-246- PART TWO. The Meaning and Purpose of. Tzitzit ציצת

Transcription

1 -246- PART TWO The Meaning and Purpose of Tzitzit ציצת

2 -247- Chapter One Introduction Aside from kashrut and tefillin, the most symbolic of daily biblical commandments is a garment with fringes on the four corners: tzitzit - -- (טלית) Traditionally observant men wear such a garment -- a talit.ציצית for morning prayer and tens of thousands of orthodox boys and men wear a טלית קטן (small talit typically worn under the shirt) all day. The purpose of wearing such a garment is explained in the Torah text itself. We are to attach a fringe to our garment so that when one looks at the distinctive knotted tassels tied to the garment s corners, one should remember all the commandments of God and observe them (Num. 15:39)...and not stray away from God. The tassel is made of several threads, including a thread that is described in the text as sky-blue (in Hebrew, Since the Torah itself states that tzitzit are to serve as symbolic.(תכילת reminder of mitzvot and motivate their observance, the meaningful practice of this commandment requires us to search for the rich symbolism of tzitzit through an in-depth study of the Biblical texts and the oral tradition. Historical Sketch As we have done in the previous studies, we will first sketch a brief historical view of this symbolic mitzvah. To get the contextual historical perspective, we will look at the meaning of wearing a fringe on one s garment in the ancient Near East, and specifically the meaning of the distinct sky-colored dye, te chelet, in ancient societies. Then, in the next chapter, we will analyze the Torah text dealing with the specific mitzvah of tzitzit for the Jewish nation, guided by Rabbi S.R. Hirsch s commentary. The Fringe on a Garment Jewish law requires one to affix a fringe or tassel to each corner of our fourcornered garment. For us to gain a contemporary understanding of this act,

3 -248- we need to search for the symbolic meaning of such a tassel to societies from the time of the Torah through the Mishnaic period. In his enlightening excursus on tzitzit, 1 Jacob Milgrom traces the symbolic significance of a fringe in the ancient Near East. He notes that the hem of a robe was an indication of the status or authority of an individual; the more important the person, the more elaborate the embroidery. In Akkadian, to cut off one s hem means to remove one s status, so that a husband divorces his wife by cutting off the hem of his wife s robe. Milgrom suggests a biblical reference to a similar dynamic in the story of David and Saul. After David sneaks up on Saul in a cave and cuts off the hem of his robe, Saul says: I know that you will become king. (1Samuel 24:20). The hem of Saul s robe was a symbol of his royal authority, and he considered it a sign that God had cut off his kingship and had given it to David. From ancient Near Eastern art one can observe that tassels or fringes are an extension of the hem. Milgrom notes that one picture shows a fringe in the form of a flower head or tassel. Either the tassels can come from the uncut threads at the hem-corner or, as is apparent from another picture, hems were scalloped and tassels were suspended where the scallops met. 2 (כנף) wing The Hebrew in our Torah text, says Milgrom, calls a hem a rather than a corner and may refer to this type of scalloped hem. In any case, the tassel or ציץ that sprouts from the hem serves as an identification tag of the importance or status of the wearer. When we consider the historical meaning of a tassel, we validate the notion that tzitzit at the hem of a garment are meant to be an indication of identity and status. But, according to the Torah text, 3 each tassel of tzitzit is to contain a thread of sky-blue -.תכילת Let us study the historical significance of this colored thread and see what it adds to the symbol of tzitzit. 1 Jacob Milgrom, The JPS Torah Commentary: Numbers (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1990) pp Num. 15:38. 3 Ibid.

4 -249- The Thread of Te chelet Other than the passage specifying the sky- blue thread in Num. 15, there are only two other mentions of the Hebrew word,,פתיל meaning thread or cord, in the Bible. One appears as part of the clothing of the High Priest, and it is the identical te chelet-color of the thread of tzitzit. 4 The,כהן גדול association between the priestly garment and the tzitzit is meaningful, and we will discuss this relationship in the next chapter. But there is an earlier reference that gives us insight into the meaning of a thread or cord as an identifying article. It appears within the story of Judah and Tamar: He [Judah] said, What pledge should I give you? Your seal and cord,(פתיל) and the staff in your hand, she [Tamar] answered... [Gen. 38:18] The seal and cord (פתיל) referred to in the verse were commonly used in legal transactions just as a person s signature is used today. As noted by Nahum Sarna in his commentary on the verse 5, the seal was a clay cylinder that had distinctive markings of the owner and was rolled over soft clay of a document as a legal signature. The cylinder was hollow and suspended on a cord, which was worn around the owner s neck. Biblical commentator, Benno Jacob 6, notes that the cord itself indicated the status of the bearer. This would explain why it is mentioned separately in the verse, not just as an appurtenance to the cylinder. Thus the cord, p til, was a distinctive identifying article of the owner, perhaps also indicating his status. The idea that a color-dyed cord further indicated status is confirmed by the history of the distinctive color te chelet in ancient societies. In his brief historical review of this color in the ancient world, 7 Dr. Baruch Sterman cites references to a distinctive garment of te chelet mentioned in the Tell El-Armana Tablets ( BCE), which was part of a royal dowry to an Egyptian prince. Archeological evidence supports an advanced te chelet-dye industry on the Canaanite coast about 1200 BCE, 4 Exod. 28:37. 5 Nahum Sarna, The JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1989) p Benno Jacob, The First Book of the Bible: Genesis (New York: Ktav Publishing House, 1974) p Baruch Sterman, The Science of Tekhelet, in Tekhelet: The Renaissance of a Mitzva, ed. Alfred Cohen (Hoboken: Ktav Publishing House, 1996), pp

