Tekhelet
One of the most important parts of the tzitzit is the tekhelet. The tekhelet is actually a particular shade of blue used on one of the fringes on the tzitzit. The word tekhelet was mentioned in the Jewish Bible 48 times. The tekhelet fringe should be the longest, so this particular thread on the fringes hanging from the tied tzitzit is seen easily and is on a significant spot. Besides using the color on the tzitzit, tekhelet is also used on the clothing of High Priests and the Mishkan tapestries.
The tekhelet came from a creature known as “hillazon.” Translated, this means snail. While there are other sources of this particular shade of blue, they are not allowed to be used to fulfill religious requirements. Hence, only the hillazon is the valid source of the tekhelet.
According to the Talmud, or the Jewish rabbinic scriptures, the hillazon has body like the sea and, while the word literally translates to snail, it is like a fish. The creature itself comes up only once every 70 years, and it is the blood of the hillazon which is used for the tekhelet dye. Of course, this also means the tekhelet was hard to acquire and was also very expensive. Unfortunately, at some point in Jewish history, they lost the source of tekhelet, making them wear all white tzitzit on their garments and prayer shawls later on.
Many criticized or questioned the practice of using the tekhelet. After all, it was expensive and hard to acquire. Jewish authorities, however, said that this color on the fringes of the tzitzit represents God himself. According to some resource from contemporary times, the tekhelet resembles the sea, which resembles the sky. And the sky bears a resemblance to God’s throne.
Today, some Jews use black to commemorate the lost of the tekhelet. Besides black, purple and blue are also widely used to replace the tekhelet. Of course, there are others who use all white fringes, since the use of any other color was not accepted before. This is perhaps a more traditional belief. Many studies have already been done to find the tekhelet and the hillazon, but no particular replacement is currently accepted. But while the tekhelet is gone, the eseence of the tzitzit remains the same of the users of the tallit or tallis: the tzitzit reminds them of God, which reminds them of their commandments, which reminds them of their faith.
