Parshat Tetzaveh: P'til techelet, & other mysteries
Here's the basic information, including a link to this parshah/parashah/sedra/weekly Torah reading.
Note that, as I kvetched/complained previously in discussing Parshat Terumah, we (still) have no definition of an ephod or a breastplate. We also have no actual description of the "mitre," though it seems to have had a pure-gold "Holy to HaShem" sign attached to it.
The breastplate was attached to the ephod by a p'til techelet, a thread of blue, and the gold "sign" had a p'til techelet on the front, as well. (See chapter 28, verse 28 and verse 37.) What was the significance of techelet (blue) in general, and of a p'til techelet (blue thread) in particular, that it was considered sacred enough for use in the Beit HaMikdash/Holy Temple (and also, later, sacred enough to be part of the tallit/prayer shawl*)? For that matter, what was the significance of argaman (purple) and tola-at shani (scarlet)?
5:54 PM update: Here's Techelet's take.
Fri., Feb. 11, 2011 updates:
Note that, as I kvetched/complained previously in discussing Parshat Terumah, we (still) have no definition of an ephod or a breastplate. We also have no actual description of the "mitre," though it seems to have had a pure-gold "Holy to HaShem" sign attached to it.
The breastplate was attached to the ephod by a p'til techelet, a thread of blue, and the gold "sign" had a p'til techelet on the front, as well. (See chapter 28, verse 28 and verse 37.) What was the significance of techelet (blue) in general, and of a p'til techelet (blue thread) in particular, that it was considered sacred enough for use in the Beit HaMikdash/Holy Temple (and also, later, sacred enough to be part of the tallit/prayer shawl*)? For that matter, what was the significance of argaman (purple) and tola-at shani (scarlet)?
5:54 PM update: Here's Techelet's take.
Fri., Feb. 11, 2011 updates:
- Rabbi Barry Leff--Tetzaveh 5771: The Oil of Refuge
- Woodrow/Conservadox chimes in with some thoughts from Hertz and some from him.
*The presence of a blue thread on the ritual fringe/tassle of a tallit is a practice that, despite being a clear-cut mitzvah (commandment) from Torah sheh Bi-ch'tav (the Written Law/Bible), fell into disuse, for a reason that I don't understand--why can't we just use vegetable dye?--and the recent revival of this practice is controversial.
posted by Shira Salamone at 12:45 PM
38 Comments:
I don't get why the revival of the blue thread is controversial. I have a talit with the blue threads that I wear for private prayer - but I won't wear it at synagogue because of the controversy.
To the best of my understanding (and for reasons that are, quite frankly, beyond my comprehension), there seems to be an opinion that one must use the same source for the blue dye that was used in ancient (Talmudic?) times, and there doesn't seem to be just one opinion on what that source was. It seems to have been a crustacean of some kind, but there's debate as to which one.
Same problem as with tefillin, which are made with leather--what's a vegetarian supposed to do?
Re: loss of the blue thread
Although I cannot remember where I heard this, one view presented to me was summarized, "If we cannot do it the right way, we shouldn't do it at all [because we don't want to risk doing it wrong.]"
This has always vaguely disturbed me.
Some Sephardic and Yemenite communities wear techelet. Observant Jewish practice is not limited to Eastern European practice, even in the US.
CaySwann, it seems to me that I've a saying, "The perfect is the enemy of the good." I think that, under most circumstances (barring, for example, performing surgery) it makes more sense to do the best that one can, rather than worrying about not doing things precisely correctly.
RivkaYael, good for the Sephardim and the Yemenites. Somebody's got to have the guts. How we can abrogate a mitzvah just because we don't know such a minor detail is beyond my comprehension. The Torah itself doesn't say a single word about what plant and/or animal was used to create the techelet. So let's just do the best that we can, and let HaShem be our judge.
