Rediscovering Tzitzit: Insights from Parshat Shelach (Re-release of "What’s Meaningful About Tzitzit? Part 1)

Meaningful Judaism

(Part 1 of 2) The Aleph Beta Team is hard at work on new episodes of Meaningful Judaism. But in the meantime, we decided to go back to our archives and share this episode about tzitzit, which is discussed in this week's parsha.

Are tzitzit supposed to “mean” something? Most people who wear tzitzit probably don't find it especially objectionable or burdensome, but how many people can honestly say that wearing tzitzit is a deeply meaningful spiritual practice? That it helps them to be a better Jew, a better person, to feel closer to God? Probably not so many. For everyone else, tzitzit is, at best, a testament to one's commitment to following the Torah but without any unique meaning or character, and at worst, a ritual, performed by rote, simply because everyone else seems to be doing it, devoid of any meaning at all.

Is there a reason that God commands us to wear these funny tassels? The Torah tells us that tzitzit are supposed to remind us of God and mitzvot, they’re supposed to make us holy. But how exactly does that work? God could have asked us to tie a string around our finger to remember the mitzvot, or asked us to only wear shirts with the words “Remember God! Be holy!” printed on them. But instead we get this mitzvah about having fringes hanging down from the corners of our clothes. If God wants us to wear something that will remind us not to sin, tzitzit seems like a very random choice.

In this episode, Imu Shalev and Daniel Loewenstein tackle these questions and search for the spiritual meaning of tzitzit, diving deep into the Torah’s verses that describe the mitzvah. Their journey leads them to a host of surprising and thrilling destinations and, ultimately, to a whole new understanding of the message behind this commandment.

Check out the 2024 Perks campaign here! Go ahead, treat yourself and make a difference at the same time! Thank you for your support!
Meaningful Judaism is a project of Aleph Beta Labs. Aleph Beta is a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide. For our full library of over 1,000 videos and podcasts, please visit www.alephbeta.org.
To support this podcast, subscribe to Aleph Beta.