The Wearing of Tzitzit (Tassels

 

 

COMING SOON

 

TZITZIT BRACELETS AND ANCKLE BRACELETS

 

 

 

 

TZITZIT RINGS COMING SOON

 

 

 

 Numbers 15:37-41 - The Commandment to Wear Tzitzit

 

Our heavenly Father has given a commandment which is rarely, if ever, obeyed by those who claim to be the followers and disciples of the Messiah. 

Yahuwah also spoke to Mosheh, saying, "Speak to the sons of Yisrael, and tell them that they shall make for themselves tassels (Hebrew tzitzit) on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and that they shall put on the tassel of each corner a cord of blue.  It shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of Yahuwah, so as to do them and not follow after your own heart and your own eyes, after which you played the harlot,  so that you may remember to do all My commandments and be holy to your Elohim.  I am Yahuwah your Elohim who brought you out from the land of Mitzrayim to be your Elohim; I am Yahuwah your Elohim." (Bamidbar [Numbers] 15:37-41)

 

 Deuteronomy 22:12 - The Tzitzit To Be on the Four Corners

 

A parallel passage of Scripture adds some detail to the commandment to wear the tassels.

You shall make yourself tassels on the four corners of your garment with which you cover yourself. (Devarim [Deuteronomy] 22:12)

This text adds two details worth noting.  First, this passage gives the numeric four.  Bamidbar 15 tells us to wear these tassels on the corners of our garment, but Devarim 22:12 states specifically that the tassel is to be on the four corners of the garment.  While not earth-shaking, we can eliminate the temptation of wearing countless number of tassels, or endlessly debating how many corners are on a garment!

Secondly, the wearing of the tzitzit is to be on "the garment with which you cover yourself."  The Hebrew word for garment is a generic one and does not indicate a particular article of clothing.  But the verse does specify that the tzitzit are to be on the clothing "you cover yourself with."  Thus, tzitzit do not have to be on every piece of clothing we wear, such as on the socks, underclothing, pants, sweaters or any other additional article we might wear.  It is to be on the garment (not "garments") which covers us.  So, it may be on an undershirt, a shirt, or a coat.  These are usually considered to be the garments that cover us. 

 

 Malachi 4:2 - Healing in the Wings

 

 

In Bamidbar 15:38, Yahuwah was commanding Mosheh regarding the sons of Yisrael

that they shall make for themselves tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and that they shall put on the tassel of each corner a cord of blue.

The word translated corner is the Hebrew @n"K' ("canaph").  This word is translated in other passages and contexts as "wing, winged, border, corner, shirt."  It is the same word used of the wing of a bird, the wing or extension of a building (such as the temple), the wings of cherubs, figuratively of the speed of the wind (the wings of the wind), and in other figurative ways as well.

This same word is used in Malachi 4:2:

But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.

This verse speaks to those who obey Yahuwah's commandments.  And those who do so recognize the importance of obeying the commandment of Bamidbar 15, which requires the wearing of the tassel in the wings (corners) of the garment that covers you.

Malachi 4 is clearly set in a context of the Messianic reign of Elohim on earth.  So, the phrase sun of righteousness was (and is) believed to be a metaphorical reference to the promised Messiah. The purpose of the metaphor is to graphically illustrate the appearing of the Messiah by the word picture of the sun rising.  Thus, the verse is telling us that when the Messiah appears, that he would bring healing in his "wings."  And these "wings" of the Messiah are, of course, the tzitzit hanging from his garment!

Though for several centuries after the Messiah this phrase sun of righteousness was used to justify the adoption, merging and syncretizing of many traditions, customs and practices of pagan sun-god worship into the Christian Church, this verse was never intended to link anything having to do with the sun-god with the Messiah of Scriptures.  It is a shame that so many have abandoned true worship of Elohim which is done according to the Scriptures (on the Sabbath) and have in its place accepted "Sun"day worship. 

 

 

Matthew 9:20-22 - The Hem of the Garment 

 

 

The first such healing occurs when Yahusha and his disciples were on the way to a rulers house to raise his daughter who had died:

But a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak.  For she kept saying to herself, "If only I touch his cloak, I will be healed."  But when Yahusha turned and saw her he said, "Have courage, daughter! Your faith has made you well." And the woman was healed from that hour (Mattityahu 9:20-22, my translation)

This woman, by reaching out and touching the tassels of Yahusha, was expressing by this action that she believed Yahusha to be the Messiah.

The Greek manuscripts describe the area of the garment she reached out and touched as "the edge of his cloak."  The Greek word here, translated as "edge" is  kra,spedon, which the lexicons translate as "fringe, edge; tassel."   This is clearly a reference to the tzitzit which makes up the "fringe" of his cloak, which all Torah observant Jews of Yahusha's day wore in obedience to the command.

Thus, what we have in this account, is the real, not imagined, faith of a woman who believed both the Scriptures and that Yahusha is the Messiah.  So, she trusted that by touching his "wings" she would be healed.  And Yahusha commended her and rewarded her faith with the healing of her twelve year disease.

Later in the Mattityahu account, we see many others who believed the same about the Messiah's tzitzit:

After they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret.  When the people there recognized him, they sent word into all the surrounding area, and they brought all their sick to him.  They begged him if they could only touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed (Mattityahu 14:34-36).

Mark records the same event and describes it as follows:

After they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and anchored there.  As they got out of the boat, people immediately recognized Yahusha.  They ran through that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever he was rumored to be.  And wherever he would go--into villages, towns, or countryside--they would place the sick in the marketplaces, and would ask him if they could just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed (Mark 6:53-56).

Again, as with the account of the woman with the disease, many people believed the Scriptures about healing in the Messiah's "wings" and trusted in Yahusha as the Messiah.  And their faith was rewarded.