כי תבואו אל ארץ מושבותיכם....ועשיתם אשה לה', “when you arrive in the land of your permanent residence....and you prepare a fire-offering for the Lord, etc.” This paragraph was attached to that of the failure of the mission of the spies in order to reinforce the confidence of the children who were already mourning the upcoming premature deaths of their parents that they would indeed come to the land and offer sacrifices there.

A Midrashic approach (based on Tanchuma Shelach 14): just as a father is obligated to train his son in five aspects of successful living, i.e. to circumcise him, to teach him Torah, to redeem him from a priest if he is a firstborn, to teach him an honest trade, and to arrange for him to marry a suitable woman, so G’d provided similarly for the Jewish people (His firstborn son). He circumcised them employing Joshua as the Mohel performing the ritual as recorded in Joshua 5,2. G’d “redeemed” Israel as we know from Samuel II 7,23: “and who is like Your people Israel, a unique nation on earth whom G’d went and redeemed as His people, etc.” He taught the Israelites the Torah as He said: “you shall teach them (the words of the Torah) to your children,” [employing the fathers as the teachers. Ed.]. It is also written that G’d personally taught the Torah, as stated in Isaiah 48,17: ”I the Lord am your G’d, instructing you for your own benefit.” G'd taught the people a useful trade by teaching them the commandments, as we know from Leviticus 27,34 “These are the commandments which G’d instructed, etc.” Finally, He arranged for the people to have suitable marriage partners when he blessed them saying: “Be fruitful and multiply.” Just like a father feeds his family, anoints them with oil and washes them (arranges for all this) so G’d does the same for Israel as we know from Ezekiel 16,9-10: “I bathed you in water, and washed the blood off you, and anointed you with oil. (verse 19) and the food which I had given you, the choice flour, the oil and the honey, which I had provided for you to eat, etc.” In Numbers 21,11 we find the Israelites addressing the well of water provided for them by G’d with the words: “spring up O well-sing to it,” Just as when the father gives properties to his children the children offer gifts to the father as symbols of their gratitude, so G’d here told the Israelites to offer certain libations to express their gratitude when they would arrive in the land of Israel.

ראשית עריסותיכם חלה תרימו תרומה, “As the first of your kneading you shall set aside a loaf, a portion for the Lord.” The commandment of setting aside this loaf was not applicable in the desert (seeing the bread had not grown on our soil) but this commandment became applicable as soon as the Israelites set foot on the West Bank of the Jordan and ate from its produce. (Sifri 110). The reason the Torah had to use the words מלחם הארץ, “from the bread of the land,” is that it had to be contrasted with the “bread” the Israelites had been eating before entering the Holy Land, i.e. heavenly “bread.” The Biblical injunction described here is applicable in the full sense of the word only for people resident in ארץ ישראל, this is why the Torah writes בבואכם, “when you come (plural)” i.e. when all of you come. When only part of the Jewish nation resides in the Holy Land the commandment applies only as a Rabbinic decree. The commandment consists of setting aside this loaf from the dough before it has been baked, this is why the Torah uses the word ראשית, “the first of your kneading.” The person setting this part of the dough aside, generally a woman, recites a benediction mentioning that we have been commanded to perform this commandment. Even in the diaspora the dough is set aside although the benediction is not recited there. The reason this ritual is being observed also in the diaspora is so as not to cause the entire commandment being forgotten during the many years of our exile. There is no specific quantity for the size of either the dough from which the loaf has to be set aside or for the minimum size of that loaf. However, the Rabbis have made certain rules about this. They consider the minimum acceptable size of that loaf as being 1/60th of the dough whereas a generous person is expected to set aside 1/40th of the size of that dough. The minimum quantity of dough qualifying for this commandment to become mandatory is an amount equivalent to 423 eggs in volume. Anything less would not qualify under the heading of “a gift for the Lord,” i.e. the priest, His representative on earth. Anything less than the amount mentioned would be an insult rather than a symbol of gratitude, a gift (compare Maimonides Hilchot Bikkurim chapter 5). Nowadays, seeing the whole commandment in the diaspora is of rabbinic origin, eating this is forbidden only to such priests as are ritually unclean through a discharge from their bodies. Other lesser degrees of ritual impurity, even such impurity as contact with the dead do not disqualify the priest from eating such חלה. The wording of Maimonides concerning who may eat it nowadays is subject to argument, Raavad certainly has a different version regarding parts of it. At any rate, seeing that these types of ritual impurity once contracted cannot easily be removed, and furthermore the חלה if containing water or certain other liquids is almost certainly unclean to start with, only a priest under the age of nine, before he is subject to seminal discharge may be permitted to actually eat it under strictly supervised conditions. There is therefore no absolute need to burn the חלה taken in the diaspora.

A kabbalistic approach: The commandment to set aside חלה, which is the only commandment applicable to the dough, is an allusion to the כנסת ישראל, the spiritual concept “Israel.” Of this spiritualized version of the Jewish people Solomon wrote in Song of Songs 6,9: “unique is she My constant dove.” Israel, i.e. the spiritual concept known as כנסת ישראל, represents the world’s tithe and heave-offering to the Lord. We know this as Israel is described as תרומה, “heave-offering” חלה תרימו תרומה. [The words תרימו תרומה already appeared at the end of the previous verse so that in our verse it must refer to a different subject, not the dough, but the people of Israel. Ed.] The כסת ישראל itself is “distilled” from the emanation חכמה which is also known as ראשית, as it is the “first” of the emanations [below כתר which is in a different category completely being the connecting link to the עולם האצילות, Ed.]. We had explained already in Genesis that the words בראשית ברא אלוקים are to be understood as “using the emanation ראשית (חכמה), G’d created etc.”

When you reflect on his concept you will realize why this commandment could not apply (as a Biblical commandment) except in the Holy Land, the residence of the Shechinah in the Holy Temple. This was something that could occur only when the whole Jewish people had come to that land (compare Ketuvot 25). Perhaps the fact that the verse in question comprises 10 words is a further allusion to the ten emanations.

