Illustration Credit: Rebecca Kerzner

Tekhelet: The Torah says tzitzit should have a string the color of תְּכֵלֶת (tekhelet), a shade of blue dye made from the חִלָּזוֹן (hilazon) snail. For many hundreds of years, the way to make this special tekhelet dye was lost, so people only wore white strings. Mishnah Menahot 4:1 says that if you don’t have tekhelet you should still wear all-white tzitzit. In recent years, the way to make the old dye was rediscovered. Many people have started putting these blue strings back into their tzitzit, while others have continued the tradition of wearing all white. Look around and see what people in your community are doing!

In or out? The Torah tells us that the main point of wearing tzitzit is to see the fringes and be reminded of the mitzvot. So we wear a טַלִּית (tallit, prayer shawl) over our clothing, and it’s easy to see. But what about for a טַלִּית קָטָן (tallit katan, little tallit), the kind of tzitzit that many people wear under their clothing? Do the strings on their corners need to be tucked out so they’re visible, or can they be tucked in?

Some say of course they need to be out because the whole point is to see them! (See Shulhan Arukh OH 8:11; Mishnah Berurah 8:26.) But many Jews always wore a tallit katan under their clothes and, after all, you do see the strings when you get dressed. Building on this practice, some say that it’s better for a tallit katan to be a more private mitzvah between you and God (Yehaveh Da’at 2:1).

Tightening on Shabbat: Sometimes the strings of tzitzit become loose and they need to be tightened. It’s good to keep your tzitzit tied tight so the knots don’t unravel! But on Shabbat, when we avoid tying knots, we should be careful not to tighten them (Ketzot HaShulhan 123:4). If you notice your tzitzit getting loose on Shabbat, it’s best to wait and fix it on Saturday night or Sunday morning.

Learn more about tzitzit: Halakhot of tzitzit part II, in Parashat Korah!

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