In this week’s Torah portion, we learn about the mitzvah to wear tzitzit.
Bamidbar 15:37-41
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר׃ דַּבֵּר אֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם וְעָשׂוּ לָהֶם צִיצִת עַל־כַּנְפֵי בִגְדֵיהֶם לְדֹרֹתָם וְנָתְנוּ עַל־צִיצִת הַכָּנָף פְּתִיל תְּכֵלֶת׃ וְהָיָה לָכֶם לְצִיצִת וּרְאִיתֶם אֹתוֹ וּזְכַרְתֶּם אֶת־כׇּל־מִצְוֺת יְהֹוָה וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֹתָם וְלֹא־תָתוּרוּ אַחֲרֵי לְבַבְכֶם וְאַחֲרֵי עֵינֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר־אַתֶּם זֹנִים אַחֲרֵיהֶם׃
לְמַעַן תִּזְכְּרוּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֶת־כׇּל־מִצְוֺתָי וִהְיִיתֶם קְדֹשִׁים לֵאלֹהֵיכֶם׃ אֲנִי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִי אֶתְכֶם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לִהְיוֹת לָכֶם לֵאלֹהִים אֲנִי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם׃ {פ}
“HaShem said to Moshe, saying: “Speak to the Children of Yisrael and say to them that they shall make themselves tzitzit on the corners of their garments, throughout their generations. And they shall place upon the tzitzit of each corner a thread of tekheilet. It shall constitute tzitzit for you, that you may see it and remember all the mitzvot of HaShem and perform them; and not explore after your heart and after your eyes which you stray.”
“So that you may remember and perform all My mitzvot and be holy to your G-d. I am HaShem, your G-d, Who has removed you from the land of Mitzrayim to be a G-d unto you; I am HaShem your G-d.”
The Torah teaches that the purpose of tzitzit is to remind us of the mitzvot. The Torah states that the people fell into sin because they followed their yetzer hara. The yetzer hara is the spiritual force that resides in our heart, prompting us to follow our desires. The eyes see and stimulate the temptation inside our heart. As an antidote to straying eyes, when we look at tzitzit we remember the mitzvot, and this should avert us from sin.
The word “tzitzit” (ציצית) has a numerical value of 600, and when adding the five knots and eight strings on each fringe, one gets 613 to represent the 613 commandments of the Torah.
In Masechet Menachot 44a, the Sages recount a story of a man who once went out of his way to have relations with a beautiful prostitute. When it came time for him to undress, his tzitzit smacked him in the face. He looked upon his tzitzit and was convicted. He then remembered HaShem. This caused him to refrain from sinning. The prostitute was so impressed by this man’s self-restraint that she abandoned her sex work and great wealth and went to study in the yeshiva of R’ Chiya. The woman converted to Judaism and ended up marrying the man who originally came to have relations with her. This story to demonstrate the power of tzitzit.
The word tzitzit comes from the root verb להציץ, “to gaze”. One is meant to see the tzitzit and be reminded of HaShem and His mitzvot. The mitzvah of tzitzit was given in this week’s Torah after the sin of the spies. The focus is to “gaze” into the mitzvot (to walk it out), but not to be as tourists (ולו תתורו) sightseeing whatever lusts in our hearts to live out. The spies should have remembered HaShem, and all the miracles that He had performed for them. Prior to the mitzvah of tzitzit is the story of the מְקשֵׁשׁ עֵצִים [a man who desecrated the Shabbat by gathering wood]. Like the spies, this man had forgotten the mitzvot of the Torah, and paid the ultimate price.
From out of the tragic events in this week’s Torah portion developed different Jewish customs to tying tzitzyot. The Ashkenazi custom of tying tzitzit is to make 39 winds, corresponding to the 39 forbidden melachot [labor] of Shabbat. Between the five knots, Ashkenazi tzitzit have 7, 8, 11, and 13 winds, corresponding to the four categories of forbidden melachot on Shabbat. There are 11 actions associated with farming and field work, 13 associated with producing fabrics, 7 with producing leather, and 8 that mostly involve construction.
Sephardic tzitzit, on the other hand, have 26 knots, corresponding to the numerical value of HaShem’s Name. Between the five knots are 10, 5, 6, and 5 winds, corresponding to the values of the letters of HaShem. Both Ashkenazi and Sephardic customs of tzitzit are connected to this week’s Torah portion. Both stories end with a punishment that could have been averted had the people involved worn and seen their tzitzit.
The lesson the Torah is teaching us is that we need to keep our eyes on HaShem.