Ki Teitzei -- 5776

“You shall make tassels on the four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself” (Deuteronomy 22:12).

This Biblical injunction is the basis for the tallit, or prayer shawl.  The knots of the tassels (here called “gedilim,” but called “tzitzit” in Numbers 15:38) remind us of the mitzvot, our ritual and ethical responsibilities.  But they also remind us of something else.

When, in the morning service, we pray the Shema, traditional Jews gather the four tassels into their hands, turning many strands into one.  This demonstrates that, although the world appears to be divided and complex, there is a fundamental Unity behind it.  We call that Unity God.

“As above, so below.”  As God is unified although apparently diffuse, so too is the Jewish people.  We are scattered amongst all the lands, speaking different languages and eating different foods.  Despite appearances, we are nonetheless one people.  Klal Yisrael, the Unity of the Jewish people, is real.  You feel it when you visit a foreign synagogue or you’re behind an Israeli family in the grocery store.  You know it when Israel is besieged. 

When we gather the four tassels, we are encouraging God to gather us from the earth’s four corners, fortifying Israel with our unity.

There are many meaningful ways to observe the High Holy Days and to engage in tshuvah.  Undoubtedly, one of them is to join with your people.  It is then that we realize that we are a thread in a much greater tapestry, and that we are not alone.