(9) Why does a chulya look like two winds with a half on the top and a half on the bottom?
Two full winds and one half at the top and one half at the bottom is the way three full winds will look – the alternative is to have 3 full winds with halves at the bottom and top which would make a total of 4 winds.
The truth is that it is very difficult to get precisely three full winds when coming out of a double knot or going into a double knot. However, it is my opinion that, the Gemara’s requirement that a chulya be 3 winds is a directive for action to be taken by the person wrapping and not necessarily a statement on how the final product is to appear. That is to say, the tier is required to wrap the shamash around the core strings three times, this may however result in a chulya looking like two-and-a-half wraps or even three-and-a-half, depending on where the string started or ended. My understanding is based on the words of the Gemara (Men. 39a) which are as follows: “And what is the measurement of a chulya? We learned in a Braita, Rebbe says so that you wind once, then again, and a third time.” Note that Rebbe doesn’t say – “so that you have three winds”, but rather directs the action of the tier “you wind...”. Furthermore, the point is emphasized by the laborious wording “wind once, and again, and a third time”, instead of simply saying “wind three times.”
(10) What if a chulya looks like one full wind with a half on the top and a half on the bottom?
In the case where you have only one full wind with a half at the top and a half at the bottom – thus making a total of two full winds, this would be not make a full chulya (which according to the Gemara is 3 full winds). Nevertheless, it is not critical to retie for a number of reasons:
(a) According to the Gemara, to fulfill the biblical obligation of tzitizis (i.e., to be “yotzei de’orayta) only one chulya of three winds is required – out of 13 chulyos you will obviously have more than three winds in the total.
(b) The braita states that the number of full chulyos is to be between 7 and 13. This is considered a Rabbinic dictum for which you most likely fulfill the minimum requirement of 7 full chulyos (out of the total 13 tied).
If either (a) or (b) is not fulfilled, then you should retie your chulyos.
(11) Is there a problem if the windings of a chulya are not tightly abutting each other?
There is no stated requirement on how tight the winds within a chulya must be. The only requirement is that one be able to distinguish between one chulya and the next. When using any of the methods which alternate colors between chulyos (Gr”a, Hinuch, Tosafos, Amram Gaon), they are easily identified because they alternate between white chulyos and blue chulyos. For methods that use only blue chulyos (Rambam, Radzyn) this is more problematic, however, given that each chulya is demarcated or knotted in itself, does provide some distinction.
(12) How do you explain R. Schachter’s method?
R. Schachter holds that Ashkenazim should follow Tosafos with regard to the Tosafos opinion of the number of strings – i.e., Ashkenazim, according to R. Schachter, should use two blue and two white strings on each corner. However, when discussing the method of tying, he believes that everyone (Ashkenazim and Sefaradim alike) should use the method put forth by the Rambam. Thus, confusion number one is due to the fact that R. Schachter’s method is really the combination of two methods for two separate issues concerning the one mitzvah of tzitizis – i.e., number of strings like Tosafos, method of tying like Rambam.
Confusion number two arises from R. Schachter’s reading of the Rambam as opposed to the tradition the Yemenites (Teimanim) carry. The Rambam explains, in very general terms, to make a chulya of three wraps, make a knot, give some distance and make the next hulya, etc. (Hil. Tzitz. 1:7 – see here). The Yemenites have a tradition for tying according to the Rambam which they have preserved for centuries, for they have used it even for tying only white (as prescribed by the Rambam) – this method is shown in my diagram for the Rambam (see here). R. Schachter, on the other hand, read the Rambam and said, “‘knot’, the simplest knot I know is a double knot, and that also produces the space between hulyot defined by the Rambam” – this I know from personal conversations between R. Schachter and members of the Amuta (organization).
If you would like to follow R. Schachter he suggests you follow the diagram as is show here
