Ask The Rabbi    
19 October 1996 
Issue #122 (Parshas Noach)
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This Issue Contains:    
1.  Stripes Forever
2.  Raven Maven
3.  Yiddle Riddle
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Aaron Goldman <agoldman1@juno.com> wrote:

>I enjoy your postings immensely. Could you please tell me the reason for 
>stripes on a tallit ?  I Imagine that not having them would not disqualify 
>the tallit but how did the black stripes come about?  I know that the 
>Sefardim have white stripes on their Tallit -- and modern ones have 
>different colors.  But I am interested in the traditional ones.  Thank you 
>very much.

Saul <SBEHR@MCKQ.CO.ZA> wrote:

>Here's a poser:  Why do taleisim have stripes? Regards

Ruth Marcus from Hyde Park wrote:

>Why don't cotton tzitzit have stripes?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Dear Aaron Goldman, Saul, and Ruth,

The stripes on the tallit remind us of the `strand of techelet' once worn 
as part of the tzitzit.

Techelet is sky-blue wool.  It is dyed with a special dye made from the 
blood of a fish/snail called the chilazon.  The Torah says that if we wear 
a four-cornered garment, we should put strings on the corners, and one of 
these strings should be a `strand of techelet.'

Over the centuries, the exact identity of the chilazon fish became 
forgotten.  Hence, the `strand of techelet' became a mitzva we are unable 
to fulfill (according to most authorities).

The idea behind tzitzit is that they serve as a reminder.  Like royal 
subjects who wear special insignias to symbolize their loyalty to the king, 
we wear tzitzit to remind us of our duty to Hashem and His commandments.  
The beautiful blue reminds us of the sky, which in turn inspires us to 
ponder Hashem's greatness.  Now that we no longer have techelet, we have 
the stripe on the tallit to remind us of the techelet.

Some people used to have a blue stripe.  I don't know why ours is black.

It makes sense that only a woolen tallit has stripes, since techelet is 
made from wool.

According to some authorities, the tallit should be the same color as the 
tzitzit -- white.  That would explain the Sefardic custom to have white 
stripes.

Sources:
o  Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 9:4
o  Pri Megadim, Mishbatzot Zahav 9:6
o  Ta'amei Haminhagim 15

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Kalman Estrin <estrinkm@cadvision.com> wrote:

>In a conversation a few months ago, a friend raised the following 
>question.  The RAVEN is specifically identified in the story of Noah as 
>the first bird that Noah sends out in search of land.  The Raven is also 
>given special prominence in the dietary laws concerning which birds are 
>clean and which are not.  Is there a special significance and symbolism 
>connected to the raven?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Dear Kalman Estrin,

Noah sent the raven to find out the state of the world.  Since the raven is 
a bird of prey, it would return with carrion of man or beast if the water 
had abated to that degree.  The raven failed, however, flying back and 
forth time after time.

Why did Noah send a raven specifically?  According to the Talmud, Hashem 
forbade procreation on the Ark, but the raven violated this prohibition.  
Therefore, Noah reasoned that of all the birds, the raven was the safest 
one to send out on this dangerous mission.  That way, if the raven didn't 
survive it wouldn't mean the extinction of its species.

Also, the ancients considered the raven a portent of the future.  They 
would build special cages where the priests would study the motions and 
flying formations of the ravens.  They interpreted these movements as 
divinations of the future.  In this sense, the raven's mission was 
successful, since Noah could discern from the raven's flying patterns 
something about the future.

Also, the raven reminds us of Hashem's kindness to even the most helpless 
of creatures.  How?  Ravens are cruel to their young, leaving them to die 
of starvation.  But Hashem has mercy on them, and provides them with 
insects to eat.  Thus, sending the raven may have been Noah's way of asking 
Hashem "Please provide for us, just as you provide for the poor helpless 
young ravens."

Sources:
o  Tractate Sanhedrin 108b
o  Tractate Ketubot 49b
o  Malbim

Yiddle Riddle:

On Tisha B'Av morning, everyone sits on the floor as a sign of mourning.   
However, one person in every synagogue publicly sits down on a chair.  Who 
is this person?

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