5 -250- especially in Tyre and Sidon and near the port city of what now is Haifa. Because these dyes were produced by the Murex trunculus snail, through a process requiring over a thousand snails for less than two grams of pure dye, the color became associated with wealth and royalty. Wool colored with this dye was worth up to twenty times its weight in gold. Sterman notes that at the time of the Exodus, תכילת and ארגמן (sky- blue and purple dyes) were well known commodities throughout the ancient world. They are mentioned in the Torah in the list of materials needed for the Tabernacle, 8 and it is generally assumed that the Jews brought these with them from Egypt. In the Book of Esther, Mordechai leaves the Persian court wearing royal apparel of te chelet... (Esther 8:15) and Ezekiel 9 speaks of the te chelet and argaman found in Tyre and the Isles of Elisha. It seems clear that the blues and purples used by all nations in the ancient Near East are identical with the te chelet and argaman of the Jews. Sterman writes: 10 These precious dyes were reserved for royalty; they colored the robes of the kings and princes of Media, Babylon, Egypt Greece, and Rome, and to wear them was to identify with nobility. The thread of te chelet on tzitzit slowly began to disappear. Sterman suggests that during post-biblical times the industry was coveted and restricted because these dyes were associated only with wealthy nobility. Eventually, the Romans limited the use of this colored dye to governing classes and Nero proclaimed that only the Emperor had the right to wear the royal colors of te chelet and argaman. A remnant of this exclusivity is apparent in our contemporary idiom of royal blue or royalty s blue blood. The Talmud and midrashim mention the danger to Jews caught wearing or exporting te chelet because of the political complications under Roman rule. 11 Also, the impoverished members of the Jewish community under Roman conquest could no longer afford the purchase of even four te chelet threads. Influenced by these considerations, the Mishnah 12 stated that the Biblical requirement to wear the te chelet thread on tzitzit did not 8 Exod. 25:3. 9 Ezek. 23:6;27:7, Sterman, Te khelet p Sanhedrin. 12a. 12 Menachot. 4:1.

6 -251- disqualify the fulfillment of the mitzvah. The Gemara 13 also discusses the ban on cheaply counterfeiting the te chelet color from the indigo plant (called kela ilan). The outcome of these decisions was that since about the seventh century CE, tzitzit have not included the te chelet thread. Recently, however, the original, authentic te chelet manufactured from the Murex trunculus has been produced in Israel and has received significant Rabbinic sanction. The fascinating story of the rediscovery of te chelet can be found in the book mentioned above. 14 After twelve centuries, thousands of Jews all over the world are once again wearing the thread of te chelet on their tzitzit in compliance with the biblical commandment. 15 Questions to be addressed We have established that fringes at the hem of a garment and specifically with the addition of a te chelet thread are an indication of identity and noble status. Now we will look at the paragraph of tzitzit in the Torah text and see what general questions are presented. Then in the next chapter we will analyze each phrase in the text and develop the specific questions to be addressed by the symbolic model of tzitzit. [see Hebrew text in the next chapter] GOD said to Moses, saying: Speak to the Israelites and say to them: For all generations you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a sky- blue thread placed on each tassel. It will be your tassel ; Look at it and remember all the commands of GOD, that you may obey them and not seek after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes that lead you astray. Then you will remember to obey all My commands and will be holy to your God. I am GOD, your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am GOD, your God. [Num.15:37-41] 13 Menachot 42b-43a. 14 Te khelet: The Renaissance of a Mitzva, ed. Alfred Cohen (Hoboken: Ktav Publishing House, 1996). Baruch Sterman, The Rarest Blue: The Remarkable Story of an Ancient Color Lost to History and Rediscovered. Lyons Press, Also, a book recently published by Rabbi Mois Navon, Threads of Reason: A Collection of Essays on Tekhelet, (2013). 15 Those wishing more information about the story of te chelet and its current use may access the following web page: http//

7 1. What is the purpose of the te chelet thread? Based on the historical context, what identity and status specific to the Jewish nation are the tassels at the hem of the garment to represent? 2. How will looking at these tassels bring to mind the commandments? 3. How do they remind us not to stray after the lusts of our own hearts and eyes? 4. What connects tzitzit to being holy to God? 5. What does this mitzvah have to do with the fact that God took us out of Egypt? Now we are ready to analyze this text in detail and sharpen these questions to guide our development of a symbolic model.

8 -253- Chapter Two Texts and Questions There are two sources in the Torah text for tzitzit. The initial version is five verses in Num. 15: 37-41, and a single verse, with slight word variation, is found in Deut. 22:12. Here are the texts: לז ו יּ אמ ר ה' א ל מ שׁ ה לּ אמ ר: לח דּ בּ ר א ל בּ נ י י שׂ ר א ל ו אָמ ר תּ א ל ה ם ו ע שׂוּ ל ה ם צ יצ ת ע ל כּ נ פ י ב ג ד יה ם ל ד ר ת ם ו נ ת נוּ ע ל צ יצ ת ה כּ נ ף פּ ת יל תּ כ ל ת: לט ו ה י ה ל כ ם ל צ יצ ת וּר א ית ם א תוֹ וּז כ ר תּ ם א ת כּ ל מ צ וֹת ה' ו ע שׂית ם א ת ם ו לא ת תוּרוּ אַח ר י ל ב ב כ ם ו אַח ר י ע ינ יכ ם א שׁ ר א תּ ם ז נ ים אַח ר יה ם: מ ל מ ע ן תּ ז כּ רוּ ו ע שׂ ית ם א ת כּ ל מ צ וֹת י ו ה י ית ם ק ד שׁ ים ל א לה יכ ם: מא א נ י ה' א לה יכ ם א שׁ ר הוֹצ את י א ת כ ם מ א ר ץ מ צ ר י ם ל ה יוֹת ל כ ם ל א לה ים א נ י ה' א לה יכ ם: [37] GOD said to Moses, saying: [38] Speak to the Israelites and say to them: For all generations you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a sky- blue thread placed on each tassel. [39] It will be your tassel ; Look at it and remember all the commands of GOD, that you may obey them and not seek after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes that lead you astray. [40] Then you will remember to obey all My commands and will be holy to your God. [41] I am GOD, your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am GOD your God יב גּ ד ל ים תּ ע שׂ ה לּ ך ע ל אַר בּ ע כּ נ פוֹת כּ סוּת ך א שׁ ר תּ כ סּ ה בּ הּ: Make bound-fringes [cords] on the four corners of the cloak you wear. [Deut. 22:12] To study the sources in depth, we will take each phrase, and from a close reading of the text, analyze its language and discuss the inferences

