(http://tekhelet.com)
(1) How many strings of Techeles per corner are to be used?
(a) According to Tosafos (and Rashi), of the four strings placed on a corner, two are to be blue and two are to be white (resulting in four blue and four white strings when the strings are folded through the corner hole).
Rabeinu Tam – 2 long strings folded in half yields 4 strings after being tied
(b) According to the Rambam, of the four strings placed on a corner, only one half of one string is to be blue and the remaining three and a half strings are to be white (resulting in one blue and seven white strings when the strings are folded through the corner hole).
1 string folded in 1/2 yields only one string out of 8 as Techeles
(c) The Raavad takes issue with this and holds that of the four strings placed on a corner, one is to be blue and three are to be white (resulting in two blue and six white strings when the strings are folded through the corner hole).
1 string folded in 2 yields 2 string out of 8 as Techeles
Does One Opinion Prevent Fulfillment Of The Mitzvah According To The Others?
Now given that Tosafos demands two full strings of Techeles, by putting on less (as per Rambam or Raavad), Tosafos would hold that one did not fulfill the mitzvah of Techeles. On the other hand, the Rambam seems to be of the opinion that if there are non-white strings in the core of the tzitizis (as per Raavad or Tosafos) then one has not fulfilled the mitzvah of white (according to specific reading of the Rambam – www.Tekelet.com/pdf/ra02.pdf).
There are a number of ways to deal with this makhlokes. The conservative approach would be to follow the Rambam. For if he is wrong then one still fulfills the mitzvah of Tzitizis but is just lacking in completing Techeles; however, if he is right and one put more than half a string of Techeles, one may not fulfill the mitzvah of Tzitizis (as mentioned above).
Alternatively, one can follow his tradition, which is what Rav Schachter of YU suggests in his article on the subject Tekelet: Renaissance of a Mitzvah. He explains that the vast majority of Ashkenazi poskim hold like Tosafos and thus Ashkenazim should use two full blue strings per corner. Nevertheless, the Vilna Gaon holds like the Raavad and this opinion has provided support for Ashkenazim to wear one blue string on each corner.
And finally, many Ashkenazim nonetheless follow the Rambam due to the logic behind his reasoning. Furthermore, R. Dov Lior (Kiryat Arba) and R. Rabinovitch (Maale Adumim) explain that when there is not a mesorah of a psak then we follow the Rambam.
What is the most popular “number of strings” method: Rambam, Raavad, Tosafos?
According to sales figures averaged over the past twelve months: 25% wear Rambam; 73% wear Raavad; 2% wear Tosafos. (The majority figure for Raavad is in part due to the fact that this is the Amuta’s “default”. The small percentage of Tosafos sets could in part be due to the fact that they cost twice as much as the other methods)
(2) According to which method is one to tie?
This makhlokes is far less charged than that of how many strings of Techeles to use [see FAQ (1)] because all the various methods fulfill the biblical requirements of a) a kesher elyon – upper knot and b) one “chulya” of three winds.
A chulya of 3 wrappings Upper knot – kesher elyon
The reason for all the various tying methods is due to the paucity of tying instruction in the Gemara. There are only about five statements which describe specifically how to tie – and all of the methods answer to these descriptions (see guide to tying). R. H. Schachter holds that everyone (Ashkenazim and Sefaradim) should tie according to the Rambam because he has the oldest tradition. Perhaps, the consistency of method (i.e., tying method should match number of blue strings), for the tying gives expression to the logic behind the number of strings of Techeles used. For example, the Rambam has all the winds blue because he held that the blue string played the functional role of wrapping. Tosafos, held that the blue and white were two equal parts of the one mitzvah and were to be expressed equally – thus 2 strings of blue and 2 strings of white, and thus the wrappings are basically distributed equally between blue and white.
(3) Which tying method is preferred for Ashkenazim?
If you have Tosafos strings (i.e., 2 blue, 2 white) you should tie like Tosafos. If you have the Raavad strings (i.e., 1 blue, three white) you can tie like the Vilna Gaon, or like the Raavad, or like the Sefer HaHinuch (R. Tavger’s preference).
Opinion of the Chinuch
R. Shachter holds that Ashkenaim should use two full strings (like Tosafos) and tie according to the his combined methodology (see Shachter’s method here). Though it should be noted that R. Dov Lior issued a written psak stating that both Ashkenazim and Sefaradim should use the method of the Rambam (for number of strings and tying method shown here).
(4) Which tying method is preferred for Sefaradim?
R. Dov Lior gave a written psak that one should tie according to the Rambam, both for Ashkenazim and Sefaradim
Opinion of the Rambam
(5) Is one tie method preferred for a Talit Katan and different one for a Talit Gadol?
