{"id":8817,"date":"2025-07-02T17:56:14","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T22:56:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nazarenespace.com\/blog\/?p=8817"},"modified":"2025-07-02T17:56:19","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T22:56:19","slug":"tzitzit-taking-hold-of-the-covenant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/nazarenespace.com\/blog\/2025\/07\/02\/tzitzit-taking-hold-of-the-covenant\/","title":{"rendered":"Tzitzit: Taking Hold of the Covenant"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In this prophetic age, a great restoration is underway. Across the world, hearts are stirring\u2014not toward a new religion, but toward the original, Torah-rooted faith of Yeshua and his disciples: Nazarene Judaism<\/strong>. This movement, once nearly erased from history, is being reborn. As part of this restoration, we are recovering not only the ancient texts but also the mitzvot (commandments) that defined the walk of Yeshua.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among these mitzvot is the commandment of Tzitzit<\/strong>\u2014fringes worn on the four corners (kanafot<\/em>) of our garments, including a thread of tekhelet<\/strong>, the blue dye of royalty and priesthood. The Torah gives this commandment twice:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Speak unto the children of Yisra\u2019el and bid them, that they make them throughout their generations, tzitzit in the corners of their garments, and that they put with the tzitzit of each corner, a thread of tekhelet…”<\/strong> (Numbers 15:38)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“You shall make twisted cords upon the four corners of your covering, with which you cover yourself.”<\/strong> (Deuteronomy 22:12)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This commandment is not optional. It is a sign of our identity as a covenant people\u2014a reminder to keep the commandments of YHWH and not stray after our own eyes and hearts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tekhelet: Not Just “Blue”<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One critical element of this mitzvah is often misunderstood or neglected: the command to include a thread of tekhelet<\/strong> in each fringe. Tekhelet is not merely \u201cblue.\u201d It is a specific dye, historically obtained from a sea creature known in tradition as the hillazon<\/strong>. According to the Talmud:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe hillazon resembles the sea in its color and a fish in its shape. It appears once in seventy years, and with its blood one dyes the blue thread.\u201d<\/em> (b.Menahot 44a)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Though the exact identity of the hillazon<\/em> was lost for centuries, many now believe it has been rediscovered, often identified with the Murex trunculus<\/em>. Some disagree. And that\u2019s okay. Within Nazarene Judaism, we recognize room for conscience and conviction. But we must be clear: wearing tzitzit without tekhelet is not the fullness of the commandment.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Yeshua and the Halacha of Tzitzit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The importance of Tzitzit is evident in the life of the Messiah himself. Consider this passage from the Gospel according to the Hebrews:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cAnd behold, a woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, approached behind Him, and touched the tzitzit of His garment…\u201d<\/strong> (Matthew 9:20\u201322, HRV)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This woman\u2014identified in the Nazarene Gospel as Miriam<\/strong>\u2014was not merely seeking a touch. She was acting on prophecy<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cBut unto you that fear My Name, shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings (kanfot).\u201d<\/strong> (Malachi 4:2)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The Hebrew word kanfot<\/strong> can mean both wings<\/em> and corners<\/em>. She reached for the corner of his garment<\/strong>\u2014the tzitzit<\/em>\u2014believing it carried the healing power prophesied for the righteous Messiah. And she was healed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Restoration in Our Time<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This same imagery appears in Zechariah:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIn those days… ten men… shall take hold of the kanaf of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you, for we have heard that Elohim is with you.\u201d<\/strong> (Zechariah 8:23)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The kanaf<\/em>\u2014the corner with tzitzit\u2014is a sign of spiritual authority and identity. This prophecy speaks of the Ten Tribes of Ephraim<\/strong>, reaching out to reconnect with their covenant heritage\u2014not by adopting later traditions, but by grasping hold of Torah, and the Messiah who embodies it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Intersecting Restoration Projects<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As I\u2019ve labored to restore both Nazarene Halacha<\/strong> and the original Hebrew text of the so-called \u201cNew Testament,\u201d<\/strong> I\u2019ve been struck by how deeply these projects intertwine. Take Matthew 23:5, where Yeshua criticizes certain hypocrites:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the KJV<\/strong>, it reads:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThey enlarge the borders of their garments to be seen of men.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

But what did the original Hebrew or Aramaic actually say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n