9 -254- deduced by Rabbi Hirsch, the classical commentators and the oral tradition. 37 GOD said to Moses, saying: -- Rabbi Hirsch notes that the opening formula of God said rather than spoke is rarely used to introduce new laws. The typical introductory word is spoke,(ו י ד בּ ר) a more formal verb ( God spoke to Moses, saying:... ), as in the next verse. Since the verb, saying or explaining (ו יּ אמ ר) is used, exclusively, in this introductory verse, the anomaly suggests that the following law of tzitzit is an explanation of events preceding the law. This gives us the hint that tzitzit will be related to events described earlier in the previous chapter. 38a Speak to the Israelites and say to them: For all generations you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments [We will explain tassel below]. From the second, brief reference to tzitzit in Deut. 22:12, we learn that tzitzit are to be placed on the four corners of the garment. As we mentioned in the introduction, since robes were closed (like a contemporary dress), the robe probably did not have corners, but rather a scalloped hem which looked liked wings,(כנף) and the tassels hung from them at quarter points. So far the verse has stated a complete command: to place tzitzit on the [four] corners of one s garment. Since there is no color specified, the tzitzit are presumed to be like the common material of the garment onto which they are attached (perhaps white, although any color is acceptable). Now comes a second instruction: 38b...with a sky- blue thread placed on each tassel. -- On each of the tzitzit, one is to place a single sky-blue thread.(תכילת) The text does not provide details about this thread, and the oral tradition presents a number of theories. The Tosafot (medieval commentators on the Talmud in Ashkenazi communities) argue for four white and four te chelet strings; Raavad (Rabbeinu Abraham ben David -12 th C., Provence) posits six white and two te chelet strings and Maimonides writes that there are seven white and one te chelet string. 1 Rabbi Hirsch uses the tradition codified by Maimonides (the Rambam) to describe the threads. One takes four long, 1 Rabbi Hershel Schachter, Using Tekhelet in Tzitzit, in Tekhelet: The Renaissance of a Mitzva, ed. Alfred Cohen (Hoboken: Ktav Publishing House, 1996), pp

10 -255- white threads, doubled over and passes them through a hole in the garment to make eight threads, with one-half of one long thread dyed skyblue. The result is seven white threads and one longer sky- blue thread that is wrapped around the white threads. Furthermore, when our verse is combined with Deut.22:12, we learn that part of the threads should look like a "cord" ;(גדיל) thus, the Talmud 2 elucidates that the top third of each fringe is bound like a cord and the lower two-thirds hang freely like a tassel.(ציץ) As we mentioned in the introduction, the sky- blue dye, te chelet, was manufactured from the Murex trunculus snail (called חילזון in the Talmud 3 ). Since there are two separate commands (to make tassels and to place on the tassel a te chelet thread ), if an authentic te chelet thread is not available, the mitzvah still remains to place tzitzit -- albeit without its te chelet-thread -- on the garment. 4 39a It will be your tassel;... At this point the text stresses that the tassel is to be your tassel. It would seem that once the te chelet thread is placed and the tassel is bound to the individual s garment, it becomes a symbolic entity called tzitzit. Milgrom 5 suggests a better translation of the,היציץ word tzitzit in this verse: something to look at, from the verb which means to peer or glimpse taken from Song of Songs:..ה נּ ה ז ה עוֹמ ד אַח ר כּ ת ל נוּ מ שׁ גּ יח מ ן ה ח לּ נוֹת מ צ יץ מ ן ה ח ר כּ ים: (מ צ יץ) Look! There he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattice. [2:9] So the completed symbolic tassel is something to glance at which then, as the next part of verse says, should be looked at as a reminder to... etc. But what does the term tzitzit itself mean in its original sense of fringe or tassel? Rabbi Hirsch associates it with the verb "צוץ" meaning "to press outward" or, in literal English, it means "ex-press." As a noun it is used to connote a "shoot or blossom" or "a shock of hair": 2 Menachot 39a. 3 Shabbat 85a, e.g. 4 Menachot 4:1.

