Questions About Tzitzit?

Tzitzit are made with four strings, folded in half to make eight strings. The strings are made from unblended materials such as 100% wool, cotton, or hemp. One of them is called the Shamash thread because it is the longest (it is also the techelet if a blue string is used). Tzitzit are tied with five double knots, recalling the five books of the Torah. The windings are patterned between the knots in a 10-5-6-5 pattern, numerically spelling God’s name. Some tying conventions use 7-8-11-13, numerically spelling God is One. Tying conventions always symbolize the Oneness of God, and on this tzitzit the specific tying conventions are from the Sephardic tradition (which uses a “staircase”” around the windings, yet another symbol).

The Torah spells tzitzit using the consonants tsade-yod-tsade-tav. The second “i” in the word is made by use of a vowel. Rabbinical spellings add a second yod consonant (instead of using a vowel), making the pronunciation tsade-yod-tsade-yod-tav (tz-i-tz-i-t). This convention has the numerical value of 600. Adding the five knots and eight strings we get the number 613, the number of the commandments given in the Tanakh.

The strings made for tzitzit are called kaful shemoneh (double eight). This term is also used to refer to the strands that pass through the eyehole on the corner of the tallit. The first, top knot is called the kesher elyon. A section of knot and winding form an individual component of the tzitzit and are called gedil (sing)/gedilim (pl), see Numb 15: The individual windings are called hulya (sing)/hulyot (pl). The strings that hand down below the bottom most knot are called anaf (branch).

The biblical commandment for tzitzit is found in Deuteronomy (Devarim) 22:12 and Numbers (Barmidbar) 15:37-41 and had the purpose of reminding Israel to remember and do all of God’s commandments and stay away from idolatry (spiritual prostitution). The tzitzit constantly directed God’s people to be single minded and zealous toward God.

Tzitzit are often consecrated. People who make them pray throughout a tzitzit’s creation. Often Psalms (Tehillim) 119, an acrostic Torah Psalm is used when praying, either during or after. The sections prayed through correspond to the spelling of God is One. The sections for this prayer are Yod, Hey, Vav, Hey, Aleph, Chet, and Dalet. Tzitzit are not traditionally anointed with oil.

Rav Calev, AMI