Parshas Shelach: What's In a String?

This week’s parsha, Parshas Shelach concludes with the biblical commandment to tie fringes in the corners of our garments. A number of questions come to mind.
Why is the mitzvah of tzitzis placed in juxtaposition to the episode of the first Shabbos desecrator?
Parshas Shelach is primarily addressing the incident of the spies who sinned by speaking negatively about the Land of Israel. What is the connection between the spies’ action and the mitzvah of tzitzis?
The haftorah relates the incident of the two spies that Yehoshua sent to the Land of Israel forty years later. The famed paramour Rachav put them up for the night and saved them by lowering them out of the city by rope. In reward for her action they promised her that she would be spared when the Jews conquered the Land. The sign that they agreed upon was for her to tie a string in her window, so that she’ll be spared. Why of all signs possible, was a string the sign of choice?
After Avraham successfully waged war against the five kings in order to rescue his captive nephew Lot, (Genesis 14) Avraham refused to partake in the spoils saying “that I will take neither a thread nor a shoe-lace.” What is the significance of a couple of strings that Avraham singled them out from all the spoils?

Let’s try to understand the essence of the mitzvah of tzitzis and through that we will come to answer these four questions. During a visit to Toronto, somebody came over to me with his son. He explained that his son was struggling with the mitzvah of wearing tzitzis and he wanted some advice to convince his son to begin wearing tzitzis. I explained to the son about the significance of tzitzis. The next shabbos the duo came back over and the son proudly displayed his tzitzis. Then his father let the cat out the bag and said that thank G-d his son is now wearing tzitzis, but he’s been struggling to wear it for years to no avail. That father is not alone. But hopefully with a deeper appreciation for the inner meaning of tzitzis he will go the extra mile and wear it.
What’s the rationale given in the Torah for wearing tzitzis? The verse states “so that you may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the L-rd, and perform them, and that you go not after your own heart and your eyes, after which you use to go astray.” It seems that there is something inherent in tzitzis that creates a connection to all of the other mitzvos.

The Medrash Tanchuma points out that the numerical value of the word tzitzis is 600 + 5 knots + 8 strings = 613 which is representative of all of the mitzvos. The sefer Hachinuch elaborates on this theme by saying that there is no greater constant reminder to perform mitzvos that having G-d’s conspicuous insignia on ones clothing. Furthermore, the Talmud (Menachos 43b) asks why is the commandment to tie a string of tcheiles (one blue fringe in every corner), as opposed to a different color? The Talmud explains that blue is the color of the ocean, and the color of the ocean is similar to the color of the sky, which in turn is similar to the color of G-d’s throne, thereby reminding us of G-d and his commandments. Rabbi Moshe Feinstein queries: why do we have to make such mental gymnastics to reach G-d’s throne, why can’t the color just correlate directly with the throne? He answers that in order to ascend levels in holiness one can’t leap up all the rungs of the ladder at once. Rather it must be taken piecemeal. That is why we first find the color similar to the ocean in order to remind us how to go about performing mitzvos. He concludes that only when one progresses gradually into mitzvos will the commitment be everlasting. Rabbi Feinstein then asks that the verse states “so that you may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the L-rd, and perform them, and that you go not after your own heart and your eyes, after which you use to go astray.” If indeed tzitzis has such a power, although the custom is to buy a four cornered garment special for the mitzvah, why isn’t one commanded to wear tzitzis regardless of whether one owns a four cornered garment? He answers that although tzitzis has such a special power, one could only tap into it if they are guided by a spiritual mentor. He points out that we see people who wear tzitzis and it doesn’t have the hoped for effect. That is because they are not channeling the message correctly.

In fact the Talmud in Menachos 44a relates that a man sought out the most expensive paramour in the world, traveling over oceans and deserts to reach her. When he finally arrived, he began ascending her gold stairs and suddenly his tzitzis hit him in the face. He halted in his tracks, recanted, fully repented, and she was so impressed with the power of tzitzis that she converted and they got married. He was wearing the tzitzis beforehand, but only when it hit him in the face did he wake up and remember its message.

We find that before the first haircut of a three year old child there is a custom to wrap him in a talis, bring him to school, and begin the study of the aleph-bet. After marriage Ashkenazic men have the custom to begin wearing a talis, and also when somebody passes away the custom is to wrap him in a talis. The message of the talis carries us throughout life. Aside from the aforementioned representations of tzitzis, there is another message contained. My grandfather, Rabbi Mordechai Savitsky OBM was fond of telling newly minted grooms that the garment represents the physical and the strings represent our connection to the spiritual. Judaism believes that marriage is the way to embrace and to sanctify the physical, and that is why Ashkenazim wait until marriage to don a talis.

One more thought, the Talmudic understanding on the verse “do not follow your own heart” is that it refers to apostasy. The Chafetz Chaim explains that it refers to those people who say that religion means to merely be a good person in your heart. Cardiac Jews are heretical Jews! The tzitzis is a clarion call to action. We glance at the tzitzis and just like that little string tied around ones finger to remember something, we remember who our boss is and what we are privileged to do.

Now with all of these ideas swirling around, let’s make some sense of the previous questions.

The mitzvah of tzitzis comes immediately after the episode of the fist Shabbos desecrator because he followed his heart and did not follow his teacher Moshe. That is why tzitzis would not have helped him because he didn’t heed the message of tzitzis. Additionally he followed his own heart, and that led him astray. Therefore the mitzvah of tzitzis is placed next to that incident to teach us that lesson.

The connection between the spies actions and tzitzis is that the spies, who were the leaders of their tribes, were afraid that their term would come up once they entered into the Land of Israel. Their personal biases stood in the way of their objective judgment. Therefore tzitzis tells us not to follow our hearts and eyes, rather tune into the will of G-d.

The reason why the sign to save Rachav the paramour was a string is that the string represents a connection to something beyond our physical self. The Talmud Megillah 14 informs us that Rachav reached such spiritual heights that she merited marrying Yehoshua. The medrash tells us that Jeremiah was saved from death in a pit by a rope because he was a descendant of Rachav. How did Rachav go from being the most sought out woman of ill-repute to marrying the leader of the Jewish nation? Because she understood the message of that little string. There is something spiritual beyond the physical.

Avraham said that he did not want any sort of string from the war spoils because his connection to the physical was through the spiritual. He was telling the King of Sodom that he did not want to have any connection to the pure physical materialism. He would not even take a string because a Sodomite string has no spiritual dimension to it. The Alter of Slobodka asserted that because Avraham dedicated his life to the sanctification of G-d’s name, his descendents merited to be given the opportunity to wear tzitzis. By his refusal to accept the strings, we merit to sanctify our strings.

May the mitzvah of tzitzis serve as a merit for us all.