11 -256- כג ו י ה י מ מּ ח ר ת ו יּ ב א מ שׁ ה א ל א ה ל ה ע דוּת ו ה נּ ה פּ ר ח מ טּ ה אַה ר ן ל ב ית ל ו י ו יּ צ א פ ר ח ו יּ צ ץ צ יץ ו יּ ג מ ל שׁ ק ד ים: The next day Moses entered the Tent of the Testimony and Aaron s staff, which represented the house of Levi, had not only blossomed but had blossomed -- sprouted (צ יץ) -- and were ripening almonds. [Num. 17:23] יח ו א ר ז א ל ה בּ י ת פּ נ ימ ה מ ק ל ע ת פּ ק ע ים וּפ טוּר י צ צּ ים ה כּ ל א ר ז א ין א ב ן נ ר אָה: The inside of the temple was cedar, carved with gourds and sprouting blossoms 6:18] [1Kings...(צ צּ ים) ג ו יּ שׁ ל ח תּ ב נ ית י ד ו יּ קּ ח נ י בּ צ יצ ת ר אשׁ י... He stretched out what looked like a hand and took me by the shock (בּ צ יצ ת) of my head [hair]... [Ezek. 8:3] The common concept in all of these "expressing" associations is defined in the Talmud 6 as "sprouting or blossoming. So the tassels attached to the garment represent a sprouting or blossoming from the garment. There is another association in the biblical text with the word tzitzit. It appears as the golden headband worn on the forehead of the High Priest, the holiest item of his ritual clothing since the specific Name of God (GOD, the Tetragrammaton) was inscribed on it. Significantly, the band is tied to the turban by a te chelet-thread! לו ו ע שׂ ית צּ יץ ז ה ב ט הוֹר וּפ תּ ח תּ ע ל יו פּ תּוּח י ח ת ם ק ד שׁ ל ה': לז ו שׂ מ תּ א תוֹ ע ל פּ ת יל תּ כ ל ת ו ה י ה ע ל ה מּ צ נ פ ת א ל מוּל פּ נ י ה מּ צ נ פ ת י ה י ה: Make a band (צּ יץ) of pure gold and engrave on it as on a signet: Holy to GOD. Fasten a sky- blue thread תּ כ ל ת) (פּ ת יל to it to attach it to the turban;... [Exod. 28:36-37] 5 Sterman, Te khelet p Menachot 41b.

12 -257- The combination of the word צּ יץ (v.36) and the phrase פּ ת יל תּ כ ל ת (v.37) leaves no doubt that this is somehow related to the tzitzit in our text. So, in sum, the word tzitzit has three textual associations which will have to be integrated into our conceptual model: a) something to look or peer at, b) a sprout or blossom, and c) a symbol related to the High Priest s holy headband. 39b look at it and remember all the commands of GOD, that you may obey them In the Hebrew, the word it is in the masculine gender so it cannot refer to the actual fringe (tzitzit) which is feminine. Rather, suggests Milgrom, 7 it refers to the combined unit of fringe and te chelet-thread as a symbolic entity, as we have argued in the initial clause. According to the text, looking at the fringe will cause the observer to remember all the commandments. Rabbi Hirsch often remarked that does not mean "remember," literally, (i.e., remember something you "זכור" forgot), but rather "to bring something into awareness or consciousness" -- to bring something to mind. 8 A better English translation would be recall, i.e., call again into awareness. There are three verbs in this phrase: look, bring to consciousness and obey. Thus, the sight of tzitzit is to bring into our consciousness all the mitzvot, which in turn, motivates their observance. The Talmud phrases it this way: 9 Sight leads to memory and memory to action. The question remains, though, why should the sight of threads coming out of a garment remind one of mitzvot? We will need to answer that key question in the next chapter. 39c and not seek after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes that lead you astray. There are two key words in this phrase that relate the symbol of tzitzit to an episode in the previous chapter, as suggested by Rabbi Hirsch s comment on the first verse of our study (v. 37). The words are to seek after (לתור) and lusts that lead you astray.(לזנות) Both words are found 7 Sterman, Te khelet p Refer back to our discussion of this word in the study of Tefillin. 9 Menchot 43b.

13 -258- in the narration of the scouts that Moses sent to spy out the Land of Canaan in Numbers 14. The following text speaks of the consequence for the unfaithful ten spies who refused to believe they could conquer the Canaanites, despite God s assurances: לג וּב נ יכ ם י ה יוּ ר ע ים בּ מּ ד בּ ר אַר בּ ע ים שׁ נ ה ו נ שׂ אוּ א ת ז נוּת יכ ם ע ד תּ ם פּ ג ר יכ ם בּ מּ ד בּ ר: לד בּ מ ס פּ ר ה יּ מ ים א שׁ ר תּ ר תּ ם א ת ה אָר ץ אַר בּ ע ים יוֹם יוֹם ל שּׁ נ ה יוֹם ל שּׁנ ה תּ שׂ אוּ א ת ע וֹנ ת יכ ם אַר בּ ע ים שׁ נ ה ו יד ע תּ ם א ת תּ נוּאָת י: Your children will be herded [from place to place] here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness,(ז נוּת יכ ם) until the last of your bodies lies in the desert. For forty years one year for each of the forty days you explored (תּ ר תּ ם) the land [Num. 14:33-34] In the next chapter we will expand upon the connection between these themes, but for now we need to analyze the words of this phrase to understand their intent. To seek,(לתור) is to make a search or an investigation. But a search is not just objectively collecting data, there is a subjective evaluation involved as we see in the following quotes using the same Hebrew word. The first quote describes how God led the Israelites in the desert: לג ה ה ל ך ל פ נ יכ ם בּ דּ ר ך ל תוּר ל כ ם מ קוֹם ל ח נ ת כ ם בּ א שׁ ל י ל ה ל ר א ת כ ם בּ דּ ר ך א שׁ ר תּ ל כוּ ב הּ וּב ע נ ן יוֹמ ם:...Who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out (ל תוּר) places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go. [Deut. 1:33] In the biblical idiom, the term search out denotes an evaluative exploration for the purpose of making a judgment. In the above quote searching out places to camp, means making an evaluation of the best place to camp. Similarly, when the spies were sent to search out the land, it was for a judgment about military strategy to use in the invasion: יז ו יּ שׁ ל ח א ת ם מ שׁ ה ל תוּר א ת א ר ץ כּ נ ע ן ו יּ אמ ר א ל ה ם ע לוּ ז ה בּ נּ ג ב ו ע ל ית ם א ת ה ה ר:

