Strings that Jewish men wear from their belts

[matt_mcl]

I've been told the answer to this one before, but I forget. What is the name and purpose of the strings that Jewish men wear from their belts?

[AbbySthrnAccent]

The Torah also commands us to wear tzitzit (fringes) at the corners of our garments as a reminder of the mitzvot.

Tzitzit and Tallit (http://www.jewfaq.org/signs.htm)

[AbbySthrnAccent]

Well I previewed to check the link, but obviously forgot to show the quote. The above is a direct quote from the link to Judaism 101.

[Wonder Woman]

I heard that they wear the strings to bind their testicles Is that true?

[friedo]

Yep. We also eat babies and make stew out of live kittens.

[MsRobyn]

Originally posted by Wonder Woman
I heard that they wear the strings to bind their testicles Is that true?

Not the tzitzit, but there is a girdle-like garment that covers their genitals. It's to separate the profane (the genitals) from the sacred (the rest of the body).

Robin

[GilaB]

Tzitzit are attached to the corners of a garment that's basically a large rectangle with a hole in the middle for the guy's head. The overview from Judaism 101 that Abby linked to is pretty good as to the whys and hows.

Some guys wear them totally hanging out, some may tuck them through a belt loop and then back into their pants for a more subtle-yet-visible look, and others keep them totally tucked into their pants. It's a personal choice about what feels most appropriate. And there's no testicle involvement whatsoever ;) In fact, tzitzit are usually worn over an undershirt to keep them off the body, as a sign of respect (they don't get sweaty, dirty, etc.). The item MsRobyn refers to is a gartel (I'm not sure of the spelling in English, it's a Yiddish word that I don't see written often), worn during prayer by men from some Orthodox groups, mostly Hasidim. It's a black fabric belt tied around the waist, no genital involvement there either.

[matt_mcl]

Muy interesante. Thanks!

The Judaism 101 says that the tzitzit are knotted intricately, which I've also noticed, but is there a pattern to the knots, and if so what is it and what is its significance?

[matt_mcl]

Muy interesante. Thanks!

The Judaism 101 says that the tzitzit are knotted intricately, which I've also noticed, but is there a pattern to the knots, and if so what is it and what is its significance?

[WeRSauron]

Shalom aleikhem!

There is a significance to the tying of the knots.

Some websites that discuss this:
Tallit and Tzitzit (http://scheinerman.net/judaism/roshchodesh/tallit.html)
Tzitzit and Techlet (http://www.restorationfoundation.org/goldenkey/hem_8.htm)

I'm sure someone with a more comprehensive knowledge of Judaism and Judaica will come and explain the significance in detail.

WRS

[zev_steinhardt]

Originally posted by matt_mcl
Muy interesante. Thanks!

The Judaism 101 says that the tzitzit are knotted intricately, which I've also noticed, but is there a pattern to the knots, and if so what is it and what is its significance?

The tzitzis are formed by four strings, doubled through the garment. One of the strings is longer than the others. The strings are double-knotted to the garment. The longer string is then wound around the others 7 times, followed by another set of double-knots. The long string is then wound around the others 8 times, double-knotted, 11 times, double-knotted and finally 13 times and double-knotted. By the time this is done, the long string should be indistinguishable from the others.

As to the significance of 7, 8, 11 or 13, I'm not certain. Perhaps someone else might be able to help you with that.

Numbers 15:38 tells us that we should see the tzitzis and remember the commandments that God has given us. There are 613 commandments in the Torah. The numerical value of the word tzitzis (every letter in the Hebrew alphabet has a numerical value) is 600. Each corner has eight strings (four, doubled over) and five sets of knots. 600 + 8 + 5 = 613.

Zev Steinhardt

Zev Steinhardt

[Kalhoun]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'm truly amazed at the intracacies of the Jewish religion.

But why do the private parts always get such a bad rap throughout religious history (and not just the Jews, either)? I mean, separating THAT WHICH IS ALREADY ATTACHED TO THE BODY? Why are the 'nads, et al, considered profane?

[RedNaxela]

Zev: I don't know either why these specific numbers of windings are used. However, the the numbers 7, 8, and 11 add up to 26, which has the same numerical value in Hebrew as the Tetragrammaton (G-d's four-lettered name); and 13 is the numerical value of the Hebrew word echad, which means "one." Taken together, then, the windings of the tzitzis symbolize our affirmation that G-d is One.

[WeRSauron]

For the goyim (non-Jews) - the Jewish declaration of faith (called the "Shema") is:

"Shema Yisrael, H' El-keinu, H' Echad"*
"Hear, O Israel, the L-rd is our G-d, the L-rd is One" or
"Hear, O Israel, the L-rd our G-d is One."

Thus, the numerical significance of the knots, windings, etc., of the tzitzit (symbolizing the Tetragrammaton and the word "echad") serve to remind one of G-d's unity as well as the Shema.

*Substitute the Tetragrammaton in place of "H'", and the Hebrew for "our G-d" in place of "El-keinu." The changing of consonants, replacing the Name with "H'," and omitting vowels are admirable ways used by Jews to not profane the Holy Names.

[Daniel]

I used to share an apartment with three tzitzit-wearing Jews. After doing his laundry one day, one of my roommates was hanging up his tzitzit to dry (remember, it's a rectangle of cloth, separate from normal clothing, with a neck-hole in it), and he said, "Daniel! Come here! I figured it out!"

I saw it hanging there, and he said, "This must be why people think Jews have sex through a hole in the sheet. They walk by Jewish laundry lines and see this thing hanging up, just a sheet with a hole in it, and that's all they can think of."

I'm not sure if he was right, but his reasoning was pretty solid.