Number of Techelet Threads in Tzitzit
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Question
Hello, I would like to ask a question regarding tzitzit, which I hope will be passed on to the esteemed rabbi, as it concerns many people in practice. There are those who claim that today they have found the techelet, but that is not what I want to ask about. I wanted to ask, if this is indeed the techelet, or when our righteous Messiah comes soon, how many threads of techelet should be inserted into the garment? I know there is a disagreement among the Rishonim and Acharonim: Here is the opinion of the Rambam and his son among the Rishonim, the Zohar, and the Ari in Kabbalah, and among the Acharonim the Ben Ish Chai, the Chida, the Mishkenot Yaakov, and the Radziner — to insert one thread out of eight of techelet. And the opinion of the Raavad, the Meiri, and the Aruch among the Rishonim, and among the Acharonim the Mishkenot Yaakov says that it is also possible this way, in the Gra there is a contradiction, but this is his opinion in his hidden writings, and he wrote there "and so is the main", and there are those who claim that this way also fulfills the first and last in the first method — to put one thread out of four, which is two threads out of eight. And the opinion of the Ragma, Rashi, Tosafot in five places in the Shas (for there are different Tosafot in each tractate), R"T, R"I, Tur"P, Smak, Ravia, Aguda, Yeraim, Eshkol, Mahar"M of Rothenburg, Rosh, Itur, Mordechai, Tur in Ashkenaz, as well as — Rashba, Ran, Rabbeinu David, Ri"D, R"I of Lunel among the Rishonim and the Kabbalists the Ramak and the Megale Amukot, and among the Acharonim the Maharshal (halacha in practice leniently), T"Z, Machatzit HaShekel, Pri Megadim, Artzot HaChaim (halacha in practice leniently), Shulchan Aruch HaRav, Mishnah Berurah (halacha in practice leniently), and Chazon Ish (halacha in practice leniently), and in the Gra, as mentioned, there is a contradiction, and on the Shulchan Aruch he ruled according to this opinion and wrote there "and so is proven from the entire sugya" (and it is known that the Chazon Ish said that if there is a contradiction in the Gaon between the hidden and the revealed, one should follow his revealed words) — to insert techelet and white equally, two threads of techelet and two threads of white. And nowadays the custom is prevalent that the Sephardim make one thread out of eight like the Rambam and the Ari, and the Ashkenazim two threads out of eight according to the opinion of the Raavad and possibly the Gra (the custom was created due to the Zilberman community), although it seems more appropriate to do as ruled by the Mishnah Berurah and the Chazon Ish, and possibly the Gra thought so. And I am confused about what to do.
Answer
Response from our teacher, Rabbi shlita
The main halacha is two threads of techelet and two threads of white, according to the opinion of the majority of the Rishonim.
[This means, as we insert four white threads into each corner, and they fold and become eight. So they inserted two of white and two of techelet. After insertion, it becomes four white and four techelet].
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