14 -259- יח וּר א ית ם א ת ה אָר ץ מ ה ה וא ו א ת ה ע ם ה יּ שׁ ב ע ל יה ה ח ז ק הוּא ה ר פ ה ה מ ע ט הוּא א ם ר ב: When Moses sent them to search out (ל תוּר) Canaan, he said, Go up through the Negev and into the hill country. See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. [Num. 13:17-18] But the precise nuance of the word appears more clearly in Ecclesiastes and Kings, where the verb לתור clearly denotes a subjective, evaluative dynamic: ג תּ ר תּ י ב ל בּ י ל מ שׁוֹ ך בּ יּ י ן א ת בּ שׂ ר י... I decided (תּ ר תּ י) to try to cheer myself with wine, and embracing folly. [Eccles. 2:3] טו ל ב ד מ אַנ שׁ י ה תּ ר ים וּמ ס ח ר ה ר כ ל ים....not including the revenues from speculators ים) (ה תּ ר and traders. [1Kings. 10:15] In the first quote, the author (Kohelet) was evaluating ways to live a meaningful life. In the second quote, speculators are those who engage in a course of reasoning often based on inconclusive evidence. Once again, in both quotes, the evaluative component is salient. So from all these literary associations, we can conclude that the use of the specific term,לתור in our context, refers to subjective, evaluative reasoning. Furthermore, when one seeks after one s heart and eyes it becomes clear that the verse is warning against evaluative reasoning based on subjective feelings (heart) 10 and subjective perception (eyes). To what does this subjective reasoning lead? To lead one astray, violating one s faithfulness to God. We see the same term (לזנות) used explicitly in each of the following two verses, which warn against being led astray from God by the pagan inhabitants of Canaan: 10 In the Biblical idiom, heart often is understood as cognitive rather than emotional. Here it seems it is a synthesis of thinking, which is colored by feeling; in modern parlance, an attitude.

15 -260- טו פּ ן תּ כ ר ת בּ ר ית ל יוֹשׁ ב ה אָר ץ ו ז נוּ אַח ר י א לה יה ם ו ז ב חוּ ל א לה יה ם ו ק ר א ל ך ו אָכ ל תּ מ זּ בחוֹ: טז ו ל ק ח תּ מ בּ נ ת יו ל ב נ י ך ו ז נוּ ב נ ת יו אַח ר י א לה יה ן ו ה ז נוּ א ת בּ נ י ך אַח ר י א לה יה ן: Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land; for when they will prostitute themselves (ו ז נוּ) to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices. And when you take some of their daughters as wives for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves (ו ז נוּ) to their gods, they will lead your sons to follow their religion. [Exod. 34:15] Taken together, then, this last phrase of verse 39, using the key word, warns of being led astray from relationship with God by one s own,לזנות subjective perception. To summarize the entire verse: The combination of the te cheletthread on the tassel affixed to one s garment is called the symbol: tzitzit. The sight of tzitzit is to bring into our consciousness all the mitzvot, which in turn, motivates their observance. And we are warned against being led astray from God through guiding ourselves by our own subjective moral judgments. 40 Then you will remember to obey all My commands and will be holy to your God. -- This verse adds the ultimate goal of the observance of mitzvot: to be holy. 11 We have had a hint of the tzitzit connection to the holy in our discussion of its association to the Kohane s headband, called secured by a te chelet-thread. But the critical force of this verse is to,ציץ focus on the series of effects the tzitzit are to have on the observer. They should bring the commandments of God to consciousness (in contrast to our subjective judgments which will lead us astray), motivate our observance and thereby bring the Jew to a status of holiness to God. 41 I am GOD, your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am GOD, your God. -- The final verse reiterates an oft-stated fundamental historical and theological truth that forms the basis for our 11 Refer back to our discussion of the concept holy in Part 1.

16 -261- obligation to observe God s commandments and remain faithful to Him. We discuss this dynamic in more detail in our study of the symbolism of tefillin. In short, the slavery in Egypt served a specific purpose in the development of the Jewish nation. The Tribes had to lose all political power and even basic individual human rights. All components that make up the natural history of a nation were absent. Under such conditions, God literally created the nation from nothing and could consequently demand from each member of the nation uncompromising, exclusive faith as well as duty and responsibility to His guidance and values. Thus our paragraph ends with the historical and theological fact that God has claim on our duty to observe His commandments through which we become holy to Him. Now that we have analyzed the wording of the text, let us raise two broad questions, which include the questions posed at the end of the introduction. There are two dynamics in this paragraph that we have analyzed. 1. According to the text, there seem to be three main ideas that are evoked into consciousness by tzitzit: a) to become conscious of all the commandments of God, which should motivate our practice; b) not to follow after those subjective feelings (heart) and perceptions (eyes) which will lead us astray from faithfulness in God; and c) to become holy to God who took us out from Egypt. The Question: What are the conceptual themes of these three imperatives, and what is the relationship among them? 2. Gazing at the tzitzit -- at the fringe to which is affixed a te chelet-thread -- is to raise the three above ideas into awareness. The Question: What does one see in a fringe attached to a garment that evokes these ideas into consciousness?