והם הביאו את קרבנם אשה לה' וחטאתם לפני ה', “and they have brought their offering to the Lord, and their sin-offering before the Lord.” Nachmanides writes that the words: “before the Lord,” refer to the celestial court, as these words had not really been necessary. The fact is that sins are expiated both by the attribute of Mercy, i.e. Hashem, as well as by the attribute of Justice. This has been spelled out in greater detail in connection with the sin of idolatry, i.e. that the forgiveness of both attributes is required to wipe out this sin. The word ונסלח appears both in verse 25 as well as in verse 26 although the subject is the same sin. This proves that forgiveness is required both from the attribute of Mercy and the attribute of Justice. The reason that in verse 28 the Torah makes special mention of G’d forgiving the proselyte is that proselytes, who used to be idol-worshipers, are more prone to commit an act which in Jewish law is considered as idol worship, than are natural born Jews. The repeated emphasis that the sin had been an unintentional one, i.e. שגגה, is the Torah’s way of justifying that forgiveness for this cardinal sin is indeed appropriate after the sinner or sinners have brought the appropriate offerings as outlined in our passage.

כי דבר ה' בזה, “for he scorned the word of the Lord.” The entire Torah is included in the description “the word of the Lord.” When someone deliberately commits an act of idolatry he has therefore shown contempt for the entire Torah.

It is also possible to interpret the words את דבר ה' בזה as a reference to the first of the Ten Commandments. The idolater violates the concept of the divinity of the Lord, shows his contempt by what he did. The words ואת מצותו הפר, “and he violated His commandment,” refer to the second of the Ten Commandments, the warning not to have or to serve any other deities besides the Lord.

A Midrashic approach: the words “he has shown contempt for the word of the Lord” refer to the heretics who deliberately pervert the meaning of parts of the written Torah (Sifri 112). The sages taught as as a corollary of this verse that the scholar who teaches Torah is considered as “the word of the Lord,” seeing he is the instrument by means of which the word of the Lord becomes known amongst the public (Compare Daniel 12,3: ”and the knowledgeable will be radiant like the bright expanse of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will be like stars forever and ever”). Psalms 103,20 has a similar meaning when the psalmist says: “mighty creatures do His bidding.” The person who perverts the words of Torah, on the other hand, is the educated heretic, generally known as “Apikores.”

ויהיו בני ישראל במדבר, “while the children of Israel were in the desert, etc.” we already know that the episode of the spies, as well as the uprising of Korach and the incident of the person who gathered kindling on the Sabbath occurred in the desert. Why then did the Torah have to preface this paragraph with he words: “the children of Israel were in the desert?” According to the plain meaning of the text these words could be meant to underline the seriousness of the sin of the person who had gathered this kindling. While the people were in the desert they experienced miracles daily, such as the descent of the manna, the protective layer of cloud, etc., miracles which testified to the fact that G’d had preceded the world in time and therefore was able to ignore the laws of nature. This man, in defiance of such knowledge violated the Sabbath which is meant to testify to our belief in G’d’s being eternal, predating the existence of any physical universe. Another way of explaining the words: “the children of Israel were in the desert,” could be that seeing that G’d had decreed that the people would remain in the desert for a long time and there they would die and perish, the Torah came to inform us that amongst the people (even the elite, i.e. “Children of Israel”) there were some who violated such basic commandments as the Sabbath, Tzitzit, etc., so that even without the sin of the spies G’d might have decreed death in the desert for many of them. The reason such paragraphs are recorded in the Torah one after the other is to draw our attention to the reciprocal responsibility one Israelite has for the observance of G’d’s commandments by his fellow Israelite (compare Sanhedrin 27). If, nonetheless, Israelites committed such sins publicly this points to a failure of the principle of reciprocal responsibility at that time.

It is also possible to explain that in view of the Torah having written earlier (14,25) that the Canaanite and the Amalekite dwelled in the “valley,” ready to set an ambush against the Israelites should they attempt to invade their lands, that this had prompted G’d to decree: “tomorrow you will turn and travel in the direction of the desert direction see of Reeds,” that the Israelites obeyed this instruction and remained in the desert. While engaged in obeying the command of the Lord the incident with the person collecting kindling on the Sabbath occurred. This was an illustration of one sin leading to another, i.e. if they had not had to remain in the desert due to the sin of the spies, this sin would not have occurred.

Still another possibility of explaining the words ויהיו בני ישראל במדבר, a paragraph which is attached to the sin of committing idolatry, is that seeing that sin is first described as having occurred unwittingly, בשגגה, by the public at large, עדת ישראל, the next example was the same sin committed intentionally, i.e. ביד רמה. These were abstract examples of the very real examples of the sin of the golden calf and the sin of the spies. One starts committing idoltary unintentionally only to later on commit the same sin knowingly. The wording of the Torah in this connection is somewhat strange. When the Israelites made the golden calf they set out by simply wanting to replace the absent leader Moses, i.e. “make for us an authority to walk before us seeing that the man Moses we do not know what happened to him” (Exodus 32,1). After the calf emerged, suddenly they said: ‘these are your gods O Israel who have taken you out of Egypt,” and they prostrated themselves before the golden calf and offered sacrifices to it (Exodus 32,8), i.e. now the sin had become a knowing form of idol worship. In spite of this their sin was forgiven as they repented. The penalty prescribed for idolatry, i.e. extermination of that person from his people applies when no remorse has been demonstrated, etc. In our instance the Torah describes that as a result of lack of remorse the people had been required to remain in the desert, a fact which was immediately followed by at least one individual demonstrably violating the laws of the Sabbath thus demonstrating the truth of the saying that once one sin has been committed it is not a big step to commit another sin, in this instance a sin by an individual.

The Torah may have used to teach us by means of this example that if one travels in the desert far from civilization (and does not know the day of the week) one is still obligated to observe the Sabbath. The way to do this is to count six days for himself and to observe the seventh day as Sabbath (Shabbat 69). The underlying reason for this is that during the six days of creation each of the respective emanations which were involved in assisting in the creation of the specific phenomena created on that day observed a rest at the end of their respective activity. When the Sabbath came and contributed its specific activity, i.e. מנוחה, this contributed a sense of pleasure and contentment to all the emanations and they all desisted from their respective activities. Even though the Israelites in the desert certainly kept track of the calendar and the days of the week, and there could not be a question of any error in their calculations, the Torah hints that if someone who does not know the day of the week because he is in the desert and he deliberately fails to set aside the seventh day in his personal calendar as the Sabbath, he is guilty of the death penalty no less than if he had been aware of the correct date.

