Unlike other Bluethread droshes, this is a personal and sometimes autobiographical reflection on two Torah passages:

The Lord said to Moses as follows: Speak to the Israelite people and instruct them to make for themselves fringes (Tzitzit)   on the corners (Kanphei)   of their garments throughout the ages; let them attach a cord of blue to the fringe at each corner. That shall be your fringe; look at it and recall all the commandments of the Lord and observe them, so that you do not follow your heart and eyes in your lustful urge. Thus you shall be reminded to observe all my commandments and to be holy to your God. I the Lord am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I, the Lord your God

Numbers 15:37-41

and

You shall make tassels on the four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself.

Deuteronomy 22:12

I will look at several aspects:

• the reasons for observing the mitzvah of tzitzit;
• the reasons for not observing it; and
• the effects of observance.

Throughout I will focus on the concept of tension as a necessary part of growth.

Although the sections below were written with a rough chronology in mind, feel free to skip among them.

Rose Falanga

4/25/99

© Rosemarie E. Falanga, Cy H. Silver