Tassels

    

     This Sabbath's reading portion is titled Ki Teitze, meaning "When you go out". This phrase is used in Deut. 20:1, and 21:10. It is used in these circumstances: "When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God is with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt." Also: "When you go out to war against your enemies, and the LORD your God delivers them into your hands, and you take them captive..." The Ki Teitze phrase is connected here with battle and war against enemies.

     This week's portion begins in Deuteronomy chapters 22 through 25. These chapters cover a variety of laws as Moses reviews them with the people, but there is one verse concerning the garments to be worn by the Israelites that seems to be covered in mystery: "You shall not wear a garment of different sorts, such as wool and linen mixed together.  You shall make tassels on the four corners of the clothing with which you cover (yourself)." (Deut. 22:11-12). The assorted commandments in these chapters, including the commandment above dealing with clothing, have been specifically included with "When you go out", or battle. What could a tassle possibly have to do with going out to battle? We will have to seek out this mystery.

     The tassels or tzitzit that we see at the four corners of a prayer shawl or tallit are threads that have been folded over, twisted together and intricately knotted together to hang from the shawl. Often the explanation is given that the tassels are to serve as reminders of all of the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) commandments of God to do them, not following the sinful inclination our own hearts and eyes as is mentioned in Num. 15:38-40, and the tassels are tied in such a way as to reinforce this meaning, but the Hebrew meanings of the words in the verse above will take us even deeper. Let's look: "You shall make tassels..." (gadil/gadal - twisted threads, tassel, fringe, cord, rope, plaited locks, border of garment, intertwined threads, twisted work/magnify, great, grow, make powerful, praise, to do great things, make firm, become strong, of a king, lifted high, lifted up, salvation/yesua (Jesus) [Ps. 18:50], twist together, bind together). The twisting together and knotting to make the tassels does not just show us joined to and inseparable from God's commandments, but to God Himself, especially as associated with salvation. The name of God that includes the word for "tassel" is El HaGadol, or Great God, and Jehovah Gadal, "The LORD Magnified" (see Ps. 40:16). We can also see the application in warfare, as placed in this Sabbath reading as mentioned above, by the meanings in the word "tassel" of "make powerful, become strong, make firm."

     Continuing the Hebrew meanings found in the verse above from Deut. 22:12, "...on the four (arba/raba - four, square, foursquare, four sided) corners..." (kanap - feathered wing as covering, edge, border, extremity, corner of garment, coverlet, extremities of the earth, the highest summit of the temple, to cover over). In the importance of the number "four", we see the four-lettered name of God, YHWH: yod, heh, vaw, heh: "Behold the hand, behold the nail", and the foursquare nature of the City of God, the New Jerusalem come down from heaven (see Rev. 21:16), in which we also see the reference to this city being on a "great and high mountain " (see Rev. 21:10 and Isa. 2:2).

     In the meaning of "corners" from this phrase we see so many prophetic meanings here from the feathered wings of protection in Ps. 91:4, which are also the feathered wings of covering of the Messiah/Christ in Mt. 23:37, and in the eagle's wings that bore the Israelites out of Egypt in Ex. 19:4 and will bear them up again and keep them safe in the last days (see Rev. 12:13-17). We also see the corner of the coverlet wing with which Boaz covered his future wife Ruth as she sought his protection.  They would later bear the child who would be the grandfather of the future David, and his messianic lineage (see Ruth 3:7-9). 

     Continuing the verse from Deut. 22:12: "...on the clothing (kesut/kasa - covering, raiment, veiled like a married woman, a present given in order to obtain a pardon/cover, conceal, garment, the covering and concealing blood, the cloud covering that accompanies the appearing of God, to put on, overwhelm, to hide) with which you cover (kasa - see above) yourself..."

      The garment with tassels shares the same meaning as the covering with which God covers himself (Ps. 18:10-12, Ps. 97:2, Rev. 1:7-9, Rev. 19:11-13), the same meaning by which a veiled woman declares herself to be married as the Lord has married His people (Isa. 62:5, Isa. 54:5, Eph. 5:31-32, Rev. 19:7-9), and the same meaning as the covering power of the blood of sacrifice shed to cover sin (Lev. 17:11, Heb. 9:22, Heb. 10:19-22, Rev. 19:11-13). When these covering clothes with tassels are worn, it is like a gift given to gain pardon as in the robes of righteousness given to us (Isa. 61:10), and the pure white linen given to the saints to wear (Rev. 19:8).