17 -262- Chapter Three Context: Subjective Versus Objective Morality In our discussion of the sources of tzitzit in the last chapter, we noticed three themes that are to be brought into consciousness by gazing at the tzitzit. It will be your tassel; look at it and remember: [a] all the commands of GOD, that you may obey them [b] and not seek after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes that lead you astray. Then you will remember to obey all My commands and [c] will be holy to your God. In analyzing the second phrase, we discussed the injunction against leading oneself astray by following after one s heart and eyes. The two key words לתור) and -לזנות to seek and to go astray ), found in both the paragraph of tzitzit and the story of the spies in the previous chapter of the Torah, lead us to investigate the association between these two topics. The other theme, in the third phrase, is to become holy to God. The key words in this theme are found in the association of the word tzitzit and its te chelet-cord, with the headband of the Kohane, called ציץ and tied with its cord -- called תּ כ ל ת.פּ ת יל In this chapter we will analyze the theme of the spies and then the theme of holiness. In the final chapter, we will propose the specific ways that the visual symbol of the actual tzitzit evokes these themes into consciousness. The Story of the Spies As we mentioned in the previous chapter, Rabbi Hirsch suggested that the unusual language introducing the paragraph of tzitzit (the term said rather than the usual spoke in the first verse God said to Moses, saying ) indicates that the topic to follow in the text is connected to a topic

18 -263- just discussed. In the chapter preceding tzitzit, we read of a particular act considered so significant that it changed the course of God's plan to bring the nation into Canaan. The critical incident is commonly known as the "event of the spies. The consequence of this specific rebellion was that the entire nation, save two, would die in the desert and never enter the Land. 1 Only their children would inherit the "land flowing with milk and honey" promised to Abraham many centuries before. The story is told in detail in Numbers 13 and is reviewed in Deuteronomy 1. Let's set the scene chronologically according to the two narratives. The people had reached the mountain range of the Amorites at the border of Canaan. Once they ascended the mountains, the conquest would begin. 2 The people approached Moses and requested that scouts be sent to bring back word regarding the best approach for invasion and the nature of the target cities. The request was quite reasonable to Moses ("and it was good in my eyes"), in light of standard military strategy. There is no indication in the narrative that there was anything wrong with the people's request. In fact, Joshua did the same thing before he led the invasion forty years later. 3 At this point, 4 God sanctions the plan and commands Moses to proceed. The intended purpose of the scouting party was to uncover the military weak spots of Canaan and objectively report this information to aid in planning for the conquest. It was for this purpose that Moses agreed to the mission 5 and God sanctioned it. 6 To further emphasize this crucial point, note the introductory phrases to the two narratives. In Deuteronomy 1:20-21, Moses makes it clear that God will give them the land as He promised their forefathers. In Numbers 13:2, Canaan is described as the land which "I give to the Israelites. In both cases it is quite clear that God promises the ultimate possession of the land; the people's task is to drive out the inhabitants and take possession of the "gift." The ability to conquer the Canaanite nations was never in question. The men chosen for this task were prominent leaders of the people, who perhaps knew military strategy, and certainly could inspire their own 1 Num. 14: Deut. 1: Josh Num. 13:2. 5 Deut.1:23.

19 -264- tribesmen in battle. After listing their names, 7 Moses changes Hoshea's name to יהושע (Joshua). This change was not of personal significance, or else it would have appeared in v.8 when his name was first mentioned. Rather, says Rabbi Hirsch, it appears after the scouts were charged with their mission and so served to emphasize the character of their task. The addition of the letter "י" to Joshua s name changes the tense from present to future. The new name can mean, "God will be the Savior," reminding them once again that their military success is assured by God and their sole mission is to plan the best strategy for the invasion. Moses then delineates the specific questions to be answered by the scouting party: 8 Are the inhabitants strong people or weak; are they many or few? Is the terrain good or bad; are there fortified cities or rural towns? Is the land fertile or barren; are there forests? Finally, he asked that they bring back a sample of the first grapes of the season. The fruit sample was to impress the people with concrete evidence of the "land flowing with milk and honey" -- the rest of the information would help determine the best line of attack. So the scouts traversed the whole land diagonally, from southeast to northwest (v.23-25). They stopped at the ancient city of Hebron (where their forefathers were buried) and saw an imposing, intimidating race of giants there -- the Anakim. Then they went to a vineyard and orchard, cut an enormous cluster of grapes, took some samples of pomegranates and dates and returned to the camp after forty days. All of this is setting the stage to understand the critical event that comes next. The twelve scouts assembled the people, showed them the enormous cluster of grapes and impressed them with the fruitfulness of the land, "indeed, it is a land flowing with milk and honey." Thus far everything was fine. Then they continued (v.28): "אפס" (literally meaning "nothing") "But all this is for nothing!...because the people are strong and the cities are ",אפס" fortified and there is a race of giants living there!" That short word doomed the entire generation to ruin. 6 Num.13:2. 7 Num. 13:16. 8 Num. 13:18-20.

