The fringes on all four corners are to
contain a petil techelet, a thread colored blue (or turquoise) with a dye
extracted from an aquatic creature called chilazon. (The identity of this
creature is no longer known, thus nowadays we are unable to observe that detail
of the precept of tzitzit.)
The significance of the techelet is that its color reflects the color
of the sea, which is similar to that of the sky which, in turn, is analogous to
that of the Divine Throne of Glory. Thus “you shall see it and remember all
the commandments of God and do them, and you shall not stray after your heart
and after your eyes...” (Numbers 15:39) To see the “blue thread” (or, in
the present observance, the tzitzit in general) is a reminder of God and
will prevent man from sinning (Menachot 43b; and cf. above, sect.
5-6, note 1).
The significance of the talit is “accepting upon yourself the yoke of
the Heavenly Kingdom in the act of spreading the talit over your head”
(Zohar III:120b). The techelet signifies the Heavenly Throne of
Judgment, thus “you shall see it and remember all the commandments of God”
because of the awe or fear it instills (ibid. II:139a and 152a-b; and see
also ibid. III:175a).
By Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov; translated and annotated by J. Immanuel SchochetMore articles... |
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Tzava'at Harivash is
an anthology of teachings and instructions attributed to the Baal
Shem Tov and his successor, R. Dov Ber, the Maggid of Mezhrich. The
translation, by a foremost authority on Chassidism and Jewish
Mysticism, is enhanced by source-references, brief commentaries,
notes on the passages that were perceived to be controversial, and a
comprehensive introduction.
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