Your argument makes no sense. Would you negate the entire Oral Torah that explains these things? The minor details are what makes or breaks the mitzvah. Does the text tell us how to slaughter an animal? No, so why not use lethal injection? Does it tell us what exactly an esrog is? No, so use a lemon or an orange. The point is that yes, God IS in the details. There's a mesorah that the blue dye came from a chilazon, and we dont know what it is for sure. Until we do, we don't substitute vegetable dye or anything else.
And the tefillin/vegetarian comment is also silly. The mitvah is to wear leather tefillin. Becuz you decide to not utilize animal products, thereby removing yourself from an entire litany of mitzvos, doesn't mean there has to be an alternative to meet your lifestyle. You change your lifestyle to fit what God wants, not the other way around.
"Does the text tell us how to slaughter an animal?" Okay, Mike, point taken. That said, is it necessary to wait until we figure out what the chilazon was/is, and therefore, leave a mitzvah unobserved? What should we do if it turns out that the chilazon is extinct? Would the lack of a chilazon mean that the mitzvah no longer applies? I'm asking a serious question.
Best thing I've found thus far for vegetarians using tefillin is to either inherit tefillin or to use these tefillin: http://www.soferoftzfat.com/Vegetarian%20Tefillin,Tefilin,Sofer,Scribe,Stam.htm
It's not perfect, but what can you do?
"It's not perfect, but what can you do?"
Perhaps what we can do is to rely on the best information currently available in deciding whether to use a p'til techelet in the tzitzit/fringes/tassles of a tallit or not.
Blue Threaded Tzitzit are readily available now. They are uncommon, but not rare, in my world. Several people I know wear them, many of whom are highly respected in the community for their scholarship and good deeds.
The "controversy" is mostly on the web and probably in communities where a blue tie would be equally controversial.
Wear what you want. Serve Hashem to the best of your ability. Worry about being judged by the Heavenly Court, not the guy sitting next to you.
"Serve Hashem to the best of your ability. Worry about being judged by the Heavenly Court, not the guy sitting next to you."
Amen.
"Perhaps what we can do is to rely on the best information currently available in deciding whether to use a p'til techelet in the tzitzit/fringes/tassles of a tallit or not."
I was talking about tefillin, not tzitzit.
is it necessary to wait until we figure out what the chilazon was/is, and therefore, leave a mitzvah unobserved?
If you don't know how to observe it properly, then doing something as opposed to nothing is not proper and doesn't even count as a mitzvah at all. If you're unsure if the matza you bought for Passover is kosher for Passover, would you eat it anyway and say well, I'm eating matzah at least? If you did, you'd be taking a big chance on eating chametz on Passover, which is not only not proper but forbidden. This is precisely why we follow our sages' advice when we are unsure, we don't answer the questions ourselves. It may turn out that any blue color is acceptable, but we don't know, and we should err on the side of caution with mizvos. Besides, the mitzvah of tzitzis can be fulfilled without the blue thread. The blue is in addition to the tzitzis themselves. So perhaps we dont do the mitzvah as it is in its entirety, but lacking the knowledge exempts part of it.
If the chilazon is extinct, then there is obviously nothing we can do. We are supposed to bring a sacrifice on Passover and other holidays as well. The temple is extinct. Can we build our own altar and offer one? No we can't, so we can't fulfill the mitzvah completely. We say the musaf prayer in its place as a remembrance so that when the final Temple is built we will know what to do. There are many mitzvos we are unable to perform in the diaspora. The Torah-based exhortation of "do not add to it nor take away from it" is an explicit warning not to adjust the mitzvos, regardless of conditions. I would say this means better to not do it at all than to make up a substitution for it.
tell Cayswann i think she's cute! ;)
"I was talking about tefillin, not tzitzit."
Anon., I'll keep that in mind for the next time that I need a pair of tefillin. Thank you.
"If you're unsure if the matza you bought for Passover is kosher for Passover, would you eat it anyway and say well, I'm eating matzah at least? If you did, you'd be taking a big chance on eating chametz on Passover, which is not only not proper but forbidden. This is precisely why we follow our sages' advice when we are unsure, we don't answer the questions ourselves."
