(11) Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand: for in that I cut off the skirt of thy
robe, and killed thee not, know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and I
have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it‖. (1 Sam 24:8-11)
Everyone, including Saul, knew that David had been anointed by Samuel to be the next king—which is why
Saul feared David. At Ein Gedi, David had literally taken Saul's authority and at that point, he probably could
have taken the throne from Saul. But, he didn't; rather he let YHWH choose the time for him to receive the
throne. This act convinced Saul that David was telling the truth. David's act of giving back Saul's authority
also reconciled the two men as Saul said:
(19) ... wherefore the LORD reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day.
(20) And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be
established in thine hand‖. (1 Sam 24:19b- 20 )
The Name of YHWH in the tzitzit
The fringes/tassels symbolises the connection with YHWH and serves as a reminder of the commandments
in general. When one adds the numerical equivalent of the word tzitzit (fringes) and the number 5 (equivalent
to the number of knots on each fringe) plus the 8 strings, one arrives at the number 613 (see sketch on next
page), which corresponds to the number of commandments mentioned in the Tanach (Positive and Negative
laws).
This actually explains the continuation of the verse, which states that when one sees the fringes one is
reminded of the commandments. Jews do not view the commandments as a mechanical ritualistic formula
that ensures the ―world to come‖, but rather as an exposition of YHWH‘s Divine Will. Just as with any loved
one that clearly expresses his or her desires—they attempt to fulfil that will in the most complete of ways.
They view the fulfillment of YHWH‘s will as their way of showing their love for Him. Rather than the Law
hindering spiritual closeness, it actually prepares the groundwork for it. The wrapping of the prayer shawl
around them is actually the act of wrapping themselves in the will of YHWH. Also, if you count the number of
times the fringe is wrapped around, you arrive at the number 26; which is the numerical equivalent of one of
the names of YHWH. Specifically, the one which is related to the Divine attribute of mercy is wrapped in
YHWH‘s mercy.
In the Ashkenazic tradition, the fringes are wrapped around 26 plus 13 times. The number 13 are equivalent
to the word ―Echad‖ or one. The tzitzit becomes the declarative statement, ―Hashem Echad‖ (YHWH is one)!
This refers to the ―SHEMA‖ which every good Jew repeats daily on numerous occasions – ―Hear, O Israel:
The LORD our God is one LORD‖ (Deut 6:4).
The verses in Num 15:38 also relate the need for a blue ―Tchelet‖ string to be used as part of the fringes.
The blue dye came from a mollusk and was also used in the priestly garments. After the destruction of the
Temple, the Romans banned the use of the dye, as it was the colour of royalty. Over the years the secret of
the dye was lost and people took to replacing blue stripes on the body of the shawl itself, with black ones
symbolising the lack of clarity as to which shade of blue the fringe was.