R’ Shmuel Auerbach on Techeiles

Tekhelet

Approximately thirty years ago, my friend Rabbi Eliyahu Tavger thoroughly studied the question of tekhelet in tzitzit and investigated the practical and scientific aspects of identifying the ḥillazon from which tekhelet is produced. After years of research, he concluded that the ḥillazon spoken of by the Sages was the banded dye-murex, known scientifically as Hexaplex trunculus and referred to in foreign languages as the murex.³⁶³

During the course of his investigation, he came to Rabbeinu to discuss the subject with him. Rabbi Tavger relates that Rabbeinu encouraged him to pursue it and said that it was a Torah subject like any other Torah subject. He presented his conclusions in an article entitled “New Investigations Concerning Tekhelet.” Rabbeinu recommended that he publish what he had written so that Torah students would be able to discuss the matter. The Rosh Yeshiva even personally approached Rabbi Yosef Buxbaum, head of Machon Yerushalayim, several times and asked him to publish the article in the journal Moriah.³⁶⁴

Rabbi Tavger relates:

“Rabbeinu himself did not wish to enter into the subject, claiming that he had no time because he was occupied with matters connected to the yeshiva. He did not even wish to take the article that I had written. Only at our second meeting did he take it, saying that it was now bein hazemanim and that he was prepared to look into it somewhat.

“In general, he maintained that not everyone is capable of dealing with every subject, particularly a subject such as this, which depends more heavily upon external fields of knowledge.”

There was also an impression that Rabbeinu’s view was that someone who was not capable of entering into the subject did not have to place himself under an obligation. He could rely upon the accepted practice of the leading Torah authorities, who had not been concerned to wear tekhelet.³⁶⁵

Rabbi Tavger continues:

“We went out into the street, and I continued walking with him. He said to me, ‘I do not understand what the problem is with placing murex tekhelet upon one’s tzitzit. After all, the Gemara says, “Let it be no more than white.”’

“I replied, by way of raising a difficulty against his position, that Rabbi Mashel Gelbstein had argued in his time against the tekhelet of the Rebbe of Radzyn. He maintained that by wearing an incorrect tekhelet one loses the fulfillment of the Rambam’s position that the white threads should be the same color as the garment. Therefore, when the garment is white, all the white threads must be white!

“The Rosh Yeshiva did not accept this argument. He added that Rabbi Mashel held various distinctive and novel positions. For example, he demanded that guards be stationed beside the Western Wall and wrote that people should not insert their hands into the openings between its stones.³⁶⁶

“On another occasion, after he had written me a letter of recommendation—not a letter saying that he agreed with my conclusions, since he had not entered into the subject, but merely a letter stating that I was not insane—I told him that I was now about to approach the leading Torah authorities to speak with them about tekhelet. Generally, anyone who arrives with a subject of this sort is suspected of being crazy, and no one is prepared to listen to him.

“He laughed and said that he would not give me such a letter, for two reasons:

“First, I had no obligation to go around to the Torah leaders and begin persuading them. Rather, I should publish the material. Whether it would be accepted by the Jewish people was not my concern.

“Second, that method would lead nowhere—or, in his words, ‘Nothing will come of it.’

“On that occasion I added, ‘But what if I personally am certain that this is the genuine tekhelet?’

“He replied that in that case I was certainly obligated to wear it.”

Nevertheless, a head of a Jerusalem yeshiva ketanah came to Rabbeinu several months before Rabbeinu’s passing, accompanied by a talented and exceptional student who wished to place tekhelet in his tzitzit. Rabbeinu told him emphatically:

“Under no circumstances should you wear tekhelet. The evil inclination incites Torah scholars and turns them into eccentrics. When the time comes that tekhelet has been revealed, then people will wear it.”

Rabbeinu refused to enter into a halachic discussion of the matter and answered without explaining the reason for his opposition.

In this connection, Rabbi Yaakov Goldstein relates that he studied at Yeshivat Aderet Eliyahu in the Old City—the yeshiva of Rabbi Zilberman. The students of the yeshiva generally placed tekhelet upon their tallitot and tzitzit. He wished to do so as well, but his father, Rabbi Yitzchak Goldstein, of blessed memory,³⁶⁷ strongly opposed it.

They agreed that the son would ask Rabbeinu and would do whatever Rabbeinu instructed. When the son came to Rabbeinu and raised the question, Rabbeinu spoke indirectly and did not answer the question. He merely noted that he himself did not consider it necessary to wear tekhelet.

When the son told his father what had occurred, his father asked what practical conclusion he had understood from Rabbi Shmuel. The son replied that he understood that he was permitted to wear tekhelet. His father accepted this and even gave him the money to purchase it.

Approximately a year later, Rabbeinu met Rabbi Goldstein and asked him:

“Your son came to me and asked about tekhelet. What did he end up doing?”

Rabbi Yitzchak told him exactly what had happened. Rabbeinu smiled and said:

“I knew that he was not a fool.”