A Midrashic approach based in Shabbat 96: the man in question was Tzelofchod son of Chefer. The sages derive this from the fact that both the word: “in the desert” here and the word “in the desert” which we find as describing the location of Tzelofchod’s sin in Numbers 27,3 were really superfluous. The Torah wrote them to let us know who the מקשש עצים was.

ויקריבו אותו, “they brought him (to Moses).” As soon as the Sabbath had ended. המוצאים אותו, “the people who had found him (collecting the kindling).” By rights the Torah should have written: אשר מצאו אותו, the ones who had found him (past tense) seeing that they did not find him now. The Torah chose the present tense to inform us that this man had continued to collect the kindling in spite of having been warned of the impending penalty if he would not stop (compare Sifri 113).

It is worth noting that the word אותו, “him,” occurs no fewer than six times in this short paragraph. This appears unnecessary as the Torah could have appended the suffix הו in most of these instances saving several letters. When you compare the Torah’s report about the blasphemer at the end of Parshat Emor (Leviticus 24,11-23) you will note that the Torah did make use of the suffix after the first time the man was mentioned. Another unusual feature of this paragraph is the description of the sinner as מקושש עצים, when we would have expected to read מלקט עצים בשבת, “someone collecting wood on the Sabbath.” The expression מקושש is reserved for matters connected with hay and straw. Examples are Exodus 5,7 and 5,12. On the other hand, the expression לקט is appropriate for the collecting of wood as we know from Jeremiah 7,18.

There is, however, a reason why the Torah chose the expression מקושש. It is well known that the earth has six extremities. They were created with the power of G’d which resides within six seals, each seal being applied to a different one of these extremities [Boundaries, i.e. terrestrial earth is not an expanding part of the universe. Ed.] This is alluded to in Exodus 31,13 כי אות היא ביני וביניכם, “for it is a “sign,” i.e. ”seal” between Me and you” (part of the mystique of the Sabbath). The person gathering the kindling denied the validity of this covenant by what he did. This is why the letters שש (six) are part of the description the Torah chose to report his sin. He had turned something sacred into something profane by denying the significance of sealing the six extremities of the earth. The word could be read as מקו ששה, “from the sixth line”. By violating the concept of the six lines (leading to the six extremities), he made it impossible to perceive of the Sabbath as the seventh line specifically aimed at the Jewish people. This seventh “line” may be perceived as the Holy Sanctuary, something over and beyond the limitation of terrestrial space.

כי לו פורש מה יעשה לו, “because it had not been made clear what should be done to him.” This refers to which of the four types of death penalties was applicable to someone committing this type of Sabbath violation. All that was known so far was that deliberate violation of the Sabbath is subject to the death penalty as written in Exodus 31,14. Now G’d clarified: “the man shall be put to death the entire assembly shall pelt him with stones outside the camp” (verse 35).

דבר אל בני ישראל, “speak to the Children of Israel, etc.” The commandment to make fringes at the corners of four-cornered (almost all) garments was first mentioned in general terms, and then spelled out in detail. This is why the Torah adds: ואמרת אלהם, “and say to them.” Every single commandment consists of the general commandment plus its details. I have elaborated on this subject at the beginning of the Book of Leviticus (page 1473 our translation).

ועשו להם ציצית, “they shall make fringes for themselves.” The word ציצית alludes to the four cords, threads, which are to be attached to each corner of the garment and which are suspended from it. We find that Ezekiel speaks of a vision (8,3) in which he was taken hold of by an angel בציצת ראשי, “by the lock of my head,” i.e. a fringe of his hair. The words: “they shall make for themselves cords,” means that they must not use threads which are already part of the garment, talit, and then make the fringes out of these threads (Menachot 41). Maimonides Hilchot Titzit 1,6-18 explains the procedure and appearance of making and attaching the fringes. One takes four cords, introduces them into a small hole near each of the corners of the garment and bends them double in the middle so that eight cords appear to hang down from that hole. The hole has to be no further than three fingers’ breadth from the edge of the garment. The place where the fringes are attached must be at least far enough from the edge of the garment to enable a knot to be made there the size of the thickness of a thumb. If subsequently, through wear and tear, the width is reduced so that the fringes appear literally at the edge of the garment this does not disqualify them from performing their function. The same holds true if the angles of the garments, the corners, shrink. Initially, the length of the threads used to make the fringes should not be shorter than four finger-widths with the thumb. If, subsequently, enough length remains exposed so that one can construct a loop this is sufficient. If, one of the four threads of the four tzitziyot is totally torn off, however, this renders the garment to which it was attached unfit to wear. In the process of attaching the fringes to the respective corner of the garment to which it is being attached the wearer takes one of the four (respectively eight) cords and winds same around the others so that approximately one third of its total length will be so wound. This “wound” part is known as the גדיל. The remaining two thirds of the length of the fringes are left to dangle by themselves, unwound. The part wound around the other threads by one thread three times is known as a חוליא, “vertebra,” and there should not be fewer than seven such vertebrae wound around part of the threads before they are interrupted by a double-knot. When winding more than seven such vertebrae around the other four threads one should not exceed the number 13 per section. The whole procedure symbolizes the seven layers of the heavens which are separated by six layers of space between them (Menachot 39), seeing that the color blue of the one thread resembles the color of the sea, and the sea in turn resembles and therefore recalls the color of the sky (heaven) and what this symbolizes. (Menachot 43). The idea behind all this is to be remembered favorably in heaven.

