots, equals 613—the precise number of mitzvot given in the Torah. Thus the verse declares: ‘And when you see them, you will remember all the commandments of the Lord to perform them.’”³

These design elements work together to fulfill the verse's promise that tzitzit will prevent us from wandering "after your hearts and after your eyes." How? As we’ve seen, Tzitzit tether us to our purpose. Purpose-driven people naturally resist the alluring influences that captivate the eyes and heart. An elite athlete understands that going out for drinks instead of getting a good night’s rest could be the difference between Olympic gold and obscurity. When your mission becomes crystal clear, temptations lose their power. That's the power of Tzitzis—they simultaneously tie us to our purpose and untie us from worldly temptation.⁴

Tzitzit simultaneously tie us to our purpose and untie us from worldly temptation.

Threading Purpose Into Daily Life

For those who wear tzitzit, I invite you to infuse your morning habit with deeper purpose. Before saying the blessing and donning your tzitzit, pause to connect with your purpose. Remember that as a Jew, you carry the elevated responsibility of 613 mitzvot. Use this moment to anchor yourself in your mission and strengthen your resistance to the allurements that lead hearts and eyes astray.

For men who don't yet wear tzitzit, this mitzvah requires minimal effort for maximum meaning. The entire process takes thirty seconds—you can remove them afterward or wear them discreetly tucked under your shirt.

For women, while tzitzit aren't your obligation, the deeper principle applies powerfully to your life. Each morning as you choose your clothing, ask yourself: "How does what I wear today express my values?" Whether selecting modest attire that honors your inner dignity or choosing colors and styles that reflect confidence rather than attention-seeking, your clothing choices become daily declarations of purpose. Just as tzitzit remind men of their higher calling, your thoughtful approach to dress can serve as a constant reminder of your unique role in elevating the world through wisdom, compassion, and spiritual strength.

Whether through sacred tassels or thoughtful clothing choices, may we all find ways to thread purpose into our daily lives and resist the pull of empty wandering.

Shabbat Shalom!
Avraham

1. Important background: We lost access to the snail that produced this blue dye. Therefore, today, for the most part, people wear all-white tzitzit. However, there are some who believe they rediscovered that snail and therefore use its dye to make a thread of blue in their tzitzit
2. See footnote 1
3. Rashi on 15:39 - וזכרתם את כל מצות ה׳ AND YOU SHALL REMEMBER ALL THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD — The ציצית will remind one of all the commandments because the numerical value of the letters of the word ציצית is six hundred, and there are eight threads and five knots in the fringes, so that you have six hundred and thirteen, which is also the number of the commandments of the Torah.
4. The Talmud (Menachos 44A) offers a vivid example of how tzitzit prevent us from "wandering after our hearts and eyes": There was once a man who was careful with the mitzvah of tzitzit (but less diligent in some other mitzvot). He heard that there was a harlot in a faraway city who charged four hundred gold pieces for her services. He sent her four hundred gold pieces and made an appointment to meet her. When the time arrived he came and sat at the entrance… She disrobed and sat on the bed. The man was beginning to undress when suddenly the four fringes of his Tzitzit slapped him on his face. He slid down and sat on the ground. She also slid off and sat on the ground. She said to him, “By the life of Caesar, I will not leave you until you tell me what flaw you have found in me!” He replied to her, “I swear by the Divine Service that I have never seen a woman as beautiful as you. But there is one mitzvah that our God commanded us, and it is called tzitzit. The Torah says twice about it, ‘I am the Lord your God’ – I am the One who will punish, and I am the One who in the future will reward. At this moment, these four tzitzit strands appeared to me like four witnesses that would testify about the transgression I was about to commit.” She said to him, “I will not leave you until you tell me your name…” He wrote it down and put it in her hand… She went to the study hall of Rabbi Chiya. “Rabbi, instruct me what to do so that I can convert to Judaism.” Rabbi Chiya asked her, “Perhaps you have your eye on one of the students [and your motivations to convert are insincere]?” The woman took out the note and gave it to him [and related the entire incident and convinced him that her desire to convert was sincere]. He said to her, “Go and claim that which is [rightfully] yours (i.e. convert and marry him).”