Tzitzit and Purpose

ולמה לא ישים אל לבבו אפילו שעה אחת גם לזאת לחשוב מחשבת ממש: מה הוא? ולמה בא לעולם? או מה מבקש ממנו מלך מלכי המלכים הקדוש ברוך הוא? ומה יהיה סוף כל עניניו? זאת היא התרופה היותר גדולה וחזקה שתוכל להמציא נגד היצר, והיא קלה, ופעולתה גדולה, ופריה רב … ויבקש בלבבו, מה עשו הראשונים אבות העולם שכך חשק ה’ בהם? מה עשה משה רבינו עליו השלום? מה עשה דוד משיח ה’, וכל הגדולים אשר היו לפנינו? ויעלה בשכלו מה טוב לאדם כל ימי חייו לעשות כן גם הוא וטוב לו

אז יתורו מחשבותיו לדעת, באיזה מצב הוא נמצא ועומד

“And why would he not place to his heart for even one hour to think actual thought:What is he and why did he come into world? Or what does the the King of kings, the Holy one blessed is He seek from him? Or what will be the end of these matters? This [type of thinking] is the greatest potion one can create against the yetzer. And it is easy, it is a great action and there are expansive fruits that come from it…and then he should start seeking in his heart what did the original avot do that [caused] Hashem’s desiring them? What did Moshe Rabbeinu do? What did David, God’s anointed do? And all the great ones that were before us? And it will trigger in his intellect what is good for a man all the days of his life to do and what is also good for him.

[When one does that type of contemplation], it triggers one’s thoughts to be directed to daat (intimate knowledge/awareness) in any situation in which he finds himself and has to face” Ramchal Derech Etz Chaim

In this excerpt from the Ramchal’s Derech Etz Chayim, he recommends the reader spend at least one hour a day contemplating one’s purpose in the world. Such contemplation triggers (אז) one’s thoughts to be (יתורו***) directed to daat (intimate knowledge/awareness). This connects me to tzitzit for the following reasons:

The Gemara is Sotah 17b says: “Why particularly Tekhelet [for the mitzvah of tzitzit] from among all other colored materials? Because Tekhelet is similar to the sea, and the sea is similar to the sky, and the sky is similar to the Holy Throne”. To me, this Gemara speaks of tzitzit particularly the tkhelet (blue dyed string) helping one to understand the bigger picture, one’s role in the grand scheme of things, מה הוא? ולמה בא לעולם? “What is he and why did he come to the world?”

Moreover, in the recitation of the shma, we say וּרְאִיתֶ֣ם אֹת֗וֹ וּזְכַרְתֶּם֙ אֶת־כׇּל־מִצְוֺ֣ת יְהֹוָ֔ה וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָ֑ם “And you will look at them (the tzitzit) and you will remember all the mitzvot (commandments) of Hashem and you will fulfill them. So the tzitzit connect one to the idea the Ramchal brings of מה מבקש ממנו מלך מלכי המלכים הקדוש ברוך הוא “What does the the King of kings, the Holy one blessed is He seek from him?” It also connects to ויבקש בלבבו, מה עשו הראשונים אבות העולם שכך חשק ה’ בהם? מה עשה משה רבינו עליו השלום?   This triggers the next pasuk in the recitation of the shma וְלֹֽא־***תָת֜וּרוּ אַחֲרֵ֤י לְבַבְכֶם֙ וְאַחֲרֵ֣י עֵֽינֵיכֶ֔ם “Then shall you not stray after your heart & your eyes whereafter you are wont to stray.” In this way, tzitzit serve to anchor one to their purpose without losing sight of what is most important.