Nachmanides writes that of the number of threads, i.e. 8, seven are white whereas one is techelet, sky-blue, seeing the Torah speaks about פתיל תכלת, a (single) sky-blue thread. The colour itself is a dye derived from the snail known as חלזון, a marine creature whose essential colour is similar to the appearance of the sea and whose blood is black; it is found in the Dead Sea and the wool must be soaked first in lime, in order to bleach it; after that the wool is washed thoroughly until it is absolutely clean. Then it is placed in a pot of boiling water into which the blood of the חלזון has first been poured. Subsequently one adds the wool of which the thread in question is to be dyed in the customary manner of applying dye so that the wool will look like the colour of that snail called חלזון (Maimonides Hilchot Tzizit 1,6). A second view holds that two of the eight threads are blue (techelet) and six are white. According to the view cited first, one takes one of the white threads and winds them around the other threads once, close to the garment itself, leaves it and then takes the blue thread and winds it around the other threads twice. These three “rings” are called aחוליא , vertebra. He leaves a little space by making two knots and repeats the procedure this time winding two rings of blue thread around the other white threads making a knot. The three rings together are called “a vertebra”. The first knot is known as the “upper knot;” the procedure is repeated after allowing for a little space beneath the knot. The second vertebra consists of only blue rings. This procedure is again repeated so that the final vertebra consists of two rings of blue wool and one ring of white wool. The reason for this sequence is that seeing he started with white rings he also concludes the procedure with a white ring. There is an allusion to his procedure in the text when the Torah writes ונתנו על כנף פתיל תכלת, “they shall attach to the edge a blue thread.” Concerning this our sages in Menachot 39 have said the word כנף is not to be understood literally but refers to something resembling the edge, i.e. the first “ring” should be of the same colour as the garment itself. The first part of the visible פתיל should appear as if it were a continuation of the talit, the garment to which it is attached. It follows that only after a ring of white wool has been wound around the eight threads is a ring of blue wool to be wound around it. The reason why the final ring should also be white is the principle of מעלין בקודש, that when engaged in creating levels of sanctity one always proceeds from a lesser degree of sanctity to a higher degree. Seeing that the Torah had intended that that which is attached immediately to the corner of the garment should be white, it follows that the color white is holier than the color blue. The Geonim have written in this vein in their various comments about this subject. Nowadays, seeing we do not have the blue thread, all the threads are made of white wool seeing the principle had already been established that in the absence of blue wool [of the required color derived from the halachically approved source, Ed.] the absence of this blue thread does not make the whole commandment of tzitzit redundant (compare Menachot 38 and Maimonides Hilchot tzitzit 1,4). We also have a rule that the absence of white threads when blue threads are available does not invalidate the application of the commandment either. This means in practice that if the visible part of the white threads had torn so that only the color blue remains visible the garment may still be worn in such a condition (Menachot 38). The reason why the fringes are called tzitzit we already explained, is based on the verse from Ezekiel as the appearance of the fringes is similar to the appearance of the locks of hair on the head. The reason this part is called “white” is simply because we have not been commanded to dye it. Even though we have been taught that the presence of either blue or white is not of the essence, i.e. that the commandment is effective anyway, this does not mean that we are dealing here with two separate commandments [as in the case of the phylacteries where we recite separate benedictions over each phylactery, Ed.] The reason the “branch” i.e. the fringes are referred to as “white,” is because there is no instruction to dye them. If someone dons a garment which contains either white, blue or both of these colors he has fulfilled a single commandment seeing the Torah wrote: “they shall put on (each) fringe of the corner a blue thread whereupon these will become for you fringes” (verses 38,39). This teaches that both colors combine to make one commandment. We have a Baraitha (Menachot 43) in which Rabbi Meir is quoted as saying that if someone fails to incorporate white threads in the tzitzit he is subject to a harsher punishment than if he merely fails to incorporate the colour techelet, sky-blue. The matter can best be explained by a parable. A king told his servants to bring him two seals, seeing that in those days every slave had two stamps on him to show who he belonged to in the event he would be sold. He told one of his servants to bring him a seal made of gold whereas he told the other to bring him a seal made of clay. Both servants failed to carry out their respective tasks. Whom would the king punish more harshly? Obviously, the servant who had failed to produce a seal made of clay would be in line for harsher punishment as it is easy to find or produce a seal made of clay whereas it is much more difficult and expensive to produce a seal made of gold. For the same reason, if someone fails to incorporate white threads in the fringes this is a greater degree of negligence than if he fails to incorporate the blue thread seeing that white threads are in abundant supply. Nowadays, when we use only white threads for making the fringes one takes one of the eight threads and winds them around the others for a total length of approximately the first third of the protruding length. The remaining two thirds of the length are left to hang freely. If he wants to perform the system of making the vertebrae we described earlier this is perfectly admissible. If he does not want to make these vertebrae he is at liberty to merely wind the one thread around the others without making this division by making knots after each vertebra. The main thing is that the upper third of the fringes should have the eighth thread wound around it (Maimonides Hilchot Tzitzit 1,9). A similar principle is applied when affixing the מזוזה to the door post of our houses and rooms, i.e. the mezuzah is to be attached within the top third of the door post. The reason that we make five knots when attaching the tzitzit to the talit is that we have been taught that the fulfillment of this commandment is equivalent to all the 613 commandments of the Torah. The word ציצית has a numerical value of 600. When you add the eight threads and the five knots you have the number 613, an allusion to all the commandments of the Torah. This is the mystical dimension of (15,39) “when you see it (the fringe) you will remember all the commandments of the Torah and remember to perform them, etc. Do not object that the word ציצת appears three times in this passage spelled without the letter י before the letter ת, so that the numerical value of the word is only 590 and not 600. The letter ל in the word לציצת in verse 38 makes up for the missing thirty through the absence of three times the letter י, so that the combined numerical value of each word ציצת, לציצת, ציצת is 1800, which divided by three still amounts to 600.

The reason the word has been mentioned three times in our paragraph is to serve as an allusion that the statement that a single commandment is equivalent to all the 613 commandments is applicable to a total of three such commandments, i.e. he commandment of tzitzit, the commandment of observing the Sabbath, and the commandment not to engage in idolatry (Compare Chulin 5). Rashi (end of verse 41) writes that the eight threads of the tzitzit are an allusion to the eight days which elapsed between the day of the Exodus and the singing of the song of thanksgiving after the Israelites had crossed the Sea of Reeds and the Egyptians had been drowned in it. We all know that this song is read from the Torah on the seventh day of Passover, not on the eighth day. How then are we to understand Rashi’s comment? The correct interpretation of Rashi’s words i.e. משיצאו ממצרים, when the departed from Egypt, is from the time that He (G’d) gave them permission to leave the country, i.e. on the evening of the fourteenth (see Rashi Berachot 9). The 14th day of Nissan, the day on which the Passover was slaughtered was part of the eight days Rashi refers to seeing that the Passover was קדשים, “sacrificial meat, and we have a rule that when it comes to anything connected with the sacrificial meat the night follows the day, i.e. the night from the 14th of Nissan to the fifteenth is still considered a part of the preceding day, i.e. the 14th of Nissan. This is based on Leviticus 7,15: “on the (same) day he shall consume it, he shall not leave over from it until the morning,” i.e. until the following morning is part of the same day. If the Israelites crossed the Sea of Reeds on the 21st of Nissan his was the eighth’s day after the Passover.

