Tzitzit by way of commandment are mentioned in two places in Torah:
Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel: Tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners. And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them, and that you may not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined, and that you may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for your God. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord your God.” Num 15:37-41
“You shall make tassels on the four corners of the clothing with which you cover yourself.” Deu 22:12
The color of the tassel is not commanded, other than to include a blue thread in the tassels of the corners. There is some indication in rabbinic literature, that blue especially signifies God. They say that when the pillar of fire led the children of Israel through the wilderness, that it was a blue flame; and when Moses and the elders saw a vision of God on His throne, His throne was on a pavement, as it were, of transparent sapphire (Exo 24:10).
Moreover, the history of the ancient world itself might lend some insight into the custom of wearing tzitzit.
“Thus it seems that “zizziktu” represent not only the person they belong to but also show their authority. It seems that royalty would wear “zizziktu” that were distinguished from those of others. Prophets would also wear “zizziktu” that were also easily recognised. It has been suggested that the differences might be in how they were tied or their colour. Various clans, tribes and professions might have been distinguished by the variety of the “zizziktu” worn. This would help explain why Prophets often seemed to have little problem in gaining access to the King in Bible accounts.” — Tzitzit and Cuneiform Tablets, flickr.com
So blue, as God’s color, indicates that the wearer of tzitzit in which is tied the blue thread, belongs to God, and so remembers His commandments when looking upon them, because His is the authority.
There is a debate in Messianic circles today as to whom the command to wear tzitzit applies. The Orthodox Jews say it only applies to males, and many in Messiah follow suit. The command in Torah is to the children of Israel. This is in Hebrew, b’nei Yisrael. The root word ben is defined variously in Scripture as “son, grandson, child (both genders), children (both genders), member of a group.” Often when singular it means son, but when plural can mean the all- inclusive children of both genders. In Num 15:37-38, it is plural. Many times the phrase “children of Israel,” b’nei Yisrael, appears in Torah when the command can be clearly seen to apply to both genders. For example, in Lev 11, the Lord commands the children of Israel (b’nei Yisrael) to partake only of clean animals, and to not partake of unclean animals. This command is accepted throughout the Messianic community (and also in Judaism) to apply to both genders, and not the men only. Please see Women Wearing Tzitzit to examine the historic debate among the rabbis as to the application of this commandment, as recorded in the Mishnah and rabbinic literature. So, let every one be fully convinced in his own mind. I myself do wear tzitzit in many colors to match my clothes, but all have the same blue thread in them.
You may be interested in my picture tutorials showing how I make my own tzitzit.
Very pretty and creative! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂 We have so far been using just blue and white but this gives us some new ideas!
Thank you very much for visiting, and for your kind comments Cydnie. <3
When Yehovah spoke to Beni Yisrael He was only speaking to the men. A simple study of hebrew perfix and suffix meanings can tell you this. when a word has a YOD at the end of a Hebrew word it is for men and men alone. A women who wears the tzitzi is a “Toebah” an abmonition before Yehovah says D’varim 22:5. The same word toebah is used when describing homosexuality.
in the service of Messiah Yeshua Messianic rabbi Andrew Dinnerman http://www.bethgoyim.org
First of all, thank you for caring enough to share your opinion Andrew. The Hebrew Lexicon says of ben, b’nei that when singular, it refers to a male son, but when plural, it can refer to male sons or children of both genders. This is because biblical Hebrew does not have neuter gender for a mixed group; therefore nouns or people, places, and things must be expressed grammatically either in the masculine or feminine gender. When speaking to a mixed group the plural will default grammatically to the masculine gender of the word in every case, even though the group being addressed is of mixed gender. There are several assumptions embedded in your argument. First, that the tzitzit is an article of masculine clothing. As we have just seen, the biblical Hebrew does not support this assumption, nor have the rabbis believed and acted as if such was the case (please see the research linked above, Women and Tzitzit, for an examination of the historical opinion and practice of the rabbis). Second, if your application were consistent, it would mean the women of your congregation are banned from eating clean. In many places in Torah, the same phrase in Hebrew, b’nei Yisrael, appears, applying to a mixed company of both genders, as in the dietary laws of Lev 11. Third, Deu 22:5 states that the women who wear masculine clothing or the men who wear feminine clothing are an abomination, but it does not say that a woman who wears tzitzit is an abomination. Moreover, gender appropriate clothing are culturally defined for any given time and place. There is no corresponding list in Torah identifying men’s or women’s clothing, as these things vary with the culture and era, but Torah remains relevant and consistent for all cultures in all times. Women have as much a responsibility to keep the commandments as men.
Boom. Nicely rebutted sister. Thanks for speaking boldly and sharing your tzitziyot crafting techniques.
I’ve worn them now for about 3 years. 🙂
Thank you for visiting and for your kind comments LK. I really wasn’t trying to bring the boom down on anyone else. But I did not want what Scripture wasn’t saying, to stand. <3
Good day, can we make it in any colour we want? Or must it be in a certain colour?
Hello Adelaide, the only color stipulation in Torah is that there must be a blue thread among the threads of the tassel:
Num 15:37 and following:
Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 38 “Speak to the children of Israel: Tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners. 39 And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them …”
In ancient days before looms which mass produced cloth, the tassels were a way to finish the weave of the cloth at the bottom edge of the garment, so that the cloth didn’t ravel. Therefore it is likely that the color of the tassel was the same as the color of the garment, but with the blue thread which was added to it.