Good point, Mike.
"If you're unsure if the matza you bought for Passover is kosher for Passover..."
I disagree, I think this is a terrible argument. The Torah says clearly and repeatedly that chametz on Passover is prohibited. I have never heard any actual prohibition against colored tzitzit in the written OR oral torah.
My understanding (subject to correction by one more knowledgeable, certainly) is that any color of tzitzit is technically kosher, and white is the overwhelming minhag. I think you actually have to twist yourself into further knots to PROHIBIT using the current techeilet. One way I have heard is to say that, since we aren't sure, but we are acting with the intention of fulfilling the mitzvah, it is a violation of bal tosif. Extraordinary pilpul is then required to explain how this is different from just about every other case where we have a possible opportunity to fulfill a mitzvah without risking a prohbition.
However, to be clear, I think Mike certainly IS correct that wearing "techeilet" made from the wrong source does NOT fulfill the mitzvah of ptil techeilet. I just don't buy that this adds up to it being prohibited to follow a minority opinion that a particular dye is correct.
Geoffrey,
The bitter irony of the whole thing, white fringes are NOT Tzitzit.
The Egyptian Priests wore fringed tassels on their clothing, look at the corners of the clothing on this Hyroglific. Fringed garments were all the rage in the ANE (Ancient Near East). Fringes were fashion statements then, here is an article on Mesopotamian Clothing.
There is a reason that the text doesn't have to explain what fringes are, just how to add a blue thread to dedicate it to Hashem.
The ancient Israelites were well aware of fringed garments, it was the gentile high fashion. Adding a blue thread to dedicate it to Hashem made it a Mitzvah.
Avoiding the blue thread is the BIGGEST irony, and it really a function of contemporary Halacha evolving in an environment with little to no knowledge of history.
So let me get this straight:
Geoffrey says that, while there's no prohibition against wearing a p'til techelet/thread of blue, wearing one does not fulfil the mitzvah, since we don't know whether the techelet/blue is from the rabbinically-ordained source.
But Miami Al says that it was precisely the p'til techelet that distinguished a Jew's fringe/tassle from the tassles worn by non-Jews and made the tassles, as it says in Tetzaveh, Kodesh laShem/Sanctified to G-d.
Sigh. As a former rabbi used to say, now I'm confused on a higher level. I still don't know whether the recent revival of the addition of the p'til techelet to the tassles of a tallit/prayer shawl and/or tallit katan (the under-the-clothing four-cornered garment) is a good idea or a bad one.
There is NO prohibition on wearing blue fringed Tzitzit with the wrong fringe. You MIGHT be fulfilling the Mitzvah if it's the right blue. If not, you've at least avoided emulating the Priests of Ra, that's worth something, right? :)
If you want Blue Threaded Tzitzit, order a set online.
Maybe it's Techeilet, maybe it's just a blue thread.
Either way, don't not do something that you think is a Mitzvah because some person you haven't met on a blog tells you that it's controversial.
And certainly don't do something because I (or anyone else) tells you to do so on a blog.
"Geoffrey says that, while there's no prohibition against wearing a p'til techelet/thread of blue, wearing one does not fulfil the mitzvah, since we don't know whether the techelet/blue is from the rabbinically-ordained source."
I actually tried very hard to avoid taking a stance on the debate as to whether the true techelet had been found. I'm still learning about it myself, but I'm currently leaning toward the side of the believers.
IF, however, the true source is NOT used, I was saying that it does not fulfill the mitzvah (of ptil techelet), even though it appears to be permitted.
IF, however, the true source IS used properly, by one who does not know whether it is correct, wouldn't that actually be fulfilling the mitzvah? I never heard that wearing ptil techelet required kavannah.
"Either way, don't not do something that you think is a Mitzvah because some person you haven't met on a blog tells you that it's controversial.
And certainly don't do something because I (or anyone else) tells you to do so on a blog."
THIS! Yes!