A Midrashic approach to our verse: the word ציצית is related to “seeing.” The root appears in that sense in Song of Songs 3,9 מציץ מן החרכים, “looking through the shutters.” When someone wears tzitzit he must take care not to commit any sins as he is under observation by G’d from the celestial throne of glory, a throne which resembles the colour of the blue thread on the tzitzit. The sages call a garment fitted with tzitzit a טלית, talit, a word denoting something superior, exalted; we find the word used in that sense in Daniel 7,4 ונטילת מן ארעא, “and it was removed (elevated) from earth,” This is an allusion to G’d who is exalted above all, and we have been commanded to drape ourselves in a talit based on an interpretation of Exodus 34,6, “the Lord passed in front of him (Moses).” If we did not have a specific verse in scripture to this effect it would have been presumptuous for any human being even to write such a line. At any rate, the meaning of the verse is that G’d wrapped Himself in a talit, just like the cantor in the synagogue, and showed Moses what He wanted to show him at Mount Sinai, telling him that whenever Israel is guilty of a sin, he should drape the talit over himself as he had seen G’d do, and then his prayers would result in G’d forgiving them.

The entire thrust of the passage in Exodus 34 is to teach the Israelites how to pray and entreat G’d in order for their entreaties to be effective. They are to drape the talit (with the tzitzit) around themselves and invoke the attributes of the Lord relevant to the sin committed for which they seek forgiveness. When the sages spoke about draping the talit over oneself they referred to a white talit, seeing that white is the symbol of forgiveness. This is why the prophet Isaiah 1,18 said: “if your sins are as red as certain types of red wool, they will become white as snow (as a result of your repentance). Just as the color red is a symbol of sin so white is a symbol of forgiveness. When man drapes the white talit over himself this is a pointer to G’d that He should cover His creatures in the white of His pardon and forgiveness. The first time G’d did this is recorded in Genesis 3,21: “The Lord made tunics made of leather for Adam and his wife and clothed them in it.” It is also a reminder that in the future G’d will resurrect the dead and dress them in garments appropriate for them. This is the mystical dimension of Job 38,14: “it changes like clay under the seal till its hues are fixed like those of a garment.” Seeing that this commandment is an allusion to the resurrection of our bodies, it is one which envelopes our body seeing the tzitzit are threads hanging from a talit similar to the locks of hair hanging from the head. This is the meaning of Ezekiel 8,3 which we discussed before. The holes made near the corners of the talit through which the threads of the tzizit are introduced symbolize the eyes, whereas the five knots symbolise the five senses man possesses. The eight strings represent the eight days which elapse until the male baby is circumcised. This is why the sages (Tanchuma Lech Lecha 20) have said that anyone who has not been circumcised will not take part in the resurrection of the dead. You will find five knots at each of the corners of the talit making a total of 20 such knots. This number corresponds to the combined number of fingers and toes, i.e. all these details symbolise man’s entire body. The reason that the upper third of each bundle of tzitzit is wound whereas the lower two thirds remain hanging freely is to hint that although at the present time the Jewish people are scattered throughout the surface of the globe, i.e. are in exile, (the principal nations harbouring our exiles being Ishmael and Edom (Esau), and therefore the Israelites are at the bottom of the totem pole (nowadays), when the redemption comes we will occupy our true place at the top of the totem pole, i.e. the upper third of the tzizit, bound together), fulfilling the promise of Deut. 26,19: “and to place you at the top among the nations of the earth.” This idea has been spelled out by Zecharyah 13,8: “throughout the land, declares the Lord, two thirds shall perish, shall die, and one third of it shall survive.” Elaborating on this verse Bamidbar Rabbah 15,11 states that the third which will survive the events described by the prophet are the Jewish people. The Midrash bases this on Isaiah 19,24: “In that day, Israel shall be a third (partner with Egypt and Assyria) as a blessing on earth. Another observation by the sages of the Midrash (Shabbat 32): anyone who observes the commandment of wearing tzitzit will merit to be attended to by 2800 servants. They derive this from Zecharyah 8,23: “In those days ten men from nations of every tongue (70 nations) will take hold- they will take hold of every Jew by a corner of his cloak and say: ‘let us go with you, for we have heard that G’d is with you.’” (Seeing that each talit has four corners this means that 2800 men will beg an individual Jew to be his servant.) Anyone who treats the commandment of tzitit with contempt is described in Job 38,13 as subject to the curse: “and seizes the corners of the earth and shakes the wicked out of it.”

A kabbalistic approach to the verse: “they shall make tzitzit for themselves.” This commandment applies to the 32 threads which are an allusion to the כלה, bride, in Song of Songs which is adorned and surrounded by 32 paths of wonderful wisdom. Concerning this “bride” Solomon said in Song of Songs 4,11: “and the fragrance of your robes is like the scent of Lebanon.” It is common knowledge that the word שלמה in that text is not to be taken at face value but represents a simile for the superior wisdom the wearer was “garbed” in. We have an example of this in Bereshit Rabbah 21,5 where the author explains the words in Daniel 10,5 describing Daniel’s vision of איש לבוש הבדים, “a man dressed in white linen” as a reference to the angel Gavriel. Clearly, the angel wears neither linen [nor gold as mentioned in the latter half of that verse. Ed.] The “clothing” described as worn by the angel is the “wisdom” surrounding his essence. According to the Midrash the function of this covering is similar to the horn-like protective shield worn by certain kinds of locusts which cover their entire bodies. Man needs such protective cover when exposed to radiation, revelation, from celestial sources. The thirty-two threads of the talit’s fringes synbolise this. [The oldest kabbalistic text, the Sefer Yetzirah, attributed to Avraham, already commences with a reference to these thirty-two paths of wisdom. Ed.] Wrapping oneself in a garment equipped with thirty-two tzitziyot symbolises that we wish to possess these thirty-two paths of wonderful wisdom. They are what G’d wraps Himself in and we have been commanded to והלכת בדרכיו, to “walk in His ways,” i.e. to emulate Him to the extent possible (Deut. 28,9). The reason this commandment is one which is equivalent to the entire 613 mitzvah-complex is that it is the “headstone” consisting of 613 precious stones (the mitzvot) and every one of the 32 paths of wisdom is divided into 2, i.e. negative and positive aspects of the mitzvah making a total of 64 each of which consists of elements of the ten emanations making a total of 640. When you deduct the number of letters of the Hebrew alphabet, i.e. 27, you are left with the number 613. This is the mystical dimension of what the Talmud Menachot 43 says that the words וראיתם אותו וזכרתם את מצות ה', “when you see it,” the mitzvah of tzitzit , you will remember all the commandments of the Lord and perform them as a result.” Reflecting on this commandment and its details calls to mind all other commandments. This is what the sage Rabbi Ezriel wrote in the introduction to his commentary on Song of Songs.

