Most people don’t think of Judaism as a fringe religion. Yet that’s our uniform. Under their shirts, Jewish men and boys wear a poncho called a tallit katan (literally: small cloak), with fringes hanging from each corner, just as the Torah prescribes (Numbers 15:37–40), “They shall make fringes on the corners of their garments . . .”
These fringes, called tzitzit, are coiled and knotted to remind us of all the mitzvot. The numerical values of the letters that comprise the Hebrew word tzitzit add up to 600. Add the eight strings and five knots of each tzitzit, and the total is 613. Now you understand why it’s customary to let the tzitzit hang out at the waist, in plain eyesight. Having a tangible reminder of the 613 mitzvot, in turn, strengthens our mastery over the temptations of the heart.
Traditionally, young boys begin wearing a tallit katan at the age of three.
Technically, tzitzit is a daytime mitzvah. According to the Kabbalah, however, tzitzit should be worn even while sleeping at night.
Donning a Tallit Katan:
Inspect the tzitzit every day and disentangle them. If they become shortened or torn, show them to a rabbi to ascertain whether they are still kosher.
Before donning the tallit katan, say:
בָּרוּך אַתָּה ה' אֱ-להֵינוּ מֶלֶך הָעוֹלָם אַשֶׁר קִדְשָנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָנוּ עַל מִצְוַת צִיצִת
Baruch atta Ado-noy Elo-hai-nu Melech ha'olam asher kid-sha-nu b'mitz-vo-tav v'tzi-vanu al mitzvat tzitzit.
[Blessed are you, L‑rd our G‑d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the mitzvah of tzitzit].
Did I miss something? I don’t see the information on the number of knots (for the mitzvot mentioned in the Torah. So isn’t the mitzvah of donning the tzitzit to be a symbol and remind us to do the mitzvot ( good deeds/commandments).
I was taught he kippah or yarmulka is also a symbol, Servants working outside wore a hat for protection.
The kippot show Israelites are servants of G-d and by wearing a kippah, help remind us that we are servants of G-d.
As far as the tzitzit, I was told, gathering the 4 corners with the tzitzit was a sign of uniting (the Jews from the corner of the earth.
This seems to refer to the diaspora, so was this a custom from after the Romans?
Hi Ruth,
Regarding the symbol of the number of knots, the eight strings and five knots are a physical representation of the Torah's 613 mitzvahs. It works like this: Each letter in the Hebrew alphabet has a corresponding numerical value (gematria). The numerical values of the five letters that comprise the Hebrew word tzitzit (ציצית) add up to 600. Add the eight strings and five knots of each tassel, and the total is 613.
Regarding the era of when tzitzit began, the mitzvah is mandated in the Torah, which predates the Roman era by more than a thousand years.