Aggadot from Hamivtar Rabbi Yitzchak Blau

The Many Stages on the Way to The Throne of Glory

What makes tekhelet unique among all colors (in that it was picked for the zizit)? Tekhelet is similar to the color of the ocean, which is similar to the color of the heavens, which is similar to the sapphire stone and that is similar to the throne of glory. (Hullin 89a)

Apparently, the blue threads on zizit remind us of the Divine ruler as Tanakh associates the color blue with God’s throne in Yehezkel 1:26 (see also Shemot 24:10). The Torah explicitly states that the entire purpose of zizit is to remind us to take care of our religious obligations and the connection with the throne of glory clearly helps in the remembering. Yet we still wonder why the gemara does not simply say that the tekhelet reminds us of the throne of glory directly? Why do we need all the intervening stages?

Sefat Emet (Menahot 43b) suggests a practical answer that the color of tekhelet resembles the color of the ocean but not the color of the heavens and so on. Each stage resembles the stage adjacent to it but not the following stage. As a result, the color of tekhelet can only be associated with the throne of glory if one makes several interim associations. While this explanation does solve the problem, it does not grant religious significance to the middle stages.

Rashi (Menahot 43b) mentions that Hashem performed great miracles for the Jewish people at the sea. According to Rashi, all the stages between tekhelet and the throne of glory bear their own intrinsic significance. Seeing tekhelet should make us think not only of the throne of glory but also of God’s awesome miracles as manifest in the splitting of the sea. To carry through with this line of interpretation, we would have to find intrinsic importance in thinking about the heavens as well.

R. Moshe Feinstein suggests a beautiful interpretation in his Darash Moshe The religious desire to utilize tekhelet as a means of quickly reaching the throne of glory reflects the temptation faced by the searching religious soul to quest for instant spiritual grandeur. As we have seen in our own times, the idea the authentic religious excellence takes decades of work fails to appeal to those who find it easier to just take a quick class in kabbalah at the local JCC or shul. However, as with anything of true value, real accomplishments and worthwhile ends only exist when a person proceeds slowly and persistently towards a goal. Those attracted to quick spiritual fixes ultimately fizzle out as they lack the knowledge and dedication needed for finding ongoing religious meaning. The various interim stages in between tekhelet and the throne of glory convey this sense of slow and steady movement towards the desired goal.

Of course, the above does not mean that we cannot take pride in our interim accomplishments. As we approach this Rosh haShana, we can glance with a smile at how far we have come even as we understand how far we have to go and undertake to take the next step on our journey of a lifetime.