There is no preference of tying method with respect to the type of garment. I have seen people tie different garments with different methods; I have even seen someone tie a different method on each corner of the same garment. I prefer consistency and so I would select one method for all garments.
(6) I currently tie white tzitizis using the “7,8,11,13” method, how should I tie Techeles?
The way one ties Techeles has really nothing to do with the way one ties white. There are many different ways to tie white only strings, and they are all essentially based on the fact that Techeles was lost. The Gemara provides a number of instructions on how to tie with Techeles, and from these few remarks, the poskim throughout the generations have derived various methods our guide to tying. They all fulfill the words of the Gemara and they all fulfill the mitzvah as required by the Torah. If you would like to stay as close to the common white method (7,8,11,13), I would suggest using the method of the Radzyner/Chabad.
(7) Is there an “Arizal” method for tying Techeles?
The Arizal provided a method for tying white strings which is the basis for the popular “7,8,11,13” method of tying white strings. He also mentions that there are “chulyos”, upon which the BaalHaTanya derives the method of grouping the 7,8,11,13 wraps in to sets of three winds. The Radzyner Rebbi, adopted this method when using Techeles, by requiring that one make the first wind and the last wind white and all the rest blue (as per one reading of the Gemara in Menachos). As such, it can be said that the “Arizal” method (as interpreted by the Baal HaTanya and the Radzyner) is as shown in my diagram entitled “Radzyn/Chabad“.
Opinion of the Ari used by Radzyn- similar in the number of wraps and knots
(8) How do you divide 7, 8, 11, 13 wraps into groups of 3?
The method of tying 7,8,11,13 is one which was introduced after the loss of Techeles (i.e., there is no mention of it in the Gemara). Many “reminders” were introduced into tying tzitizis to compensate for the lack of Techeles – what the Ramban calls “the essential reminder”. So, for example, we have the 5 knots, which is something introduced by the Midrash Tanchuma (closed circa 750 BCE – approximately 200 years after the redaction of the Gemara which makes no mention of 5 knots). This Midrash is brought by Rashi on the Chumash where he explains that 5 knots, along with the 8 strings and the 600 gematria value of the word “tzitizis” serves as a reminder of the 613 mitzvot (see also Tosafos [Men. 39a, lo]). (The Radvaz [6:2] explains the 5 knots along with the four strings add to 13, which is gematria “echad”). Again, this is something necessary when one doesn’t have the color of God’s throne (kisa hakavod) – though others hold they are of necessity even with Techeles. (SEE PICTURES ABOVE) (see Radzyner, Sifrei HaTecheles, Ptil Techeles, pp. 130-2).
A similar argument can be made for the method of winding. The Gemara states that one must make chulyos (groupings) of 3 winds each; and that one should make between 7 and 13 chulyos. R. H. Schachter writes that the method of tying 7,8,11,13 was merely a reminder of how we used to tie when we had Techeles. Also, interesting to note is that if one ties according to the Gemara – 13 chulyos of 3 winds each – one arrives at 39 windings in total, precisely the same as tying 7+8+11+13 (=39).
The Radzyner believed that the requirement for 5 knots was of ancient origin as is the requirement to wrap chulyos of three winds. As such, he (as well as the Baal HaTanya) integrated the two requirements which he states should be done even without Techeles. What they did was to loop the shamash around (ideally) every three winds, thus demarcating “chulyos”. Of course, one runs into a problem when needing to tie a knot after 7 winds (seven not being evenly divisible by 3). Consequently, the method requires one to break up the groupings of three winds when going around one of the 5 knots. (For simplicity’s sake, we will discount the issue of wrapping the white shamash for the moment, which will be discussed in the next paragraph). As such, you start off with a double knot, you wrap 3 winds and loop the shamash [1st chulya], then wrap another 3 winds and loop the shamash [2nd chulya], then wrap 1 wind [to complete the requisite 7 winds] and tie a double knot. Now you wrap 2 winds [to complete the “3rd” chulya that was started with the 1 wind before the double knot]. This continues for the reset of the windings, breaking up the triplets around the double knots (as shown in the “Radzyn/Chabad” diagram).
Another idiosyncrasy of the method is the use of white for the initial and final windings. The Gemara states that one is to begin with white and end with white. This has been variously interpreted as can be seen from all the differing methods of tying. The Radzyner adopted the Rambam’s approach which calls for all the windings to be Techeles except for the very first and very last winding. Thus, after the initial double knot, one makes a single wind of white, looping this white shamash though itself. Then two winds of blue are made wrapping the blue shamash through the loops. These three winds together are considered the first “chulya”. (See the “Radzyn/Chabad” diagram for details).
