Numbers 15 concludes the Torah section of Shelach. At the end of this chapter, God commands Moses
to instruct his brethren to wear tzitzit. What is the point of this four-cornered and distinctive, fringed
garment? “And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that you may look upon it, and remember all the
commandments of God…”
“And God spoke to Moses saying. Speak unto the Children of Israel and
bid them that they make them throughout their generations fringes in the
corners of their garments, and that they put with the fringe of each
corner a thread of blue.”
Additional verses elaborate on tzitzit. Seeing the tassels encourages or aids overall commandment
compliance, “and do them…that you go not about after your own heart and your own eyes, after which
you use to go astray.” A wearable pneumonic device.
Finally, this Torah section on tzitzit conveys that remembrance and performance of God’s
commandments carry far-reaching potential: “And be holy unto God.” In a word, tzitzit is a potent
vehicle by which a Jew commits to a Torah life and its values, which in turn lends transcendence to life.
Abravanel analyzes the four components of tzitzit, providing an interesting albeit lofty interpretation.
Really, he infuses cosmological comments, though in understandable concepts. Below is how Abravanel
matches up the four components of tzitzit with four aspects of the cosmos. The four parts of tzitzit are:
- The garment
- The garment’s four corners
- The tassel knots
- The tassels
Now to the cosmological match ups or correspondences, in descending order from the Supreme Being,
down to His physical underlings, for lack of a better word.
- God lines up with the garment insofar as He acts as the universe’s control or nerve center.
- The heavenly facilitators are non-corporeal beings that take their marching orders from the
Creator, residing under His throne. Intangible, they do God’s bidding in running the universe. - The heavenly levers are a notch lower in the cosmos scheme. That is, the heavenly facilitators
crank these levers or gears or forces, churning nature into exquisite movements and orbits. - The celestials, these are the planets and stars in the solar system or galaxy.
In fantastic shorthand, we have highlighted Abravanel’s understanding of the inner workings of God and
His universe. Tzitzit, as we illustrated, hold a key to Torah compliance, carrying symbolism galore.
