[(Numb. 15:38:) THAT THEY MAKE TASSELS FOR THEMSELVES.] When you make them, they shall not be from something already made. Thus one must not extract threads⁷⁷, sing.: nima. Cf. Gk.: nema. from the cloak itself and make tassels from them. Rather it is a command to get fresh white and blue threads to make them.⁷⁸. 41b. When did this rule apply? When there was a real blue, but now we only have white, because the blue has been hidden. (Ibid., cont.:) ON THE CORNERS OF THEIR GARMENTS: Not in the middle, but on the corner. (Ibid., cont.:) A TWISTED THREAD (petil). Thus it is necessary to twist (petol) them. R. Meir said: Why does blue differ from all other kinds of colors? Because blue resembles [the sea, the sea resembles] the firmament, and the firmament resembles the throne of glory. Thus it is stated (in Exod. 24:10): AND THEY SAW THE GOD OF ISRAEL, AND UNDER HIS FEET THERE WAS SOMETHING LIKE BRICKWORK OF SAPPHIRE, LIKE THE HEAVENS THEMSELVES FOR BRIGHTNESS.

footnotes: ⁷⁷ Nimin ⁷⁸ Cf. Men