There is an additional reference to a mystical element of this commandment wherein the Jewish people (when wearing tzitzit) are compared to the chayot supporting the Divine entourage מרכבה, in the celestial regions. You are already aware that all the commandments have been divided into two major groups. One group is purely traditional, no specific purpose or reason having been revealed concerning it The other group consists of commandments which recommend themselves to our intelligence as soon as we examine them and think about them. The former are known as מקובלות, the latter as מושכלות. The Kabbalists who have composed the wording of the prayers did so only regarding the commandments known as the מקובלות not regarding the commandments which we defined as מושכלות. The reason is that the former group of commandments constitute the essence of sanctity. We, the Jewish people, are referred to as a “holy people” because we perform the commandments known as מקובלות, not because of our observing the group of mitzvot known as מושכלות, appealing to our reason. This is also why all the benedictions recited prior to the performance of the מצות מקובלות, are prefaced with the formula “who has sanctified us by means of His commandments, and commanded us to perform such and such a commandment.”

Intelligent people realize that the performance of those commandments which we understand (or believe we understand) employing physical instruments in order to perform them, all relate to matters of the mind and they symbolize matters subject to our intellect. The sages compared a person when he stands before the Lord offering his prayers as similar to the holy chayot. This is one of the reasons the sages insisted that when intoning the principal prayer, the עמידה, a person has to first align his feet so that they are parallel and close together in order for him to appear similar to the holy chayot described in Ezekiel’s vision Ezekiel 1,7 as ורגליהם רגל ישרה, understood by Rashi in Berachot 10 as “their feet appeared to be a single foot.”

Let us now discuss this mitzvah during the performance of which the Jew is considered as comparable to the holy chayot. First of all, you should know that there are four such “chayot” who are carriers of the Divine entourage, מרכבה. Actually, the four are in reality one; they looked like four because of the clouds, darkness, and other phenomena surrounding this vision which covered part of them making it appear in the vision as if Ezekiel was confronted with four separate phenomena. The vision was similar to the vision of a tree all of which is a single phenomenon though it appears to be divided into trunk, branches, twigs, leaves, etc. The entire tree, however, has a common root. This is the reason that we read in Ezekiel 1,22: “above the head (singular) of the chayah was an expanse with an awe-inspiring gleam of crystal, etc.” You will note that after the prophet had earlier spoken of four separate chayot, he now refers to them as a single unit. Each one of these “four” chayot had four wings, making a total of 16 wings for the four chayot. Each one of these four chayot also had four faces as described in Ezekiel 1,6: “each had four faces.” This makes a total of 16 faces and 16 wings for the four chayot. When you add the total number of faces and the total number of wings of that vision you have a total of 32 phenomena. Each of these had profound “roots” representing weighty subject matters.

According to the opinion of Targum Yonathan the number of faces of the chayot were 64 and the combined number of wings were 256. In that case the meaning of the verse is: “each had four faces, i.e. each chayah had four faces and each face had four sides,” i.e. facing in each direction. The “four wings” of which the prophet speaks belonged to each of these 64 facets making a total of 256 wings. An easy way of remembering this are the words of Daniel 7,9 גלגלוהי נור דליק, “its wheels blazing flames.” When the Temple was destroyed the number of wings of these chayot were reduced. This resolves an apparent contradiction discussed in Chagigah 13 where it is pointed out that one verse (Isaiah 6,2) describes each of the chayot as having six wings whereas a similar verse in Ezekiel 1,6 describes the chayot as having four wings each. The answer given is that Isaiah prophesied and had visions at a time when the Temple was still standing. This is why the chayot had more wings than when Ezekiel prophesied at a time when the Temple had already been destroyed. The Talmud discusses whose wings were reduced in number, and Rav Chananel quoting Rav said that the ones who used to recite the songs of praise before the Almighty were the ones who had the number of their wings reduced. This is why the prophet writes in Ezekiel 1,6: “their legs were a straight leg,” suggesting that what had been several had been reduced to one.” In other words, the wings which in Isaiah’s vision had concealed the legs now were absent so that the legs were exposed. This is why in Isaiah 6,1 the prophet reports that with two of the wings the chayah (seraph) would fly whereas one chayah would call to the other: “Holy, Holy Holy, the Lord of Hosts, His presence fills the whole earth,” i.e. the text of the song. We read in Proverbs 23,5: “as soon as you focus on it is gone, riches grow wings, fly away heavenward like an angel.” The latter verse in Proverbs was understood by Rabbi Chananel as an allusion to the disappearance of the other two wings. The other sages, on the other hand, argue: “how would the prophet have known that in Isaiah’s vision these chayot had six wings? At that time their feet were not exposed due to the lower two of the six wings having covered them.” Thus far the Talmud. The total number of wings which the chayot were deprived of was eight, i.e. two were taken from each. According to the view of the other sages these eight wings were the ones which covered the feet of the chayot. This was sufficient to remind G’d of the sin of the golden calf, i.e. the chayot remained with 248 wings instead of the original 256, to intone the song corresponding to their 248 wings. We humans [counterparts of the angels] use the remaining 248 organs [our equivalent to the angels’ wings] to serve the Lord with each one to perform one of the 248 positive commandments. We compensate for the missing eight “organs” (wings) by circumcising our males on the eighth day after birth. It is this mitzvah which protects us throughout the generations.

