## Sifrei Devarim Paragraph 234

###### Sifrei Devarim 234:1
[Sifrei Devarim 234:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/234:1)

(דברים כב יב) **גְּדִלִים תַּעֲשֶׂה לָּךְ**, לָמָּה נֶאֱמַר? לְפִי שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר טו לח) ״וְעָשׂוּ לָהֶם צִיצִית״, שׁוֹמֵעַ אֲנִי: יַעֲשֶׂה חוּט אֶחָד בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: **גְּדִלִים**.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
**Pisqa’ 234**¹⁵⁶
*1*
**“*Tassels***¹⁵⁷ **shall you make for yourself” (Dt. 22:12).**
**Why must this be stated?**
**Because it is also stated:**
**“They shall make for themselves *fringes*”**¹⁵⁸ **(Nu,15:38).**
**Now, do I understand from this that**
**a person should prepare one *thread***¹⁵⁹. The distinctions between a *khut, tzitzit,* and *gedilim* are unclear. **on its own?**
**The Teaching states:**
**“Tassels” (Dt. 22:12)—**
**[Thus, more than one must be made].**

footnotes:
¹⁵⁶ H:243; JN2:149-150
¹⁵⁷ Heb: gedilim.
¹⁵⁸ Heb: tzitzit.
¹⁵⁹ Heb: khut


###### Sifrei Devarim 234:2
[Sifrei Devarim 234:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/234:2)

כַּמָּה **גְדִלִים** נַעֲשִׂים? אֵין פָּחוֹת מִשְּׁלֹשָׁה חוּטִים, כְּדִבְרֵי בֵית הִלֵּל. בֵּית שַׁמַּיי אוֹמְרִים: מֵאַרְבָּעָה חוּטִים שֶׁל תְּכֵלֶת וְאַרְבָּעָה חוּטִים שֶׁל לָבָן, שֶׁל אַרְבַּע אַרְבַּע אֶצְבָּעוֹת.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
**So how many tassels should be made?**
**No fewer than three threads [per tassel]:**
**According to the words of the circle of Hillel.**
**The circle of Shammai, however, say:**
**At least four threads of azure**¹⁶⁰ a dye extracted from a type of snail (*khilazon*).
**and four threads of white—**
**also, they should each be four fingers long.**

footnotes:
¹⁶⁰ Heb: techeilet,


###### Sifrei Devarim 234:3
[Sifrei Devarim 234:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/234:3)

וַהֲלָכָה כְּדִבְרֵי בֵּית שַׁמַּיי. בַּמֶּה דְּבָרִים אֲמוּרִים? בַּתְּחִלָּה; אֲבָל בִּשְׁיָרֶיהָ וּבְגַרְדוּמֶּיהָ – כָּל שֶׁהוּא.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
**And the customary practice [concerning length]**
**conforms to the words of the circle of Shammai.**
**Now, under what circumstances?**
**When [the tassel] is first made.**
**But its remnants and shreds are**
**suitable at any length.**


###### Sifrei Devarim 234:4
[Sifrei Devarim 234:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/234:4)

**עַל אַרְבַּע** – יָצְאוּ בַּעֲלֵי שְׁלֹשָׁה וּבַעֲלֵי חָמֵשׁ וּבַעַל שֵׁשׁ וּבַעַל שֶׁבַע וּבַעֲלֵי שְׁמוֹנֶה. דָּבָר אַחֵר: **גְּדִלִים תַּעֲשֶׂה לָּךְ** – זֶה לָבָן. מִנַּיִן לְרַבּוֹת אֶת הַתְּכֵלֶת? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר (במדבר טו לח): ״וְנָתְנוּ עַל צִיצִת הַכָּנָף פְּתִיל תְּכֵלֶת״.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
**“On the four corners” (Dt. 22:12)—**
**This excludes from the rule**
**garments of three, five, six, seven, or eight corners**.¹⁶¹
**Another word:**
“*Tassels* shall you make for yourself” (Dt. 22:12)—
This refers to those of white.
How do I know that
it includes as well those of azure?
The Teaching states:
“And tie, in addition to the fringed corner, a strand of azure” (Nu. 15:38).

footnotes:
¹⁶¹ //Sifre Nu.,115.


###### Sifrei Devarim 234:5
[Sifrei Devarim 234:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/234:5)

**תַּעֲשֶׂה** – וְלֹא מִן הֶעָשׂוּי, שֶׁלֹּא יוֹצִיא נִימִים מִן הַטַּלִּית וְיַעֲשֶׂה. **עַל אַרְבַּע** – וְלֹא עַל שְׁמוֹנֶה. **כְּסוּתְךָ** – פְּרָט לְטָגָא, וּלְתוֹבְלָא, וּלְתִיבְלָטִירִים, לְתַקְרָקִים לְבוּרְסִים לְבוּרְדְּסִים, לְפִי שֶׁאֵינָם מְרֻבָּעִים. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר בֶּן יַעֲקֹב אוֹמֵר: מִנַּיִן שֶׁלֹּא יִתֵּן עַל אֶמְצַע בֶּגֶד, אֶלָּא עַל שְׂפָתוֹ? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: **עַל אַרְבַּע כַּנְפוֹת**.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
2. “You shall *make*” (Dt. 22:12)—
but not from a ready-made article.
So that you won’t [be tempted to] extract
loose-threads from a cloak and
*make* them [into tassels].
“On the *four* corners” (Dt. 22:12)—
but not on *eight* of them!
“Of your *garment*” (Dt. 22:12)—
this excludes from the rule:
**A *toga*, a *tebenna*, a *fivlaterion*, a *nerbixa,***
**a *birrus,* and a Burdisian cloak,**
**none of which is square**.¹⁶² 234, see H: 243 and p. 471, *Pisqa’* 234, ns. 3-10.
3. R. Eliezer b. Jacob says:
How do I know that tassels are not placed
In the middle of a garment, but on the *hem*?
The Teaching states:
“On the four *corners*” (Dt. 22:12).

footnotes:
¹⁶² A similar listing of types of shawls appears in the parallel at M. Kil. 9:6. For details,of these and other garments listed in Pisqa’


###### Sifrei Devarim 234:6
[Sifrei Devarim 234:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/234:6)

**כְּסוּתְךָ** – פְּרָט לְכַר; **כְּסוּתְךָ** – פְּרָט לְסָדִין. **תְּכַסֶּה** – פְּרָט לְסָגוֹס.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
“Of your *garment*” (Dt. 11:12)—
with the exception of a pillow-case.
“Of your *garment*”—
with the exception of a linen sheet.
“With which you *cover* yourself” (22:12)—
with the exception of a *soldier’s blanket*.


###### Sifrei Devarim 234:7
[Sifrei Devarim 234:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/234:7)

**בָּהּ** – פְּרָט לְמַעֲפוֹרֶת שֶׁלֹּא תְכַסֶּה רֹאשׁוֹ וְרוּבּוֹ.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
“With which you cover *yourself*” (22:12)—
with the exception of a smock,
which doesn’t cover *the head and most of the body*.