Tying Tzitzit

Wearing Tzitizit (see here for more info) has become more popular since the war started, at least in the Army. Many soldiers who don't wear them in their civilian life are open to wearing them when in the Army. This has led to a huge surge in the numbers of tzitziot the Army needs. In May, the Army gave out 5000 pairs (a pair = one shirt with tzitziot on the four corners)! The goal is 250,000 pairs and over 118,000 pairs have already been made.

"Strings" in the circle are tzitzit

This is a post I've been thinking of writing since February, when I first tied tzitzit. I had gone last year, after the war started, a few times in my neighborhood. It was always packed and those who didn't already know how to tie the strings (like me) got put on other duties like making bundles of four strings. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but it didn't feel like my presence was so necessary.

First night! With my friend, Becca

Like so many other things, attendance has dwindled as the war has gone on, and, when I went to the one official site in my part of the city (sadly, it's not in my neighborhood anymore) in February, I found that they now give you a shirt and strings and teach you now to do it from almost-start (kids less than bar/bat mitzvah age, who cannot tie until they become bar/bat mitzvah, make the bundles of strings now) through to the almost-end (the Army checks that each pair is done correctly before giving it to a soldier).

I was SO moved by "making" something for a soldier that he would wear during his Army service. As a woman there said once, "we're surrounding them with the protection of the bracha of wearing tzizit". 

Each set takes about 15 minutes to make. I make a few sets during the weekly meeting and then bring 4 or 5 pairs home with me to do during the week (the Jewish/modern version of knitting socks for soldiers!!). I think once a person goes they're likely to get hooked :). Rivka and Jaim, Menashe's mother and stepfather, tie at home every week and Jaim and I say "hola/Shalom/hi" at pickup/drop-off of finished pairs.

Their are two ways of tying tzitziot: Ashkenazi and Sephardi. I know Sephardi (I tried Ashkenazi once and, although it was nice to have a final product that looks like what my husband wears, I found it much more difficult [although I've heard people say Sephardi is more complex, so I guess it's just what you get used to]). I asked once how the Army figures out how to get enough of each type and was told, "When a soldier is handed their uniforms they are asked if they want tzitzit. If they say 'yes', they are handed a pair. They can go try to trade it if it's not the right one for them". Sounded very Army-like :)

The strings are tied to represent the 4 letters in Gd's name, with a double knot in between each of the letters. I take the opportunity to ask Hashem to bless this soldier, and all soldiers, each time I make a double knot ("Hashem should bless you and keep you. You should be protected") and at the last set of double knots, I ask that the soldier should be "blessed with health: physical, mental, spiritual, interpersonal and financial. May your Army service only bring you good".

A few months ago, when flying to/from Boston to visit my Mom, I brought ten pairs to do on the plane. Too bad the weight really adds up and I could only bring ten pairs because it was a GREAT way to pass the time.