HaRav Shmuel Ariel

R’ Shmuel Ariel is a longtime talmid chacham, halachic writer and one of the more substantial rabbinic voices in support of the renewed Techeiles. For many years he learned and taught at Yeshivat Otniel, eventually serving there as a Ram and as head of the Halachah Kollel. Since 2018 he has taught at Yeshivat Yerucham. He is also the son of R’ Yisrael Ariel, founder of the Temple Institute (Machon HaMikdash).

R’ Ariel has been writing on Techeiles for over twenty-five years. Already in 2001 he published an extensive article in Techumin arguing that Techeiles, when it is available, is not simply a mitzvah min hamuvchar but an actual Torah obligation. His writings on the subject were later expanded into a much larger treatment, HaTecheiles VeChidushah, dealing with the history of Techeiles, the identification of the chilazon, the evidence for the argamon keheh kotzim (Murex trunculus), the objections that have been raised against it and, basically, what all of this means halachah lemaaseh.

His position is quite strong. R’ Ariel writes that the identification of the Murex is supported to such a high degree that, from a halachic standpoint, it should be treated as a vadai, or essentially certain identification. And even if someone would insist on calling it a safek, he argues that the normal rule of safek de’oraisa lechumra would still point toward wearing it.

He therefore holds that once genuine Techeiles is available, one should not knowingly wear a four-cornered garment with white strings alone. In other words, this isn’t really a “nice thing to do if you’re into Techeiles” approach. To R’ Ariel, if the identification is correct — and he believes that it is — then the original Torah obligation has simply become practical again.

Regarding the actual strings, R’ Ariel favors one full Techeiles string out of the four, following the Raavad. His approach to the winding itself is somewhat different, combining positions rather than simply copying the Raavad’s entire method. He continues to answer detailed practical questions about Techeiles today, including the identification of the chilazon, number of strings, tying methods and whether one may wear a tallis without Techeiles.

Other info:

Other rabbinic work: Halachic author and posek; answers large numbers of halachic questions online and through WhatsApp groups. Some sites still title him Rosh Kollel Halachah at Yeshivat Yerucham, although Yerucham’s own current page calls him a Ram.
Previous positions: Ram and Rosh Kollel at Yeshivat Otniel; after leaving Otniel in 2018 he joined the Halachah Kollel at Yeshivat Yerucham.
Other writing/editing: Author of the Neta Betocheinu series on the foundations of Torah Shebaal Peh; co-author with R’ Elyashiv Knohl of Ish Ve’Isha and Ve’achalta VeSavata; has published in Techumin, Tzohar, Akdamot and elsewhere.
Family background: Son of R’ Yisrael Ariel, founder and head of Machon HaMikdash; nephew of R’ Yaakov Ariel.