This tying method is an intriguing combination of the 7-8-11-13 pattern, incorporating both knots and Yemenite-style Rambam chulyot. Unlike the traditional method where only the first and last winds are Techeiles, in this approach, the first and last chulyot consist of winds. White is used when a chulya ends and begins at one of the five knots. The end result? Pretty awesome!
Rationale for Tying Method
While R’ Arush hasn’t explicitly explained his rationale, a certain Sinai Weinbaum independently arrived at a similar method—albeit with a Tosafos ratio—based on the conclusions of R’ Yitzchak Zilber.
In an email, Reb Weinbaum shared the following insights:
Chulyos
- Yemenite Chulyos: He recommends using Teimani (Yemenite) chulyos but also suggests that Lubavitch-style chulyos, consisting of three self-contained wrappings, are acceptable.
- R’ Halberstam’s Input: R’ Halberstam agrees with maintaining five major knots and the concept of both major and minor knots. He even allows splitting a chulya with a major knot to retain the 7-8-11-13 structure. This idea is supported by the Shulchan Aruch HaRav, and R’ Halberstam accepts this practice—whether in our times when chulyos are symbolic or when tying with actual Techeiles.
For Brevity:
- W = white
- B = blue (Techeiles)
However, Reb Weinbaum adheres strictly to alternating between white and blue chulyos. His final configuration is as follows:
- 3W 3B 1B * 2B 3W 3B * 3B 3W 3B 2W * 1W 3B 3W 3B 3W
Tying
- He retains the five “major” knots, in line with the tradition that their gematria equals 613.
- He introduces the concept of “minor” knots following each chulya.
- He maintains 13 chulyos and suggests the following tying pattern:
WBW * BWB * WBW * BWBW
- To fulfill the Rambam’s requirement of seven blue chulyos, he proposes making seven blue and six white chulyos, resulting in two consecutive blue chulyos.
His final suggestion is as follows:
Conclusion
The logic behind alternating colors is rooted in the equal significance of blue and white. Therefore, it’s reasonable to alternate between the two. While sources like the Rosh and Tur describe perfect alternation between white and blue chulyos, they mention only nine chulyos.
The Shulchan Aruch HaRav, when discussing chulyos, explains that in the times of Techeiles, some were made white and others blue. Since we’ve chosen to make 13 chulyos—corresponding to the seven heavens and the six spaces between them—and because I enjoy gematria, it makes sense to me to have seven blue chulyos representing the seven heavens, and six white ones, as R’ Zilber suggests to satisfy the Rambam’s opinion.
To achieve this, I flipped one set of white chulyos for blue. After researching different methods, I found that R’ Arush of Breslev’s tying method meets my criteria.
R’ Arush makes two key changes from R’ Halberstam’s method. In the fourth set, he flips the third chulya to blue, resulting in 1W 3B 3B 3B 3W, which gives the required seven blue chulyos. Additionally, he switches the order of the third set from 3B 3W 3B 2W to 3W 3B 3B 2W.
This creates symmetry—between each major knot, the tying starts and ends with white—and introduces an ascending holiness (maalim bakodesh) with chulyos of blue in a 1-1-2-3 pattern.
From Joel Guberman (May 27, 2025):
“Re. Opening each set of chuliyot with white. re. Rav Arush, the story goes that the person who ties for him found the techeilet too short so he began to add white at opening of each set of chuliyot in order to make techeilet have a further reach.”
Perhaps this is what R’ Arush means that how one ties is “Lo Meshaneh.” He started with what he was initially given and that became his minhag.
