בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּ֒שָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לְהִתְעַטֵּף בַּצִּיצִית:
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, King of the Universe, Who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to enwrap ourselves with Tzitzit.
וַיֹּ֥אמֶר יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם וְעָשׂ֨וּ לָהֶ֥ם צִיצִ֛ת עַל־כַּנְפֵ֥י בִגְדֵיהֶ֖ם לְדֹרֹתָ֑ם וְנָֽתְנ֛וּ עַל־צִיצִ֥ת הַכָּנָ֖ף פְּתִ֥יל תְּכֵֽלֶת׃ וְהָיָ֣ה לָכֶם֮ לְצִיצִת֒ וּרְאִיתֶ֣ם אֹת֗וֹ וּזְכַרְתֶּם֙ אֶת־כָּל־מִצְוֺ֣ת יְהוָ֔ה וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָ֑ם וְלֹֽא־תָתֻ֜רוּ אַחֲרֵ֤י לְבַבְכֶם֙ וְאַחֲרֵ֣י עֵֽינֵיכֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־אַתֶּ֥ם זֹנִ֖ים אַחֲרֵיהֶֽם׃ לְמַ֣עַן תִּזְכְּר֔וּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֶת־כָּל־מִצְוֺתָ֑י וִהְיִיתֶ֥ם קְדֹשִׁ֖ים לֵֽאלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃ אֲנִ֞י יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֗ם אֲשֶׁ֨ר הוֹצֵ֤אתִי אֶתְכֶם֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם לִהְי֥וֹת לָכֶ֖ם לֵאלֹהִ֑ים אֲנִ֖י יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃ (פ)
The LORD said to Moses as follows: Speak to the Israelite people and instruct them to make for themselves fringes on the corners of their garments throughout the ages; let them attach a cord of blue to the fringe at each corner. That shall be your fringe; look at it and recall all the commandments of the LORD and observe them, so that you do not follow your heart and eyes in your lustful urge. Thus you shall be reminded to observe all My commandments and to be holy to your God. I the LORD am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I, the LORD your God.
וזכרתם את כל מצות ה'. שֶׁמִּנְיַן גִּימַטְרִיָּא שֶׁל צִיצִית שֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת, וּשְׁמוֹנָה חוּטִין וַחֲמִשָּׁה קְשָׁרִים הֲרֵי תרי"ג (תנחומא):
וזכרתם את כל מצות ה׳ AND YE SHALL REMEMBER ALL THE COMMANDMENTS OF THE LORD — The ציצית will remind one of all the commandments because the numerical value of the letters of the word ציצית is six hundred, and there are eight threads and five knots in the fringes, so that you have six hundred and thirteen, which is also the number of the commandments of the Torah.
והיה לכם לציצת. והנה ישוב הפתיל להיותו בקצה כמו הציצית. והפירוש השני כאשר העתיקו חז''ל ובעבור שיש עדים נאמנים על הפירוש השני בטל הראשון והם העתיקו כי זאת המצוה עם בגד שיש לו ארבע כנפים והציצית הם הגדילים ועוד אפרשנו. והנה מצוה על כל מי שיש לו בגד בארבע כנפים שיתכסה בו ביום תמיד ולא יסירנו מעליו למען יזכרו והמתפללים בטלית בשעת התפלה יעשו זה בעבור שיקראו בקריאת שמע והיה לכם לציצית ועשו להם ציצית רק לפי דעתי יותר הוא חייב להתעטף בציצית בשאר השעות משעת התפלה למען יזכור ולא ישגה ולא יעשה עבירה בכל שעה כי בשעת התפלה לא יעשה עבירה וראיתם אותו. מצוה להיות נראה אחרי לבבכם. המתאוה והעין רואה והלב חומד והנה יהיה הציצית לאות ולסימן שלא ירדוף אדם אחר הרהור לבו וכל אשר שאלו עיניו אשר אתם זונים. כי מי שילך אחרי תאותו הוא זונה מתחת עבודת אלהיו
And it will be to you for fringes. Anyone who has a garment with four corners is commanded to always wear it during the day, and not take it off, so that he shall remember. Those that pray with a tallis [only] during the time of prayer do so because of the verses they read during the Shema: “Make for themselves, tzitzis-fringes” and “And it will be to you for fringes.” In my view, however, one has a greater obligation to wear tzitzis at other times than prayer, so that he will remember and not err, and not commit a transgression at any time. During prayer, however, he will likely not transgress. And you will look upon it. It is a commandment for the tzitzis to be seen. After [the desire of] your hearts. The eye sees and the heart desires. The tzitzis are a sign that a person should not chase after his desirous thoughts and anything his eyes seek. Which cause you to go astray. Someone who follows after his desires is straying from the service of his God.
