In Parshas Shelach, the Torah gives us the mitzvah to place a thread of Techeiles among the strings of tzitzis. What exactly lies behind this mitzvah? Daniel Lipson – 17.06.2019 “Speak to Bnei Yisrael and tell them that they shall make tzitzis on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and they shall place…
read moreEvery so often Mendel Singer is described as a Radzyner chassid. That description makes intuitive sense. He comes from a Radzyner background, has spent years involved with Radzyner Torah and history, and his name appears throughout the contemporary Radzin website on posts dealing with the Rebbes, Radzyner minhagim and shiurim. Singer himself, however, has pushed…
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by R. Gil Student The term minhag, custom, actually refers to multiple types of practices with different kinds of obligations. By understanding better these differences, we can explore which minhagim are subject to removal and how to accomplish that, if you so wish. Generally speaking, a minhag is a type of neder, an explicit or implicit vow to observe a practice.…
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כפר אדומים, 2014 נוּלים ושבלוּלים שני אקווריומים ארוכים וצרים מקבלים את פני האורחים בפתיל תכלת, מפעל קטן, בין צריף להאנגר, בכניסה להתנחלות כפר אדומים שבהרי יהודה. הם מותאמים במיוחד לחלזונות ים הנקראים ארגמון קהה־קוצים, אבל מבט מדוקדק מגלה שבשני האקווריומים הגדולים יש, ובכן, חילזון אחד. “הם לא שורדים פה המון”, מסביר־מתנצל אחד העובדים. “יש להם…
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Rabbi Jack Abramowitz There are many rabbinical opinions as to how the tzitziyot with techelet should be tied. Courtesy of the Ptil Tekhelet Association When Noach lay uncovered in his tent, our ancestor Shem immediately took a garment and covered his father. Rashi (Bereishit 9:23) cites a midrash that in the merit of his zeal, Shem’s descendants—the…
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Dr. Ari Greenspan Sept. 2, 2026 The Hexaplex trunculus, a predatory sea snail native to the Mediterranean Sea, is believed to be the long-lost chilazon. Courtesy of the Ptil Tekhelet Association The tradition identifying the chilazon and the process of extracting its dye had been lost to the Jewish people. So how was this long-dormant mitzvah revived?…
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The discovery might illuminate the link between the blue pigment’s ancient Egyptian roots and its rediscovery by Renaissance artists centuries later Eli Wizevich | History Correspondent | February 4, 2025 The hunk weighs a whopping five pounds and measures more than six inches long. Simona Murrone / Colosseum Archaeological Park In the ruins of Rome’s…
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Researchers have estimated how much the home’s owners may have paid to paint the small sacrarium, calculating the price of the Egyptian blue pigment and the hours of labor required to prepare it Sonja Anderson | Daily Correspondent March 18, 2026 Fifteen amphorae were found inside the Blue Room. Archaeological Park of Pompeii (Source: smithsonianmag.com) In 2024,…
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Created 5,000 years ago, the mysterious color has been found on artworks and artifacts throughout the ancient world. But the pigment’s recipe was eventually lost to history Sonja Anderson | Daily Correspondent June 12, 2025 An ancient wooden falcon decorated with Egyptian blue alongside one of the newly developed pigments Matt Unger / Joshua Franzos…
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R’ Yisroel Barkin was asked: “why didn’t R’ Yisroel Belsky tell his kids to start wearing Techeiles bichlal?” R’ Yisroel Barkin’s answer: “He didn’t tell anyone to. He only talked about it when he was asked. He said clearly that he doesn’t want to give a Psak about it. He told someone in my presence…
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