B"H
Friday, Sivan 27, 5786 / June 12, 2026
At the end of this week’s Parsha (in the Diaspora), Shelach, the Torah tells us about the mitzvah of Tzitzit (fringes). The Torah says, "And G-d spoke to Moshe saying: Speak to the Children of Israel and say unto them that they make fringes in the corners of their garments... that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of G-d, and observe them..."
We perform this mitzvah by wearing the Tallit (prayer shawl), a four cornered garment, during prayer. We also wear a Tallit Katan (small Tallit) all day so that we perform the mitzvah all the time.
Q. Why do many keep their Tzitzit on the outside?
A. To make sure that the Tzitzit are always visible, for the Torah states, "so that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of G-d". By exposing the Tzitzit, one can "look upon it" and thus “remember” all the mitzvot.
Q. How does one remember all the Mitzvot (commandments) when looking at the Tzitzit?
A.There are 613 mitzvot in the Torah. The numerical value of the Hebrew word Tzitzit (90+10+90+10+400) is 600. Each Tzitzit has 8 strings and 5 knots. Together (600+8+5) add up to 613 which is the total amount of mitzvot. Thus, by looking at the Tzitzit, we remember all the mitzvot.
Q. What is the significance of placing the Tzitzit on the four corners of the Tallit?
A. This reminds us that wherever a Jew turns, he must focus on the mitzvot.
During the summer months we recite Pirkei Avot - Chapters of our Fathers. It is a compilation of rabbinical teachings on proper conduct. After each chapter of Pirkei Avot, we recite, "Rabbi Chananya son of Akashya said: The Holy One blessed be He, wished to make the people of Israel meritorious; therefore, He gave them Torah and Mitzvot in abundance..."
Thus, the many mitzvot which G-d gave us are not to burden us, rather, an expression of His love for us, so we can be more connected to Him.
A Chassid once complained to his Rebbe that, due to his widespread business activities, he had very little time to perform mitzvot.
The Rebbe replied, "The Mishna says that G-d wanted to merit the Jewish people, so He gave them mitzvot in abundance. When one builds a house, there are mitzvot associated with it. When a person works in the fields or in business, there are many mitzvot to perform there too. G-d distributed His mitzvot in every area of our lives, so we can connect with Him each day of our lives no matter what our occupation is."
SHABBAT SHALOM
Montreal candle lighting time: 8:25 / Shabbat ends: 9:42