12/02/2005 Sabbath Meeting Transcript

Our Master Yahushua said:

Matthew 5:17 - Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

Matthew 5:18 - For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Matthew 5:19 - Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Knowing that heaven and earth have not passed away and therefore there is much yet to be fulfilled, I came to the conviction that we should obey the following commandment in Yahweh's word:

Numbers 15:37 - And YAHWEH spake unto Moses, saying,

Numbers 15:38 - Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue:

Numbers 15:39 - And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of YAHWEH, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring:

The word translated "fringe" is also translated "tassel" in various translations

Tonight I would like to examine the various scriptures on the subject of wearing the tassels. This is an expanded version of the study on Tassels I've had online for a number of years.

The expanded version will be available as part of that study starting tonight

According to Yahweh's word, the purpose for the tassel (Hebrew #6734 "Tsitsit" or plural "Tsit tsiyot") is for us to look upon it and remember all of Yahweh's commandments and do them. This is the primary purpose of the tassels. 

What is a tassel?

According to the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew lexicon it is:

06734 tsiytsith {tsee-tseeth'} from 06731; TWOT - 1912; n f AV - fringe 3, lock 1; 4 1) fringe, tassel, lock

Notice that it is elsewhere translated "lock".

This is found in Ezekiel 8:3

Ezekiel 8:3 - And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of Elohim to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.

This gives us some indication of what it might look like

The strings of a tassel and the the hairs of one's head are similar in appearance

In the kind of tassels I wear, there are four sections of wraps. From right to left (as Hebrew reads), there are 10 wraps in the first section which corresponds to the Hebrew letter Yod. The second section has 5 wraps which is Heh. The third section, 6 wraps is Waw. And the fourth section is Heh once again with 5 wraps

This gives us the Tetragrammaton, Yahweh's name

I don't know that it is necessary to have it exactly like this, but I really like it :)

There is an alternative method of tying it to indicate the "613 commandments" in the law.

However, the list of 613 was compiled by Rambam, a Jewish scholar who lived in the 12th century CE. Rambam authored the Mishneh Torah, a well known and often used commentary on the Talmud. After having examined the list of 613 commandments, I have concerns that it isn't really an accurate count and was influenced by the Talmud.

The important thing is that there is a blue cord "upon" the tassels of our garments

In another scripture which tells us to wear the tassels, it indicates that 4 tassels should be worn:

Deuteronomy 22:12 - Thou shalt make thee fringes upon the four quarters of thy vesture, wherewith thou coverest thyself.

I usually wear the tassels on a tunic made by my wife or on a garment similar to a long shirt except the lower portion is split, giving me 4 corners.

Others tie it to their belt loops or pin it under their belts. Others sew it to their belts. Having a four cornered garment is probably best but I don't doubt that Yahweh is pleased with any sincere effort to keep His commandments.

So the purpose of the tassels are to serve as a reminder to keep Yahweh's commandments. Yahweh instructs us to have a blue cord upon the tassels of each corner of our garment. Because the blue cord is to be 'upon' the tassel, we wrap the blue cord around the tassel.

A photo of a tassel is available online

I will supply the URL at the conclusion of this study

Do we still need reminders?

Many would like to say that we need not wear the tassels any longer since we have the Holy Spirit to remind us of His commandments. Their reasoning comes from this scripture:

John 14:26 - But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

But while it is true that the Holy Spirit can remind us of Yahweh's commandments, and that the new covenant states that Yahweh's commandments are written on our hearts, it is also true that one of Yahweh's commandments is to wear tassels!

The truth is that even the apostles wrote to the brethren for the purpose of reminding them of various commandments and principles in the word. Paul charges Timothy to remind others:

Titus 3:1 - Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,

Titus 3:2 - To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

He charged Timothy to remind others also:

2 Timothy 2:13 - If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.

2 Timothy 2:14 - Remind them of these things, charging them before Yahweh not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers.

And Kepha/Peter considers it negligence if he did not remind Yahweh's people:

2Peter 1:10 - Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;

2Peter 1:11 - for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Master and Savior Yahushua the Messiah.

2Peter 1:12 - For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth.

2Peter 1:13 - Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you,

2Peter 1:14 - knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Master Yahushua the Messiah showed me.

2Peter 1:15 - Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.

Who among us would rebuke the apostles for reminding others?

We all need reminders, and that is the purpose of the tassels.

In reality, the scriptures are full of precepts that have the purpose of bringing the things of Yahweh to our remembrance. Even Yahushua said:

Luke 22:19 - And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

How could we ever forget Yahushua if we have the Holy Spirit? Yet, we are expected to partake of Him as an act of remembrance.

Would any among us say that we need not do what He said because we now have the Holy Spirit to remind us of Him?

We are clearly to do this act to remember Yahushua the Messiah, who is the "word made flesh". If He is the "word made flesh" and we are expected to keep this precept to remember Yahushua (who IS the Word), why would we reject any other commandment given for the purpose of remembering Yahweh's word?

Indeed, Yahweh's very name is a memorial of who He is:

Exodus 3:15 - And Elohim said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, YAHWEH Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

Besides this, are we greater than all the saints of the "Old Testament"? Yet we know they were commanded to wear tassels. The presence of Yahweh's Spirit in your life should not cause you to ignore any of Yahweh's word, including the commandment to wear the tassels. Rather, the Spirit leads us to walk in His statutes, and do them:

Ezekiel 36:27 - And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

So the presence of Yahweh's Spirit in our life does not negate the commandments to wear the tassels. If Yahweh says to wear them, why do we feel the need to go about finding reasons why we don't need to do it?

It could be that Yahweh has other reasons as well.