20 -265- To understand the power of that little qualifying word, consider the following analogy (modernized from Isaac Arama in Akedat Yitzchok): 9 Let's say I sent my son to a computer store to find out about a new word processing program that I needed to buy. I gave him a set of questions to help him gather the important information. In this first scenario, he returns and says: "Just as you said, the store has everything! Here's what I found out for you. The program runs on Windows, it has split-screen, automatic back-up and the other features you asked for and it cost $250." If my son reported the information that way, he fulfilled his mission quite well. It is now up to me to decide if it fits my needs and when and where to purchase it. But consider this scenario in which he returns and reports: "Just as you said, the store has everything! BUT, although the software has the features you want, it has some that are quite complicated and the cost is just too high for you to afford. Don't buy it." What chutzpah! I sent him to get information for me and he ends up evaluating the system and deciding that I should not buy it! The "But" indicated that he was exceeding the bounds of his mission, addressing issues for which he was not qualified and usurping my decision-making. Similarly, the ten scouts exceeded the bounds of their mission. They cried: "We are unable to go against the people, they are too strong for us! (v.31). A land of giants, they believed, meant that one had to be of extraordinary constitution to survive; average, puny men like the Israelites could not live there ("We were like grasshoppers!" v.33). The spies were never asked for their views on whether or not to possess the land; they were asked to convey information that would help the invasion. Now we can comprehend the enormity of their crime. The scouts were sent to determine the best approach for conquest. Instead, they came back and audaciously advised the people against taking possession of the land, for fear of defeat. In their view, God, who defeated the entire Egyptian nation in full view of the Israelites, would not be able to handle a group of huge soldiers. The fact that God had promised their forefathers centuries earlier that He would deliver the land to them as an inheritance, was not relevant.("אפס") That the purpose of the nation's existence and its miraculous birth in Egypt was directed toward establishing a model 9 The original text is quoted by Nehama Leibowitz in Studies in Bamidbar, trans. Aryeh Newman (Jerusalem: WZO Dept. for Torah Education, 1980) p.139.

21 society on the promised soil, was of no importance to them. This was why their report was such a grave sin and had such devastating consequences. It was a blatant affront to God The Sin of the Spies and the Sin of Adam and Eve It is important for our analysis of tzitzit to observe the similarity of the sin of the spies to the dynamic of the primordial sin of Adam and Eve. 10 The spies, like Adam and Eve, were deciding the "right" thing to do based on their limited, subjective perception in face of an objective evaluation to the contrary by God. The first, fundamental principle of the relationship between God (the Creator) and the Human (His creation) is that God alone is the source of moral judgment of good and evil. The Human was given the ability to possess a moral conscience and a moral compass -- this is the attribute of the Image of God given to the human being -- but the Human is not the ultimate source of absolute morality. For the human being to be like God, knowing good and evil 11 means that the human being usurps the source of what is considered good and what is considered evil, from God. The human then becomes the decisive source of his or her subjective moral judgment, not God. Once the human chooses to eat the fruit in face of the explicit prohibition of God, the human chooses, by that very act, to become her/his own source of moral judgment and deny God as the Moral Source. God said eating the fruit is bad and the human says that eating the fruit is good." 12 Instead of being in the Image of God, the Human becomes as God deciding what is good and what is bad. What is the problem of the human becoming his/her own moral source? Unlike God, the human is prone to subjective moral judgment by virtue of humanness. We judge good and bad based on our senses and our reason -- we cannot know what is objectively good and bad without reference to an objective standard. 10 We discussed the nature of this sin in Part 1; we will summarize it again in this context. 11 Gen. 3:5. 12 Gen. 3:6. The woman saw that the fruit-tree was good to eat

22 -267- And this is exactly the error Eve makes in the very next verse: 13 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also appealing to reason, she took some and ate it... Being human, she uses her biological senses to judge goodness and concludes that it is good to the senses and appealing to reason (after all, God had said previously that fruit was human food) -- and ate it. By that action, she has now become as God, knowing good and evil, and has committed the first human sin ; she and Adam, who ate as well, will have to bear the consequences. The Torah uses this story to teach a fundamental truth that underlies all of Judaism. God is the only objective moral source, and we need to refer to His Teachings when choosing what is good and what is evil. Sometimes God s moral perspective and our own are not in conflict, but when they are in conflict, we are to choose that which is right in God s Eyes, not our own. Let us compare this story with that of the spies. God had said, "Don't eat from the fruit of this tree"; Eve said (in effect), "It looks fine to me, I don't see why not!" In the story of the spies, God said, "Go up and take possession of the land which I give to you;" the people said, "We can't conquer it because it looks to us that the inhabitants are stronger than we." The spies, like Adam and Eve, were deciding the right thing to do based on their subjective perception of the improbable chance of being victorious in face of an objective evaluation to the contrary by God. - לזנות and לתור Words: The Key In the previous chapter we pointed out the key words in both the paragraph of tzitzit and in the story of the spies. Describing the consequences of sin of the ten spies, God says: Your children will be herded [from place to place] for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the desert. For forty years one year for each of the forty days you explored the land [Num. 14:33-34] 13 ibid.

23 -268- In describing the reason for tzitzit, the text tells us:... do not seek after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes that lead you astray [Num. 15:39] The Hebrew word לזנות is identical for unfaithfulness in 14:33 and lead you astray in 15:39; and the word לתור is identical for explore in 14:33 and seek after in 15:39. We further noted the nuance of the specific verb,,לתור which connotes the subjective evaluation of information and the verb,,לזנות which refers to being unfaithful to God. Now the connection of tzitzit to the sin of the spies (as well as the primordial sin of Adam and Eve) becomes apparent. What gazing at the tzitzit is to evoke is the consciousness of the error of following our own subjective assessments of what is right or wrong or good or bad when it contradicts God s assessment, because following our subjective perceptions can lead us to unfaithfulness to God as the story of the spies illustrated. Observing the Commandments If tzitzit are to evoke consciousness of the error of making our own subjective moral judgements in the face of God s commandments, they are also to evoke the consciousness of the correctness of keeping God s Teachings. Returning to the prototype of sin as presented in the story of Adam and Eve, we also have the fundamental dynamic of mitzvah as the opposite of sin. After God created the world, he placed the human being in a garden, which had all kinds of fruit trees for eating. God had already stated that human beings could eat all types of fruit, herbs and vegetation. In the midst of this garden He placed two special trees: the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. 14 Now, God gives the first command to the human being to refrain from eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil: 14 Gen. 2:9.

