[Avodah] tcheilet

[Micha Berger]

On Tue, Jun 16, 2009 at 03:42:03PM -0700, Saul.Z.Newman at kp.org wrote:
: http://jewishworker.blogspot.com/2009/06/should-you-wear-because_16.html
: safek doraisah lechumrah?

Focusing just on this question...

AISI, that requires only one side being a chumrah, and not (as is often
the case) that being machmir in one place causes a qulah somewhere else.

There is a machloqes rishonim about the proper color for lavan
strings. Teimanim, following the Rambam, wear strings the same
color as the begged; a purple shamla would be adorned with purple
tzitzis. Alternatively, perhaps they should be literally white even when
the beged isn't. Ashkenazim and Sepharadim (to an even greater extent --
they don't even have colored stripes) avoid the question by wearing white
begadim. (BTW, this is a halachic problem with olive drab tallisos qatan
sold in army surplus stores.) In either case, the preference isn't for
a blue string on a white beged.

Tosafos hold this issue is hiddur. According to the Rambam, the color
is me'aqeiv.

So, one might argue that this chumrah risks one being yotzei lavan as
well, and even causes one to of wear a four cornered garment that has
no tzitzis on it.

However.... one isn't talking about the usual lavan strings. Here one is
talking about strings worn instead of techeiles in order to round out
the number 8. Would the Rambam still require they be white, and other
rishonim (albeit not Tos') that they match the beged?

Li nir'eh, that this would require wearing the most likely candidate
for techeiles -- but only on the fewest number of strings possible.

According to Rashi and Tosafos, "gedilim" means two (mi'ut rabim 2)
ropes, and thus two pairs of strings -- one of each color. Thus, four
white string-ends, four blue ones. The Raavad holds one string is the
"pesil techeiles", and thus 2 string ends. The Rambam defines pesil as
a single string-end.

If one is chayav to wear white strings on a white beged, and tries to
follow the Ashk rishonim with blue string, they could be eliminating
any chance to be yotzei tzitzis altogether al pi haRambam.

Thus, I would argue that safeiq deOraisa lehachmir would require one only
color 1/2 of a string, thereby not losing any chance of fulfilling lavan,
and gaining some chance of wearing techeiles too.

Although, truth in advertising forces me to admit that if RSRH's
explanation of techeiles in CW III weren't so moving to me, I wouldn't
be wearing murex-dyed strings at all (I tend to only break mimeticism
for passion) and his explanation revolves around the eighth string being
the blue one. (8 = beyond maaseh bereishis; blue = beyond olam hazeh.)
So I have emotional reason to prefer this conclusion anyway.

RHS holds 4 blue, 4 white, arguing that as an Ashk, Rashi and Tosafos
carry the day for him. I don't know if it's because he rejects the above
line of reasoning about keeping the dye to strings worn as techeiles or
instead of techeiles, or feels that murex is close enough to certainly
the chilazon for it not to qualify as a safeiq.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             I have great faith in optimism as a philosophy,
micha at aishdas.org        if only because it offers us the opportunity of
http://www.aishdas.org   self-fulfilling prophecy.
Fax: (270) 514-1507                              - Arthur C. Clarke