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The Rambam · Sefer Ahavah

הלכות ציצית א׳Fringes 1

Chapter 1 of 3 in Fringes — 18 halachot

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Halacha 1א׳

ענף שעושין על כנף הבגד ממין הבגד הוא הנקרא ציצית מפני שהוא דומה לציצית של ראש שנאמר ויקחני בציצית ראשי וזה הענף הוא הנקרא לבן מפני שאין אנו מצווין לצובעו ואין לחוטי הענף מנין מן התורה.

The fringe that is attached to the corner of the garment, and made of the same species of material as the garment, is called Tzitzith Fringes, because it is like the fringes of hair of the head, as it is said, "And he took me up by the lock (Tzitzith) of my head" (Ezekiel 8:3). This fringe is called "the White (part)", because we are not commanded to dye it. No definite number of threads is prescribed in the Torah for the fringes.

Halacha 2ב׳

ולוקחין חוט צמר שנצבע כעין הרקיע וכורכין אותו על הענף וחוט זה הוא הנקרא תכלת ואין למנין הכריכות שכורך חוט זה שיעור מן התורה.

A thread of wool, dyed the color of the sky, is taken and wound round the fringe. This thread is called Techeleth, the blue (thread). The number of times this thread should be wound is not specified in the Torah.

Halacha 3ג׳

נמצאו במצוה זו שני צווים שיעשה על הכנף ענף יוצא ממנה ושיכרוך על הענף חוט תכלת שנאמר ועשו להם ציצית ונתנו על ציצית הכנף פתיל תכלת.

This precept thus consists of two ordinances;—to attach to the corner of the garment a fringe projecting from it, and to wind a blue thread round the fringe, as it is said, "Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them a fringe upon the corners of their garments … and that they put upon the fringe of each corner a thread of blue" (Numbers 16:38).

…and 13 more halachot in this chapter.

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Mishneh Torah, Hebrew Wikisource edition, via Sefaria — CC BY-SA

English: The Mishneh Torah by Maimonides, tr. Moses Hyamson, 1937-1949 — public domain