Parashas Tzitzis
This week’s shiur rounds out our discussion of Shema with the third paragraph. In the first paragraph we accept Hashem as King, and that evolves to the theme of Vehayah im Shomo’ah, accepting the King’s commandments. Beliefs motivate action. In parashas tzitzis we look at how mitzvos reciprocate by shaping our minds.
The meaning of parashas tzitzis is studied by comparing it to the other phrasing of the same mitzvah “gedilim ta’aseh lekha —you shall make cords for yourself on the four corners of your kesus (covering).” How do gedilim differ from tzitzis? Why is one on your beged and the other on your kesus? Why four corners? Why eight ends (four strings, folded over)? How does all this connect to the notions of not straying after our eyes and hearts, or with remembering the Exodus? How can we actually feel what it means to remember yetzi’as Mitzrayim?
You mentioned on Hirhurim the frustration of few comments. Tzarat rabbim chatzi nechamah.
But re your discussion of tzitzis, I do have an interesting post on that subject here:
http://havolim.blogspot.com/2006/10/how-we-were-zocheh-to-tzitzis.html
I hope you enjoy it.
I am not frustrated with the lack of comments directly. A major part of what I was trying to say on Hirhurim is that I think comments are overdone — people try to have discussion groups in them. But then the discussion isn’t about X, it’s about blogger A’s opinion of X. And conversations just die as the post gets buried because few people have a means of keeping up with comments on old topics. (This and other WordPress blogs do have pet-topic and combined comment feeds.)
I am worried that the lack of comment here is because of a lack of readership. With RSS readers checking in regularly and repackagers possibly representing many people, hit counts really aren’t all that meaningful. On the other hand, I do not post on particularly contraversial topics, nor encourage the kind of audience that will turn everything into RW/ MO wars.
But what I am nervous about is what the blog phenomenon will do to email lists like Avodah. People are choosing blogging, having their own podium, over a balanced discussion. Other people are following those posts, and turn the comments section into an inferior sort of email list.
While Rabbi Student is happy with blogging as a means of getting exposure to many viewpoints, I am unhappy that they are lowering the amount of meaningful dialogue between people with disparate viewpoints. We are trading a possible vehicle for building community among people of different derakhim for people having the ability to better present their own Torah.
nice 🙂
;))