Tzitzis Buying Guide

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Origin and Practice
3. Threads and Knots
4. Techeiles
5. Beged Types
6. Tzitzis Sizes
7. Tzitzis Types
8. Blessings When putting on a Talit Katan

Introduction

The Arba Kanfos Buying Guide, a guide for buying Tzitzis, will help you determine how to buy your Arba Kanfot / Tzitzit.

Tzitzit (Ashkenazi pronunciation: Tzitzis) are fringes or tassles (Hebrew: ציצת (Biblical), ציצית (Mishnaic)) found on a Tallit worn by observant Jews as part of practicing Judaism. In Orthodox Judaism it is only males who wear them.

Origin and Practice

The Torah states in Numbers 15:38: "Speak to the children of Israel and you shall say to them that they shall make for themselves fringes on the corners of their garments, throughout their generations, and they shall affix a thread of blue (Hebrew: תכלת - techelet) on the fringe of each corner."

Tzitzit are also commanded in Deuteronomy 22:12, which says: "You shall make yourself twisted threads, on the four corners of your garment with which you cover yourself."

Tzitzit are attached today only to Jewish religous garments, such as a tallit gadol (large prayer shawl). This is due in part to the fact that today's typical garment does not have the required 4 corners, and thus the fringes are not necessary. Traditional Jews wear a tallit katan (small prayer shawl) in order to fulfill this commandment at their own volition (although some consider it a transgression to miss a commandment that one has the ability to fulfill).

Various reasons are given for the commandment. The Torah itself states: "So that you will remember to do the commandments". In addition, it serves as a reminder of the Exodus from Egypt (Numbers 15:40).

Threads and Knots

The fringe (tzitzit) on each corner is made of four strands, each of which is made of eight fine threads (known as kaful shemoneh). The four strands are passed through a hole (or according to some: two holes) 1-2 inches away from the corner of the cloth.

There are numerous customs as to how to tie the fringe. The Talmud explains that the Bible requires an upper knot (kesher elyon) and one wrapping of three winds (hulya). The Talmud goes on to explain that the Rabbis enjoined that between 7 to 13 hulyot be tied, and that the inital and final winds must be the color of the garment, the interving ones being the color tekhelet. As for the making of knots in between the hulyot, the Talmud is inconclusive, and as such poskim throughout the ages have varyingly interpreted this requirement. The Talmud described tying assuming the use of tekhelet, however, following the loss of the source of the dye, various customs of tying were introduced to compensate for the lack of this primary element.

Though many methods have been proposed the one that gained the widest acceptance can be described as follows:

• The four strands are put through the hole in the corner of the garment, thus making two sets of four threads (one set on each side of the hole). The two sets of stands are knotted together twice, and then the "shamash" (a longer strand) is wound around the remaining seven strands a number of times (see below). The two sets are then knotted again twice. This procedure is repeated three times. A commonly formed pattern of windings is 7-8-11-13 (totalling 39 winds - the gematria of the "God is One"). Others, especially Sephardim, have 10 and 5 and 6 and 5, a combination that represents directly the spelling of the Tetragrammaton.
• Rashi, a prominent Jewish commentator, bases the number of knots on a gematria: the word tzitzit (in its Mishnaic spelling) has the value 600. Each tassel has eight threads (when doubled over) and five sets of knots, totalling 13. The sum of all numbers is 613, traditionally the number of mitzvot (commandments) in the Torah. This reflects the concept that donning a garment with tzitzit reminds its wearer of all Torah commandments.
• Nachmanides disagrees with Rashi, pointing out that the Biblical spelling of the word tzitzit has only one Yod rather than two, thus adding up to the total number of 603 rather than 613. He points out that in the Biblical quote "you shall see it and remember them", the singular form "it" can refer only to the "p'til" (thread) of Techelet, and that the reason for remembering the mitzvot is the color of the tekhelet, which resembles the ocean, which in it's turn resembles the sky or heaven.

Techeiles

According to Rabbinic tradition, tekhelet (תכלת) which appears 48 times in the Tanach - translated as "blue" - is a specific dye of blue produced from a creature reffered to as a "hillazon", other blue dyes being unacceptable. Karaites, who reject the Oral Tradition of the Jews, mantain that any blue dye may be used. Since the source of the dye was lost, Jews wear plain white tzitzit without any dyes. Some explain the black stripes found on many traditional tallitot as representing the loss of this dye.

The advent of the 19th century has seen a number of attempts to identify the ancient source of the dye using relevant Talmudic sources. On the whole, Orthodox Jews have been slow to accept the findings of this research. Many poskim (decisors of Jewish law) maintain that it is better to use no dye at all rather than rely on evidence, though they agree that there is no transgression involved with wearing colored strands. Some also claim that tekhelet was removed for a divine purpose to be revealed by the Messiah at the time of the ultimate redemption.

Arba kanfos / Tzitzis Type of Beged material

Arba kanfos / Tzitzis is available in the following types:

• 100% Wool: Comes also in the following special brands:
  • Hameshubach
  • Hameyuchad
  • With Fringes
• 100% Cotton
• Knitted Cotton (undershirt / t-shirt / PerfTzit / NeaTzit)
• Permanent Press (Polyester mixed with cotton)
• Mesh (100% polyester)

Arba kanfos / Tzitzis Sizes

Arba kanfos / Tzitzis "Strings" Types

You can order your Talit Katan either with or without Tzitzit attached. In the ordering sections within the product, we specify the price listed for the Talit Katan with the different options of strings. Go to our Tzitzit strings page to order tzitzit separately for tying yourself. If you want 1800EICHLERs.com to tie the Tzitzit on your Talit Katan for you we offer you these choices of tzitzit strings:

Bli

Without any Tzitzis

Regular

Low-Quality Tzitzis

Meyuchad

Better-Quality Tzitzis

Avodas Yad

Hand-Made Tzitzis

Thick Avodas Yad

Hand-Made Tzitzis

Menupitz Lishmo

Thick Menupitz Lishmo

Blessings When putting on a Talit Katan

While holding the Tallit Katan in readiness to put on, the tzitzit are inspected, and the following blessing is recited. The Tallit Katan is then donned; many kiss the tzitzit.

ברוך אתה ה׳ אלהינו מלך העולם אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו על מצות ציצת

יהי רצון מלפניך ה׳ אלהי ואלהי אבותי שתהי חשובה מצות ציצת לפניך כאלו קימתיה בכל פרטיה ודקדוקי וכונותיה ותריג מצות התלוים בה אמן סלה

Barukh atah, adonai, eloheinu, melech haolam, asher kiedshanu b'mitzvotav, v'tzievahnu al mitzvot tzitzit

Y'hie rahtzon miel'fanehchah, adonai ehlohay vaylohay ahvotay, sheht'hay khashuvah mitzvot tzitzit lfahnehkhah, k'ielu kieyahm'tieah b'khal prahtehyah v'diek'dukehyah v'khahu'notehyeh, v'tahr'yag mitzvot hat'luyim ba. Amen Selah

Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us regarding the commandment of fringes

May it be the will before you, Lord, my God and the God of my forefathers, that it should be considered the commandment of fringes before You as if I had fultilled it in all it's aspects, it's details and it's intentions, as well as the 613 commandments that are dependent on it. So be it, [consider what we have said].