Parshas Shelach- Tzitzis

A huge Mazel Tov to Y.H. and M. Brachfeld on the birth of a baby girl. May you see tons of nachas from her and the boys!

Rashi says that the blue string on the Tzitzis is to remind one of the sea which is blue, which in turn reminds one of the sky, which is supposed to remind one of the heavenly throne of Hashem. A lot of the meforshim ask, if Tzitzis is supposed to remind us of the throne, why does rashi give us the connection in a roundabout way? Futhermore, the Torah tells us that Tzitzis, by merely looking at them (The Charaidem says that it is positive commandment to just look at you Tzitzis), reminds us of the 613 mitzvos and offers protection from the temptations of this world. (The Bach- siman 8, Mishna Berurah- holds that to properly perform the mitzva you have to have keep in mind that tzitzis reminds us of the 613 mitzvos.) What is about Tzitzis that the Torah tells us will help us remember the Mitzvos of Hashem and protect us from the temptations of Olam hazeh?

R’ S. R. Hirsch explains; the protection that Tzitzis provides against the temptations of this world, isn’t just magic- but rather a practical suggestion by the Torah. The pleasures of this world stare us in the face. The ‘reward’ of following your heart and eyes are instant, the pleasures of this world offer instant gratification. As opposed to spiritual reward- by nature- is hidden from us, we cannot see or feel it in our life time. It takes deep self introspection to realize that doing what the Torah says is the right thing to do. The only way to fight the temptations that are right in front of us is to really look at the options and see what is it that we are giving up for that quick pleasure. When you look at your Tzitzis what is it that you see? Is it just random strings? That is all you’ll see if you look at it superficially and you’ll then struggle with the ‘taavis’ of the world around you. Rashi is telling us to take a deeper look and see a connection- albeit one that’s not so recognizable, but definitely there- a real and deep lasting connection to Hashem. Tzitzis are blue strings that links you all the way to the heavenly throne and offers a path to rise above the struggles of this world. Just like the Tzitzis the beginning you will feel all tied up and restricted, but you’ll come to the realization that you’re the freest person in the world!