24 -269- And GOD-God 15, commanded the human, You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil... [Gen. 2:16-17] Note the verb: God commanded --.צוה In Hebrew, this is the root of the word mitzvah -- that which is commanded by God. The prototypical commandment was to not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. There was no reason for this commandment other than God s moral judgment, which called it wrong. The story continues with the dialogue between Eve and the serpent in which the serpent argues that the commandment is unreasonable. Eve had to make a choice. She chose her subjective assessment of the situation, which, as we explained above, is what the Torah, calls sin. But she had another choice. She could have said to herself, Although this looks good to eat and it is reasonable that I eat it, God expressly prohibited us from eating the fruit. So I will obey God and not eat it. This choice is called mitzvah. Similarly, the spies could have said: There are giant warriors and fortified cities, nevertheless, God has promised to give us this land and despite our assessment, we can conquer it. The Torah teaches that we all have the ability to transcend our psychologically- based, subjective perceptions by consciously choosing to follow God s objective moral guidance even in the face of our own subjective moral judgment. This then, is what tzitzit should bring into consciousness: All the mitzvot of God provide moral judgments of what the right thing is for us to do in a given context. In a situation which calls for moral behavior -- that is, for the right thing to do -- we are to obey God s commandments in the same way Adam and Eve were to obey the prototypical commandment when in conflict with their own judgment; thereby we avoid the sin of following our subjective perceptions and feelings which lead us away from God, as was the consequence for Adam and Eve and the generation of the spies. Holiness : The Role of the Kohane and the Role of the Jew 15 In Hebrew, this is a rare hyphenated name of God that is used exclusively in the Creation story after the creation of the human being. It appears awkward in translation.

25 -270- We noted that the word tzitzit and the te chelet-thread תּ כ ל ת),(פּ ת יל which is to be affixed to them, are the same key words that appear in the context of the attire of the High Priest in the Sanctuary. He is to wear a golden headband called ציץ -- on which was inscribed: Holy to GOD -- and tie it with a p til te chelet. What is the association between these two contexts? When the young nation was brought to Mt. Sinai to receive the Teachings of God in God s Presence, the following introductory text outlined the terms of the covenant between God and his nation: ה ו ע תּ ה א ם שׁ מוֹע תּ שׁ מ עוּ בּ ק ל י וּשׁ מ ר תּ ם א ת בּ ר ית י ו ה י ית ם ל י ס ג לּ ה מ כּ ל ה ע מּ ים כּ י ל י כּ ל ה אָר ץ: ו ו א תּ ם תּ ה יוּ ל י מ מ ל כ ת כּ ה נ ים ו גוֹי ק דוֹשׁ א לּ ה ה דּ ב ר ים א שׁ ר תּ ד בּ ר א ל בּ נ י י שׂ ר א ל: Now if you obey Me fully and keep My covenant, then you will be My treasured possession out of all the nations. Although the whole earth is Mine, you will be My kingdom of priests and My holy nation [Exod. 19:5-6] What is this concept of kingdom of priests and holy nation that we are required to become? Rashi on the verse, quoting the Sifra, says: You shall be distinct (different, dissimilar), meaning that the Jewish nation, as a holy nation, must express its distinctiveness from other peoples. We detailed this notion in our discussion of kashrut in the first part of this volume, but let us review some salient points relevant to our study. Based on the context, some commentators see the state of holiness in national terms as a charge to remain a distinct social entity in terms of the culture and practices of surrounding nations. This distinctiveness serves to indicate our differentness from other nations and our singular relationship to our God. Thus, holiness is a religious-social term for a unique Jewish identity in relation to other systems of culture, worship and belief. In such a relationship, the nation as the dependent partner, has personal and national responsibilities. As a "kingdom of priests" (v.6), each individual must accept the role as representative such that one's goals and actions reflect the unique relationship. This role is expressed in Isaiah: ו ו א תּ ם כּ ה נ י ה' תּ קּ ר אוּ מ שׁ ר ת י א לה ינוּ י אָמ ר ל כ ם...

26 -271- And you will be called priests ה נ י) (כּ of GOD; you will be named ministers of our God. [61:6] So although there is an exclusive, official priestly family -- Aaron and his sons -- that minister in the Sanctuary, all of the people were charged with the responsibility of being in service of God. An expression of the noble, exalted status of the priests -- especially the High Priest -- was the High Priest s ritual attire which included a robe made entirely of te chelet and a golden headband, with the inscription: Holy to GOD, tied with a cord of te chelet. In our introduction we found clear cross-cultural evidence that te chelet was the color of distinction, royalty and nobility, so it is not surprising to see it is the salient color of the Kohane s garments. But in the Sanctuary, the color means more than just status. It is associated with holiness -- the band states: Holy to GOD. What is this notion of holiness aside from the social distinctiveness symbolized by the color? Consider this verse: Lev. 19:2 Be holy because I, GOD, your God, am Holy. To say that holiness is exclusively a social dimension, distinguishing the Jewish nation from other peoples, does not make sense in the above verse. Holiness is stated here as an Attribute of the God of the Jewish people. The force of the statement is that we are to cultivate and express the attribute of holiness because it is an attribute of our God (the theological notion of imitatio dei, imitating God s Attributes). So it appears that holiness, rather than exclusively a social concept, is an attribute of the individual human soul that reflects an Attribute of the Creator. What is this attribute that combines social distinctiveness and a personal soul-attribute? It can best be defined as transcendence. Thus, the repeated phrase "You shall be holy, because I, GOD, am Holy", is a command for spiritual transcendence. What is the character of this "transcendence?" In relation to the Torah's social laws, it refers to personal and social transcendence over cultural values. "Holiness" means transcendence of enculturation, i.e., resisting cultural conformity as represented by un-jewish societal values and mores.