In order to appreciate all this you have to remember that when G’d created Man He intended for our species to fulfill the role on earth which the chayot fulfill in heaven. Man is basically a single body, having branches, i.e. arms and legs, fingers and toes like the tree we described earlier. When one separates from this unit four specific organs which are to serve as the carrier of G’d’s entourage, מרכבה, so that as a result he becomes similar in function to the chayot in the celestial spheres, the presence of the Shechinah will come to rest on these four organs. They are: “the brain, the heart, covenant with the tongue [verbal promise to obey the commandments when the Israelites said: “we will do and learn” Ed.] and the organ on which the covenant Brit Milah has been performed. This is the reason that when we drape the talit around ourselves the four corners of the talit envelop the part of us corresponding to that of the chayah. This is the mystical dimension of Deut. 22,12: “you shall make tassels on the four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself.” This also explains the deeper meaning of the word כנף, כנפים, “wing or wings” which the Torah uses to describe the corners [instead of the usual word קרן, קרנות which is used to describe the corners of the Altar. Ed.] In order to remind us of the four faces and four wings of the chayot whose function in the heaven we are to duplicate on earth, our tradition (halachah) decided on the number of these tassels, i.e. eight for each corner to make a total of 32. Just as the “body” of the chayah was divided in the prophet’s vision into four separate parts, “faces,” whose task it is to conceal certain parts of the Shechinah, the attribute of כבוד, so the relevant part of the talit has to have white tassels to symbolise the chayot and a blue tassel to remind us of our counterparts in the celestial region which is perceived as blue. Nonetheless, the white fringes (tassels) are the more important ones as our sages taught in Menachot 39: “one begins with the white threads and one concludes the making of the tzitzit with the white threads” (the rings we wind around the upper third). The mystical dimension of this procedure parallels that of the blowing of the sound of the teruah, the broken sound of the shofar, which is also introduced by our first blowing an unbroken sound tekiah as well as our concluding with the same unbroken sound tekiah.

The relationship of the white tassels and the blue tassel are somewhat similar to the relationship of the Lulav, palm frond, to that of the Etrog, citron. Just as the absence of the Etrog or the Lulav invalidates the performance of the mitzvah, the whole procedure of the “four species,” so (when it is available) the absence of the blue thread or the white threads invalidates the whole commandment of tzitzit, i.e. one cannot pronounce a benediction over the parts of the mitzvah which is being put to use. Nowadays, when we do not have or do not know the correct color of the techelet, the blue to be used, this does not invalidate the performance of the mitzvah of tzitzit and we recite the appropriate benediction as long as white tassels are available as these are the principal part of the commandment. The “blue thread” of the tassels is to the commandment of ציצית what the אתרג which is known as הדר, beautiful, represents for the mitzvah of the four species, generally known as לולב.

There is an interesting comment by Midrash Tehillim on Psalms 90,16 on the words והדרך על בניהם, “and Your glory by their children.” [normally, the Midrash understands this verse as G’d showing the patriarchs that we, their children, observe His commandments something for which they are entitled to feel some satisfaction. Ed.] The Midrash in question understands the word והדרך, “and Your glory (beauty)” as a reference to the blue thread of the tzitzit we, His “children” are to wrap ourselves in order to emulate Him. Furthermore, the sages taught in Menachot 42 that whereas there is no maximum length for these tassels there is a minimum length. The same applies for the Lulav for which the sages did not set a maximum size (as opposed to the Etrog) although they stipulated a minimum size. When our sages in Berachot 12 interpreted the words ולא תתורו אחרי לבבכם in our passage as meaning: “you shall not follow the inclination of your hearts resulting in heresy,” they understood this as a danger inherent in the distinction between the white and the blue threads of the tzitziyot which could lead a person to believe that the two colours represent two separate divine domains, a division of power between two deities. The manner in which the white and the blue threads of the tzitzit are to be joined together is meant to forestall such thinking.

I would add to this that if you will look closely at Proverbs 24,21: “fear the Lord my son and the king,” Solomon made it plain that he referred to different attributes of one and the same G’d. We can understand the white tzitzit as symbolising the attribute of Hashem, the attribute of Mercy, whereas the blue thread symbolises the attribute of G’d as “king,” i.e. as the attribute of Justice. This latter attribute is the function of the emanations. In order for it to be clear that we are to emphasise the basic unity of these attributes, Solomon concludes the verse we quoted with ”do not associate with those who keep changing,” in other words: “do not think in your hearts that there is a divided authority, but be certain that there is total unity even though G’d may manifest Himself with different facets.” This is the message in our verse: “do not follow the urges of your heart.” Following the urges of your heart is nothing but a form of heresy. When we approach the verses from this vantage point we can understand the word אותו in וראיתם אותו, as derived from the word אות, “a sign, a symbol,” [not a pronoun but a noun, Ed.] It is as if the Torah had written that when you look at the tzitzit you are looking at G’d’s “seal,” the symbol of His existence .

You will find this thought spelled out in the Sefer Habahir item 93, where the author writes: “what is the reason for the blue-coloured thread on the tzitzit?” A king and his daughter had a number of servants and they (the servants) wanted to make a trip abroad. Seeing they were afraid the king would be angry at them, the king gave them his seal indicating his approval of their plans. They were still afraid that the king’s daughter would disapprove of their plans; the daughter gave them a seal of approval of her own to put their minds at ease. Having obtained seals of approval by both their masters the servants were at ease when they began their journey. The seals in question were the phylacteries and the tzitzit. Between them the person equipped with them announces that he is under G’d’s protection.