Menachot 44b
There is the case of a man who was meticulous about carrying out the mitzvah of tzitzit. He heard that there was a certain whore in one of the coastal towns, who would collect a fee of four hundred gold coins. He sent her 400 gold coins and appointed a day with her. When his time came, he came along and took a seat at the door of her house. Her maid came and told her, “That man with whom you made an appointment is sitting at the door of the house.” She said, “Let him come in.” When he came in, she spread out for him seven silver mattresses and one gold one, and she was on the top. And between each one were silver stools, and on the top, gold ones. When he came to do the deed, the four tzitzit fell out [of his garment] and appeared to him like four witnesses. They slapped him in the face and immediately he withdrew and took a seat on the ground. The whore also withdrew and took a seat on the ground. She said to him, “By the winged god of Rome! I will not leave you alone until you tell me what blemish you have found in me.” He said to her, “By the Temple, I did not see any blemish at all in you, for in the whole world there is none so beautiful as you. But Adonai our God has imposed upon me a rather small duty, called tzitzit. Now they appeared to me as four witnesses [to testify against me].” She said, “I will not leave you until you tell me your name, the name of your town, the name of your teacher, the name of your school in which you study Torah.” He wrote all this down and handed it to her. Thereupon she rose and divided her estate into three parts: one third for the government, one third to be distributed among the poor, and one third she took with her in hand. The bedclothes, however, she retained. She then came to the Beit ha-Midrash of Rabbi Hiyya and said to him, “Master, accept me as a convert.” He said to her, “Is it possible that you have laid eyes on one of the disciples?” She thereupon took out the script and handed it to him. “Go,” he said, “and enjoy your acquisition.” Those very bedclothes which she had spread out for him for an illicit purpose she now spread out for him lawfully. This is the reward of the mitzvah in this world, and as for its reward in the Coming World, I know not how great it is.
There is the case of a man who was meticulous about carrying out the mitzvah of tzitzit. He heard that there was a certain whore in one of the coastal towns, who would collect a fee of four hundred gold coins. He sent her 400 gold coins and appointed a day with her. When his time came, he came along and took a seat at the door of her house. Her maid came and told her, “That man with whom you made an appointment is sitting at the door of the house.” She said, “Let him come in.” When he came in, she spread out for him seven silver mattresses and one gold one, and she was on the top. And between each one were silver stools, and on the top, gold ones. When he came to do the deed, the four tzitzit fell out [of his garment] and appeared to him like four witnesses. They slapped him in the face and immediately he withdrew and took a seat on the ground. The whore also withdrew and took a seat on the ground. She said to him, “By the winged god of Rome! I will not leave you alone until you tell me what blemish you have found in me.” He said to her, “By the Temple, I did not see any blemish at all in you, for in the whole world there is none so beautiful as you. But Adonai our God has imposed upon me a rather small duty, called tzitzit. Now they appeared to me as four witnesses [to testify against me].” She said, “I will not leave you until you tell me your name, the name of your town, the name of your teacher, the name of your school in which you study Torah.” He wrote all this down and handed it to her. Thereupon she rose and divided her estate into three parts: one third for the government, one third to be distributed among the poor, and one third she took with her in hand. The bedclothes, however, she retained. She then came to the Beit ha-Midrash of Rabbi Hiyya and said to him, “Master, accept me as a convert.” He said to her, “Is it possible that you have laid eyes on one of the disciples?” She thereupon took out the script and handed it to him. “Go,” he said, “and enjoy your acquisition.” Those very bedclothes which she had spread out for him for an illicit purpose she now spread out for him lawfully. This is the reward of the mitzvah in this world, and as for its reward in the Coming World, I know not how great it is.