Parshas Shelach
By Rabbi Dovid Zauderer
“It shall constitute ‘tzitzis’, that you may see it and remember all the commandments of G-d and perform them; and not explore after your heart and after your eyes after which you stray…” (Numbers 15:39).
In this verse, G-d is commanding Moses to teach the Jewish people about a special ‘tool’ they can and should use when confronted with sinful temptations – i.e. exploring after their hearts and eyes – to help them overcome those desires.
This biblical tool is the tzitzis (or “tassles”) which are worn on the four corners of our garments at all times and which through looking at them remind us not to transgress the commandments of the Torah.
Rashi cites a Midrash that explains how the tzitzis can help remind us of the 613 commandments:
“The numerical value of the word צִיצִית is six hundred (צ = 90, י = 10, צ = 90, י = 10, ת = 400). [Add to this the] eight strings and five knots, and we have [a total of] six hundred and thirteen [the number of commandments in the Torah]”. [Bamidbar Rabbah 18:21]
I have to be honest here. I never really understood how this works. I mean, think about it ,,, you’re walking down the street when a temptation appears out of nowhere and you’re in spiritual danger of forgetting the Torah and its commandments as you get ready to commit the sinful act, when, all of a sudden, you remember that the Hebrew word צִיצִית has the numerical value of 600, then you carry the one, add the square root of 270 ,,,, and you’re able to remember the commandments and to overcome the temptation!
Of course I am joking with you about calculating the square root of 270 (or about carrying the one, for that matter!) My main point is that I have a hard time understanding how computing numerical values and adding up knots and strings will help a person remember the commandments and overcome temptations when he’s in the throes of desire.
Perhaps we can better understand how the Mitzvah of tzitzis works with the help of the Alshich HaKadosh in his commentary on Parshas Shelach. [Ed. note: Only a few rabbis were granted the title HaKadosh (the “Holy”) throughout Jewish history. Alongside the Alshich were the Shelah HaKadosh, the Ari HaKadosh and the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh, all of them distinctive personalities in their times.-dz]
The Alshich HaKadosh asks how will a person be reminded of all the commandments just by seeing his tzitzis? People wear tzitzis every day and still don’t remember the Mitzvos? What then is the meaning of the verse that when a person sees the tzitzis he will be reminded of the Mitzvos?
The Alshich HaKadosh tells a story about a person who wishes to remember something. He ties a string on his finger which he will notice and be reminded of what he wants to remember. Another person tied a string on his finger for no reason. One day he wanted to do something but forgot all about it. He was shocked, “How could I forget if I had a string tied around my finger!? I see that strings do not really help a person remember.” The people who heard him said, “Fool! Of course a string will not help if you did not tie it initially to be a reminder.”
The lesson to be learned from this story – explains the Alshich HaKadosh - is that tzitzis only reminds a person of the Mitzvos if he puts them on to serve as a reminder. Someone who puts on his tzitzis with this intention will remember the Mitzvos whenever he sees his tzitzis. However, a person who puts them on without any intention, then the tzitzis will not help him remember the Mitzvos.
In other words, the way that tzitzis reminds us about the commandments is only at the very beginning when we first put them on. At that time we can connect the tzitzis to all the Mitzvos (through the strings, knots and numerical value of the tzitzis, for example). This way, we will be reminded about the commandments later when temptations arise. But if we don’t attach the tzitzis to the commandments when we first put them on, then they won’t work later as a reminder when we need them.
Rav Avigdor Miller ZT”L in his book Awake My Glory (Chapter 18 #969-970) teaches a similar idea about how tzitzis really works:
“The stated purpose of the tzitzis is to remind those who see it of the Torah-duties and aspirations. In order to gain this benefit one must look at the tzitzis, and mentally identify it with some particular Mitzvah or Torah-teaching, and he should intend to use the tzitzis always as a reminder of that Mitzvah. Subsequently he adds another Mitzvah (or some Torah-prohibition, or some Torah-ideal) to the identity of the tzitzis and he causes the tzitzis to remind him of both ideas. Thus he continues to do, adding more to the tzitzis reminder as he progresses, eventually intensifying the effect. The promise is given: “When you shall see it (when you look at it with the intention that it achieve for you what you intend) and you shall remember all the commandments of G-d.” This requires effort, for nothing good is achieved effortlessly”.
http://www.torchweb.org/torah_detail.php?id=716