Midrash Tanchuma Shelach 15 makes the following comment on the words: “they shall make tzitzit for themselves.” This is a practical demonstration of what is written in Isaiah 42,21: “the Lord desires His servant’s vindication that he may magnify and glorify His teaching.” G’d gave the Torah to the Jewish people in order to secure for them a permanent place in the hereafter. This is why He made sure that no part of an Israelite’s daily activities is not inextricably involved with performing His commandments. When the farmer goes out to plough his field, G’d had already commanded him not to use two mismatched animals in drawing the ploughshare (Deut. 22,10). As soon as this farmer proceeds to scatter his seed he encounters the injunction not to mix alien seed when planting a vineyard (Deut. 22,9). When it is time to harvest some of his crop, the Torah preceded this activity by warning the farmer not to go back to pick up certain minor parts of the harvest he had left behind but to leave them for the poor (Deut. 24,19). When it comes to winnowing the grain harvest, the Torah first reminds the farmer to allocate the respective tithes before doing this. Before kneading the dough in preparation for baking bread, the woman doing so must set aside the first part of the dough for making loaves for G’d, i.e. to give them to the priest (Numbers 15,20). Before and after eating the bread, or any food for that matter, the Jew is to recite benedictions reminding him of G’d’s largesse which made it possible for him to have the food (Deut. 8,10). Before shearing the wool of one’s sheep, the Torah directed that the first shearing be given to the priest. When the animal gives birth the firstborn belongs to he priest. When the animal is slaughtered certain parts of it are given to the priest (Deut. 18,3). When one encounters a nest of chicks the mother bird must be sent off before one may take the chicks or eggs (Deut. 22,7 and 9). When one slaughters birds or free-roaming animals their blood must be covered (buried) before the meat may be consumed (Leviticus 17,13). Before making or donning garments to wear one must ensure they do not contain a mixture of wool and linen (Deut. 22,11). When a son is born to a father he must circumcise him and observe a certain period of continence when he cannot cohabit with his wife (Leviticus chapter 12). When planting an orchard, the fruit which has grown during the first three years must neither be eaten nor used by the owner in another manner beneficial to him (Leviticus 19,23). There are restrictions pertaining to burial, construction of the roof on one’s house, prohibitions governing the manner in which one expresses one’s grief over the loss of family members, (no tattoos) etc., etc. The door posts of one’s house must have a parchment with sections of the Torah (called mezuzah) attached to it. In short, there is no facet of our daily lives in which the performance of the commandments does not figure prominently. The wearing of the talit with fringes may also be perceived as similar to a man who has fallen overboard and who flounders in the water. What does the captain of the ship do? He throws him a rope or life belt to keep him afloat until he can be brought back to the ship. The talit with its tzitzit attached fulfills a similar role in our lives in which we constantly flounder were it not for the help extended by the Torah, i.e. G’d’s commandments. This is the true meaning of Deut. 4,11 “and you who have cleaved to the Lord your G’d are all of you alive this day.” Thus far Tanchuma.

וראיתם אותו, “when you see it (the tassel).” The Torah refers to the visual impact of the commandment. This line is the source for the halachah that this commandment does not apply at night (as there is then no visual impact). Seeing that the application of this positive commandment is tied to a specific time frame, women are absolved from observing it (Menachot 43). וזכרתם את כל מצוות ה' ועשיתם אותם, “you shall remember all of the Lord’s commandments and carry them out.” The visual impact produces memory and the memory triggers the performance of the commandments (Menachot 43). ולא תתורו אחרי לבבכם ואחרי עיניכם, “and you are not to follow your hearts or your eyes.” The heart and the eye act as “brokers” for the commission of sins. The eye sees, the heart desires, and the body commits the sin. By wearing the talit with its tzitziyot, man becomes as if he had seen the throne of G’d’s glory with his own eyes.

The tzitziyot are the symbol reminding him not to chase after pleasures in the terrestrial universe and all that his eyes ask for. The reason that the Torah mentions the heart first although the eye contact with the forbidden object occurs first, is that the heart acts as guide and “leader” for the entire body. The other organs follow the lead of the heart.

למען תזכרו ועשיתם את כל מצותי, “in order that you will remember and carry out all My commandments.” The Jerusalem Talmud Berachot 2,4, discussing the requirement to recite the קריאת שמע both mornings and evenings, explains that when reciting this verse the letter ז in the word תזכרו has to be drawn out somewhat when enunciated. The reason is to avoid that the word sounds like תשכרו, i.e. “you will secure compensation,” as one should not perform the commandments only in order to receive the reward promised (Avot,1,3). In this connection we may add that dwelling on that letter ז may also bring to mind the Torah which consists of 7 books (when we include the verses in Numbers 10,35-36 which were introduced by the inverted letters נ to show that the Book of Numbers are actually three books, giving us a total of seven Books of Moses). Seeing that the commandment of tzitzit is equal in moral weight to that of all the other commandments combined, such a thought when drawing out the letter ז is quite near at hand. Another thought that may surface when we pronounce the letter ז in the word תזכרו as urged to do by the Jerusalem Talmud Berachot is that it conjures up thoughts of the שבת הגדול, the “great” Sabbath. The subject matter of the whole verse then is: “I have commanded you to perform this commandment involving the blue thread here on earth in order that corresponding to your activity on earth you will also remember that in the celestial regions there is an emanation which is part of the emanation הכל which is also known as the שבת הגדול. The words which follow, i.e. ועשיתם אותם, “and you will perform them,” mean that when you concentrate on these various meanings of the letter ז in the word תזכרו you will in effect be thinking of all the commandments.

אני ה' אלו-היכם אשר הוצאתי אתכם מארץ מצרים להיות לכם לאלו-הים, אני ה' אלו-היכם, “I am the Lord your G’d who has taken you out of the land of Egypt in order to become your G’d, I am the Lord your G’d.” Here the Torah reveals that the purpose of the Exodus was in order for Hashem to become our G’d. If that is so, we can look at the Exodus as something which did not only benefit the Jewish people but as something which bestowed similar benefits on G’d Himself. This is what Joshua had in mind when he said (Joshua 7,9) “if they will destroy our name from earth what are You going to do for Your great name?” If G’d does not have a people how could the fact of His kingdom become manifest on earth? Our verse commenced with the words: “I am the Lord your G’d,” and it concludes with the very same words. The reason this has been repeated is to remind us that G’d’s status vis-a-vis us in the hereafter will remain the same as it is in our terrestrial world.

Another approach to the meaning of these words: “I will remain the same G’d and have the same relationship with you which I had after the first Exodus as I will have in the future after the final redemption.” Our verse would then be an assurance of the future redemption at which time the full extent of G’d’s Shechinah would once again become manifest in Jerusalem. This is in contrast to the presence of G’d’s Shechinah during the period of the second Temple when only a very ”weak” form of the Shechinah was manifest as we know from Yuma 21. The evidence of this “weak” Shechinah were the five important ingredients of the Temple which were absent during the entire existence of the second Temple. We have previously pointed to the letter ה in the words וארצה בו ואכבדה, as a clear allusion to the recurrence of these five manifestations of the Shechinah, seeing the prophet Chagai 1,8 did not need to write ואכבדה but could simply have written ואכבד, “I will be glorified.” By writing what he did, the prophet compared the first redemption to the final redemption. This thought is also expressed by Isaiah 11,11 when he writes: “in that day G’d will again apply His hand to redeeming the other part.” The prophet Micah elaborates when he said (Micah 7,15) “as in the days when you sallied forth from the land of Egypt I will show wondrous deeds.”