     The commandment given by the LORD for the wearing of the tassels on the corners of the garment were also to include a single blue (tekelet/sehelet/sahal - violet thread, any color from the blue spectrum, the shellfish from which cerulean purple is made/the ingredient of holy incense, the pungent odor of the shell of the shellfish found in the lakes of India where nard [spikenard, the most costly of fragrant oils] grows/lion, fierce lion, to roar like a lion) thread/ribband twisted and knotted in among the seven white threads (Num. 15:38). The violet color spectrum has the lowest wavelengths of light (400 nm), but the highest frequency (7.50) and the highest energy (3.10). The violet spectrum of color also is associated with the acoustic thermal noise of water. The voice of God and the sound of heaven has been compared to "the sound of many waters." (see Ps. 29:3-4, Rev. 14:1-2, Rev. 19:6). This could be associated with the use of the violet color spectrum in one of the threads. Hear that voice of the LORD and obey it.

     Also in Num. 15:38-41, is the commandment to attach the tassels to garments in order to remember and do all of the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) commandments of God, The LORD also said here, "...and be holy (qados/qadas - holy, saint, sacred, set apart, a sanctuary, God by eminence as appearing exalted on His throne [see Isa. 6:1-3], divine name, separate from impurity and sin, sabbath, pure, clean, free from defilement of unclean or profane things, whom the grace of God has set apart, worshippers of God/sanctify, consecrate, purified, pronounce as clean, those who are consecrated by touching holy things) for your God. I am the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD your God." The LORD spoke of the tassels with the understanding of His holiness, and the holiness He proclaims to others by His grace.

     What depth of meaning the LORD hides in such a small thing as a tassel attached to the corners of a garment! He hides these things for those who deeply need to find them. We see an example of this from the Gospels. There was a woman who had a health issue for twelve years, and no remedy had been found. Although she had spent all of her livelihood on physicians, her condition only grew worse. The woman had a continual flow of blood that made her unclean under the law. This unclean condition would have required that she be separated from the rest of her household. She saw Jesus walking, surrounded by a large crowd. The woman believed that if she could only touch the hem (kraspedon - border, extremity, fringe of a garment, tassel made of twisted wool hanging down from a mantle or cloak) of His garment, she would be made well (Mt. 9:20, Lk. 8:44). The woman came up behind Jesus and touched His hem (tassels) and "immediately her flow of blood stopped." Jesus then said, "Who touched Me?...Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me." (Lk. 8:44-46). Unless the woman understood the hidden meaning of the tassel, why would she purposefully seek to touch it even though she was unclean? Why did Jesus equate the touching of His garment's tassel as being a touch upon Himself - "Me"? Remember the Hebrew word for "tassel" is gadil/gadal, meaning in part "power, make powerful" (see above). Jesus felt this power leave Him and knew that someone had received a miracle. The woman came forward and explained all to Jesus. (Lk. 8:43-48). The holiness (qados/qadas) of God that we read about above in connection to the tassels, pronounced this woman to be clean, and she was made clean. She was consecrated by touching a holy thing/Person. The knotted and twisted threads of the tassels are not holy of themselves, but Who and what they represent is holy. Jesus scolded the religious leaders for putting on an outward show by wearing overly long tassels (Mt. 23:1-12), but there was no power in their lives. It had become an empty religious observance without revelation understanding. The power comes from the revelation of who the Powerful One is and what He does.

     There is a blessing spoken before putting on the tasseled (tzitzit) garment: "Blessed are you, Lord our G‑d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to enwrap ourselves with tzitzit."

     To me, the small tassels carry even more of a meaning than as a reminder of the commandments of God. Jesus told the religious leaders that the law and the prophets which they studied so diligently looking for eternal life testified of HIM. 

     El HaGadol, the Great and Powerful God wants us to find HIM in His commandments, even the small, mysterious commandments like the one for wearing tassels. Nothing in the Word of God is insignificant. 

     If you would like to know more about the LORD that has been hidden in the tassels, you can pray with me: "God Most Powerful, heavenly Father, help me to seek out the treasures that You have hidden for us to discover. Even the smallest things testify of Your greatness, and Your care for me. Let my faith be mixed with revelation understanding, so that Your Word becomes alive in my life, and powerful. Cleanse my life in the water of Your Word and Spirit and cover me with the blood of the One who died for me - Jesus Messiah/Christ. I ask this in the name of Jesus. AMEN."

*NOTE: aleph-tav written in Hebrew as אֶת, are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The meaning of the two pictographic Hebrew letters can also be interpreted "Adonai (Lord) of the Cross/Covenant". In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as Α Ω , the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters are those by which Jesus Christ identifies Himself in the Book of Revelation: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13.