You may have heard the tzitzit are only for men, however, in the spirit of testing everything, I was compelled to look into this matter further. On a random night not too long ago, my husband and I came across a video teaching that caught our interest. After watching the short teaching, which was supporting that the Bible (specifically Numbers 15:38-39) teaches that tzitzit are for not only men, but women too, I asked if we could look into some original text for this passage. Jeremy helped me narrate my way through some verses and pray with me about this. Neither of us had put much thought into this matter prior to this. I was feeling more and more convicted by the second and by the time I went to bed, my new tzitzit (aka: my husband’s old tattered pair) were attached to my undershirt awaiting their maiden voyage with me the next morning! I thought I would feel self-conscious wearing them, but once I put them on, I immediately felt more at home in my clothing than I ever had before! It still amazes me how often I am reminded to keep all of the commands just from a single finger sweep along my side while walking around all day long!
Human beings rely on reminders everyday! Simply put, we forget things often. Why not accept the reminder that is commanded to us, rather than make up our own (WWJD bracelets, cross necklaces, etc). What is the point in altering a God-given command to remind ourselves and be a set-apart body to fit something that blends in? I mean, many people will ask me about my tzitzit, and it will give me the opportunity to talk with them about this passage, but few people would ever ask anything if they simply saw me wearing a WWJD bracelet. I’m not saying we can’t ALSO do other things to remind us of these things, just that we shouldn’t let those things replace what the Bible ordains.
Some people take the following verse and apply it to the wearing of tzitzit:
“A woman shall not wear man’s clothing, nor shall a man put on a woman’s clothing; for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD your God”. (Deut 22:5) NASB
HOWEVER, I would question where in the Bible they find that tzitzit are strictly a man’s clothing. And furthermore, proof that tzitzit are even considered to be a garment in and of themselves!?! To me, this verse is commanding against cross-dressing. Others may wonder: Did women even wear 4-cornered garments? Or were 4 cornered garments only for men to wear? Again, the Bible doesn’t say.
What the Bible DOES say, is:
“Speak to the sons of Israel, and tell them that they shall make for themselves tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and that they shall put on the tassel of each corner a cord of blue. It shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, so as to do them and not follow after your own heart and your own eyes, after which you played the harlot”. (Numbers 15:38-39) NASB
Some translations begin that verse off by saying: “speak to the Children of Israel or speak to the Israelites and tell them…” but regardless, when going back to the original language for the phrase “sons of Israel” or “children of Israel” or “Israelites”, the word used is b’nai. B’nai translates as men. HOWEVER if there is a crowd of 1,000 women with just a single male present, that single man rules over all the other women, and the term used is b’nai. Proof of this is found many places in the Bible. A couple other places where the word b’nai is used, is when referring to the commandment to not eat unclean foods, as well as when referring to the commandment to keep the Biblical festivals. Clearly, those commandments are not only for men, but women too! To finish off this thought, I will state that IF Yahweh had wanted to refer to ONLY MEN in this verse commanding that tzitzit be worn, then He would have used the word ‘z-char’ in place of ‘b’nai’. This is what He chose to do when commanding circumcision, and many other commands that are specifically for MEN ONLY.
So, after learning all of these things, and praying for wisdom and guidance, I was convicted to wear my own tzitzit! It truly is amazing what happens when we TEST EVERYTHING for OURSELVES! The process of sanctification is a lifelong process of spiritual growth and understanding of the Scriptures. This process is never-ending and leads only to a deeper and deeper love for our Maker!
For a detailed perspective on the commandment to wear Tzitzit, Check out my husband’s blog HERE.
Written By: Leslie Gipe
Not sure if you'd be interested but there's a new product called the Tzitzit Belt. It's a modern adaptation of the tallit katan that's especially designed for women. (men can wear them too) No more safety pins, grommets, or tying by hand. Check out the site - http://www.tzitzitbelts.com/index.html
ReplyDeleteThank you and Shalom! - Carol
Hello Carol,
ReplyDeleteI have not yet heard of these. I think that for an everyday basis, I want to continue attatching my tassels to the 4 corners of my shirts. However, I have been at a loss as to how/where to attatch them when wearing a dress. I am going to check out these belts and see about using them for dresses and such! Thank you very much! -Leslie
Hi Leslie! This is the second post I've read of yours; the first one was about head coverings. I hope you're still blogging...as it looks like its been awhile? But to find other women out there that have studied to show themselves approved, and sharing their finds, is like a shot in the arm for me!!! :) I have been blogging a long time, but only in Hebrew Roots under a year! But have studied the tzitzit and the head covering, and wear both! But I'm alone in my area as far as that goes. So for encouragement, I seek places like this. Thanks for sharing. Hope you're still moving forward in Yahweh God and all He's got for you and your family.... to see our family blog you can go to: www.myhalak.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that it is improbable that the commandment of wearing tzitzit is for women. My opinion is based on the following argumentation.
ReplyDeleteWe can be sure that this commandment applies to men, for if it were for women only this would have been made explicit. (Commandments which are for women only are for example the monthly mikvah because of menstrual uncleanness.)
A basic principle of the Torah is that women shouldn't wear clothes which are characteristic for men. Now, since tzitzit are a marker, they are a very characteristic part of a person's clothes, particularly in the biblical context in which it was customary for men to wear four cornerned upper garments. If a women would do the same, the external difference in clothing between men and women would be diminshed to say the least. The mentality of the Torah, however, is not to diminish distinctions between men and women but to cultivate and accentuate them.
Since the accentuation of this distinction is strenghtened if women don't wear tzitizt, this is probably the right opinion, and this is why the halachah is opposed to the practice of women wearing tzitzit.
In a modern context of feminism and the culture wars we are experiencing nowadays, it is the more important to keep the external distinctions between the sexes intact in external apparel. Women who wear tzitzit send a wrong message of emancipation and an unnuanced ideology of equality.
Ileana Bell, I thank you so much for your encouragement in blogging! I do want to start blogging again, it just seems there aren't enough hours in the day. We are still chugging along in our journey with Yahweh at our fronts! Pray the same for you and yours!
ReplyDeleteMessianic613, I first want to clarify one point. I do not believe that tzitzit are ONLY for women! Men are very clearly commanded to wear them as was reiterated in today's Torah portion (specifically "Make tassels on the 4 corners of the clothes you wear" Deuteronomy 22:12). That said, the main convicting passage for me was Numbers 15:37-39 and specifically the use of the Hebrew word "B'nai" that was used there. How could I look past that in regards to tassels but not in regards to kosher laws or biblical festival days? Lastly, I do not believe that tassels are constituted as a garment. For if they were, they would have been prohibited because tassels were traditionally made of a mixture of wool and linen. Therefore, if tassels were a garment, they would have violated sha'atnez for anyone who was not a priest. For this reason, you can't say that a woman wearing tzitzit diminishes the distinction between women and men, because all people (other than priests) would not have been able to wear them.
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