Question:
Some people wear “Techeles” Tztitzis.
I understand that we don’t know for sure whether it is THE RIGHT Techeles..
But maybe it is..
So why do we see Gedolei Olam not wearing Techeles Tzitzis..?
Thank you very much!
Answer:
Without getting into the issue if l’maysa one should or shouldn’t wear techeles, to answer your question why certain gedolei yisroel specifically did not want to wear techeles, here are some of the reasons.
- The gemora Babba Metzia 61b says one should not tie “kl ilan” (a dye that looks similar to what techeles should look like) to his tzitzis and say that it is techeles. Since it isn’t clear that this is indeed techeles, as there have been numerous people over time that have made claims that they found techeles, therefore it is still questionable, that it may be kla ilan. See Ohr L’tzion 2-42( 13)
- In addition for those who have a tradition of not wearing it, by putting it on it makes an impression that we are better than them. (Ohr L’ztion ibid).
- In areas that it is not accepted to wear techeles it appears as lo tisgodidu.(Teshuvos Vhanhgos 1-26).
- If one has in mind for the mitzvah, when it indeed isn’t the mitzvah it might be baal tosef. (Teshuvos Vhanhagos ibid). This is true especially if the person putting it on doesn’t know that he should think that it is only for the mitzvah if indeed it is the correct techeles.
Aside from this see Aruch Hashulchan O:CH 9, Kovetz reshuvos 1-2, Orchos Rabeinu 1-pg. 246, Sharei Halacha U’minhag O:CH 12. Halichos H’gra U’minhagav 30
I don’t think Lo Tisgodedu is an issue when it comes to techeiles, because it is a mitzvah midoraisa to include a string of techeiles in the tzitzis, so there is no creating factions here but rather just following the Torah.
Lo Tisgodedu is when there are conflicting customs, which gives an appearance like there are two torah’s. Every minhag is because the people are following the torah, nevertheless it may not give an appearance as if there are conflicting torahs.
Conflicting minhagim may be lo sisgodedu, but to say that there is a minhag against a deoraisa that we only stopped because we didn’t have the materials necessary is a very hard point to push. Do you have a mekor that this would be lo sisgodedu? Further, one can postulate that there is no lo sisgodedu these days, for there are so many caried minhagim in every city and place, and no clear “minhag hamakom”.
Also, please explain why doing a mitzvah that others do not do is a problem of “looking better than them”. Because others (mistakenly or not) do not do a mitzvah means i must not be mekayem an aseh? The problem of haughtiness is generally only found by chumros that are not ikar hadin. Not by deoraisah?
You are basing your question on the premise (whether correct or not) that this is indeed the correct ticheles, and that you are being mekayem a d’orayso. The question was, why some people don’t do it. The answer is because they don’t look at it as being mekayem a d’orayso, because it isn’t clear if this in indeed the correct thing, therefore they have other issues with it.
Leave a comment