Yahweh didn't give all the reasons why He didn't want Eve to partake of the fruit, He just instructed Adam and Eve not to eat it. Prompted by the serpent, Eve reasoned within herself as to why Yahweh said she shouldn't eat it and decided to go ahead and disobey Yahweh.

We should beware of any thoughts coming into our mind which subtly suggests "Hath Elohim said?" Elohim clearly has said. We just need to obey Him.

If there is any question as to whether or not we should keep this commandment, we need only to look to the perfect example: Yahushua the Messiah

We know the He had the fullness of Yahweh's Spirit and if there were anyone who could claim to have no need of a reminder, it would be Him. So did He wear tassels?

You may recall the time when the woman with the flow of blood was heal healed by touching the "hem" of Yahushua's garment:

Luke 8:43 - And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,

Luke 8:44 - Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.

Matthew 9:20 - And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:

The same Greek word is used to translate "border" and "hem" in the above scriptures. It is word #2899 in the Strong's concordance:

kraspedon kras'-ped-on of uncertain derivation; a margin, i.e. (specially), a fringe or tassel:--border, hem.

The Barkley-Newman Greek Dictionary has:

"fringe, edge; tassel"

The Friberg Greek Lexicon has:

"as the outer limit of someth.; of a garment hem, border, edge; (2) in Jewish usage, the tassel or fringe on the four corners of the outer garment, worn as a reminder to observe the commandments (cf. NU 15.38ff; DT 22.12)."

The DuTillet, which is a 450 year old Hebrew manuscript of the book of Matthew contains "Tzitzi" (tassel) in this passage as well as other verses we will examine.

The woman with the flow of blood was healed by touching the "tassel" of his garment. So not only did Yahushua wear the tassels, but Yahweh used them to bring healing!

This indicates that wearing tassels may have some type of spiritual significance in addition to reminding us to keep His commandments. We can always trust that Yahweh knows what He is doing and we need not question the wisdom of anything He commands.

Here is another scripture which also shows Yahushua wore the tassels:

Matthew 14:34 - And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret.

Matthew 14:35 - And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased;

Matthew 14:36 - And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.

"hem", again the same word

Another scripture:

Mark 6:56 - And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole.

So we can again see that Yahweh used the tassels that Yahushua wore in a powerful way. People were begging to touch the tassel of His garment so that they also could receive healing.

So, if there is any question as to whether or not we should keep this commandment while having Yahweh's Holy Spirit within us to remind us of His commandments, we need only look to the example of Yahushua

We can be sure that Yahushua had the fullness of Yahweh's Spirit. Yahushua is the example of what a Spirit-filled person should do with this commandment to wear the tassels: Keep it!

1John 2:5 - But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of YAHWEH is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.

1John 2:6 - He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

We must walk as Yahushua walked and when we walk as He walked, it shows that we are in Him.

If Yahushua wore the tassels and we walk as He walked, then surely Yahweh can use our tassels in a mighty way also.

Imagine if all of Yahweh's people would keep the commandment to wear the tassels. We would be able to recognize one another instantly. The community around us would know that we are brethren and we all serve Yahweh.

I can speak from my own experience that unbelieving Jews will ask why we are wearing them because many of them also wear tassels without a blue cord inside their pants and on talits. It opens the door to share with them the truth that Yahushua did not abolish the Torah and that He would never accept the way in which mainstream Christianity portrays Him.

Other people also will ask why I wear the tassels and it becomes an opportunity to share the testimony of Yahushua, the fact that He wore them, and that it is to remind us of the commandments of Yahweh. Most people of a Christian background are amazed that it is even in Scripture!

Even mainstream Christians sense a need of some kind of reminder when they wear the "WWJD (What would 'Jesus' do?)" paraphernalia. We can wear something that not only reminds us of what Yahushua did (He kept every one of Yahweh's commandments), but also imitates one of the things He did: wear the tassels!

Should a woman wear tassels?

I see no evidence that the commandment was gender specific. The command in Numbers 15:38 was for "B'nay Yisrael" (commonly translated "children of Israel or sons of Israel") which is the same phrase that prefixed many other commands such the commands against unclean meats:

Leviticus 11:2 - Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.

Also the commands against incest:

Leviticus 18:2 - Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am YAHWEH your Elohim.

Leviticus 18:3 - After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances.

Surely a woman was not permitted to have a pork roast or commit incest.

Thus I see no scripture indicating that a woman need not wear the tassels. It seems to me that just as men could use a reminder to keep Yahweh's commandments, women could also.

Now lets consider this scripture:

Matthew 23:5 - But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,

"borders" is also this same Greek word for "Tassels".

In the days of Yahushua, the quality of your tassel apparently indicated your social rank.

This is certainly not the case today. In fact, you might even receive ridicule for wearing them. But we must not be ashamed of doing the things that Yahushua did. Yahushua said:

Luke 9:26 - For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.

Therefore do not be ashamed of doing the things He did. Rather, let it be a sign that you have chosen to let Yahushua live in you. For He desires to do His righteous works in every one of us.

We shouldn't be blending in with the world. We are called to be different than the world. I believe it is good that we have something to distinguish us from the multitudes

And whenever we wear the tassels and explain it to a coworker, unbelieving friend or relative, they will be reminded that they also should keep Yahweh's commandments when they see our tassels

Indeed, it will be a witness to the world that we need to believe in Yahushua, do as He did and keep the commandments of Yahweh

Revelation 14:12 - Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of YAHWEH and the faith of Yahushua.

Men in this day and age have no shortage of excuses as to why we need not obey His commandments. It is high time that we make a stand and declare the awesome calling of living by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of Yahweh.

Remember the words of Yahweh in the book of Malachi, "I Yahweh, change not".

May Yahweh bless you and may He have mercy on us all!

http://www.eliyah.com/tassels.html