Just to make matters even more interesting, I should probably mention that my first rabbi in New York theorized that there was a point in Jewish history at which the techelet was so closely associated with royalty that Jews were being killed for wearing it, so the rabbis found a way to discontinue the practice. If that's the case, then it might be reasonable to speculate that the rabbis deliberately "lost" the identity of the chilazon mollusk so that people wouldn't use it and get themselves killed.
So here we are, some thousand or probably more years later, trying to find the chilazon's hidden identity. Only your biochemist knows for sure, and even *that's* debatable.
To wear or not to wear, that is the question. Whether 'tis nobler to avoid "emulating the Priests of Ra" or to avoid second-guessing the rabbis . . .
"theorized that there was a point in Jewish history at which the techelet was so closely associated with royalty that Jews were being killed for wearing it"
Pretty much what is asserted here, though apparently rejected there as the actual cause for loss of the tradition:
http://www.tekhelet.com/pdf/HistoryMesorahNignaz.pdf
Wow, thanks for that URL, Geoffrey! That's fascinating reading.
If Miami Al is implying that the tzitzis we use today are not really tzitzis because they are white, I would love to hear the thinking behind that statement. Men have been wearing them without techelis for over a thousand years, almost 2,000 actually, so I hardly think we have it wrong.
Mike, while I do think that Miami Al may have a valid point from a historical perspective, it might reasonably be argued that, now that fringes/tassles are generally not worn for *ritual* purposes except by Jews, the lack of the distinguishing blue thread may no longer be a such major issue.
Mike,
"If Miami Al is implying that the tzitzis we use today are not really tzitzis because they are white, I would love to hear the thinking behind that statement. Men have been wearing them without techelis for over a thousand years, almost 2,000 actually, so I hardly think we have it wrong."
Really, the fact that people have been doing something a certain way for a while makes it correct? For thousands of years, people, including Jews, thought evil spirits/demons/etc made you sick. Now we know its virus and bacterial problems.
As per Halacha, white Tzitzit are perfectly acceptable tzitzit.
As per the clear written text and clothing fashions of Egypt, Canaan, Sumeria, and Babylon in the ancient near east, White Tzitzit resemble those of the other nations more than the one described in Tanach.
As per what clearly written text?
Do you mean their text or Torah text? Either way, if it's similar, so it's similar. I dont see what that has to do with anything. The point is we dont know what real techeles is, so it has become our custom to not use any old blue.
Minhag Yisrael k'din. The established customs of Israel are the same as law.
Mike,
Which is why I've suggested that it is ironic, not improper, that white tzitzit have become Jewish tzitzit. Since when the written Torah was given, such tzitzit would have clearly been gentile in nature.
Minhag Yisrael k'din -- absolutely, I hope the heavenly court has a full appreciation of the irony of the situation.
I don't think you can say "no blue" = minhag yisrael. Minhag Ashkenaz maybe.
Thanks for the reminder, RivkaYael. Unfortunately, we Ashkenazim seem to need one. :(
from a local blog:
Why do we have black stripes on our tzitzis beged
Answer
The Ashkenazic custom to have stripes on the talis is to display that we are missing techeilis. It seems that the custom in many places was to have blue stripes and also to have a blue border on the edge of the talis. (Pri Megadim Aishel Avraham 9:7, also see Mishna Berurah 9:16) Over time the custom evolved to display black stripes since black is a sign of mourning.
Thanks for the info, Mike.
As has been pointed out to me, wearing or not wearing the p'til techelet is not necessarily an Ashkenazi-Sefardi difference of opinion, since many Ashkenazim also wear the p'til techelet.
Again, this stripy tallis is not universal even in Ashkenaz. Nobody in my family wears a striped tallis and you'll find all sorts in shul. Radziner hasidim also have their own minhag for dyeing their tzitzit.
To clarify: none of the ashkenazim related to me wear stripy tallesim.
Two Jews, three opinions. :) It's a classic case of Jewish diversity in action.
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