The Navi Yeshayah wrote בפיו ושפתיו כבדוני ולבו רחק ממני "With their mouths and with their lips do they honor me,” says Hashem, “but they have removed their hearts from me"
This is a terrible indictment of the Jewish People. For the Jew, there must always be a strong emotional attachment to Hashem and to Am Yisrael.
In this week's Parsha Sh'lach, we are commanded regarding the Mitzvah of ציצית; of wearing a four cornered garment and to affix to this garment the ציצית, i.e. fringes. In addition to the white fringes, which are required, one is obligated to have one of these fringes to be the color תכלת, a blue color reminding us of the color of Sh’amayim , the blue of the sky, reflecting our spiritual attachment to Hashem.
This thread of Techeiles, must be prepared from a dye derived, specifically, from the fish called חלזון, Chalazon. Any other dye is not acceptable.
When the Gemarah speaks of this Halacha it states; שעתיד להיפרע ממי שתולה קלא אילן בבגדו ואומר תכלת היא, “Hashem will punish anyone who affixes a thread of blue, dyed with indigo, a vegetable dye, and falsifies it as the real dye from the Chalazon.”
In essence, the Torah is admonishing anyone who would pass off the artificial for the real. Judaism will not contend with any type of deception, or hypocrisy when it comes to our Judaic way of life. Sham and duplicity is unacceptable and must not be tolerated in any aspect of our lives. It is a sorry state of affairs when, all too often, people pretend to be righteous and decent but really are ignoble and selfish. Though they may get away with such deception, ultimately the truth will win out.
Permit me to share the following comical story;
A comedian once commented, "I don't get any respect, why, when I was a kid, I got lost in a shopping mall, and I was scared. With tears in my eyes, I ran to the nearest security guard and asked him frantically; ‘Sir, please help me, I'm lost, do you think I'll ever be reunited with my parents?’
"He looked at me straight in the eye and said, “Kid, with so many places for them to hide, I seriously doubt it.”
As jocular as it may seem, so many of us are hiding from the truth and so often live with the vegetable dye rather than with the true Techeiles.
These are times when society is so full of sham and duplicity, we are to step up to the plate and live our lives with honesty and genuineness.
We, who possess the genuine Techeiles are to show the world that our way of life is אמת ויציב because we live lives that are dependent upon אמת ואמונה with truth and authenticity.
As we gaze at our Tzizit the next time we recite the Sh’ma, let the lesson of Techeiles be our guide, a Techeiles that is דומה לשמים leading us to the כסא הכבוד. For when we speak the truth from our hearts we will herald a time of peace and serenity for the Jewish People.
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