Números 15:38

38 Habla a los hijos de Israel, y diles que se hagan pezuelos (franjas) en los remates de sus vestidos, por sus generaciones; y pongan en cada pezuelo de los remates del vestido un cordón de cárdeno.

Números 15:38 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 15:38

Speak unto the children of Israel
Whom it only concerned, and all of them, except women and children; for priests, Levites, Israelites, proselytes, and freed servants, were bound to wear the fringes, but not Gentiles; nor might the Gentiles make them, what were made by them were not to be used ^F26, since it follows:

and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their
garments, throughout their generations:
the garments on which these fringes were put were such that were made either of linen or of woollen; no other were obliged to them by the law; but according to the Rabbins other garments were also, yet only square garments, which they call the Talith; and if that had not four skirts to it, it was free from them ^F1: on this square garment, and the four corners or skirts of it, were the fringes put; which were a sort of pendants or tassels, which hung down from it, which consisted of eight white woollen threads, sometimes four, sometimes eight or twelve fingers broad ^F2; there were four of them, one at each skirt or corner of the garment: they were, as another writer says ^F3, made of eight threads broad, each of them being knit to the middle with five knots, and of wool spun on purpose for this use; and these were to be wore by them throughout their generations until the Messiah came, and they seem to have been worn by him, ( Matthew 9:20 ) however, it is certain they were worn by the Pharisees in his time, ( Matthew 23:5 ) ; at present this four cornered garment is not any where in common use among the Jews, instead of which they wear, under their other garments, a kind of square frock, with the fringes or tassels fastened to it, and this they call Arbah Canfot; and in their schools, and at certain times of prayer, they put on a certain square woollen vestment, with the said pendants fastened at each corner, and this they call Talith ^F4:

and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a riband of blue;
or a blue lace, a piece of blue tape, which bound and kept the fringe tight and close, and being of a different colour, the fringe being white, made it the more conspicuous: the reason why this colour was used, the Jews say ^F5, was, because it was like the sea, and the like the sky, and the sky like the throne of glory: this blue, hyacinth, or purple colour, as the Jews generally take it to be, was of a peculiar dye; the manner of making which is now unknown to them, and therefore they use only the white ^F6.

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FOOTNOTES:

F26 Sepher Alphes, par. 1. fol. 439. 2. & 442. 1. Schulchan Aruch, par. 1. c. 14. sect. 1.
F1 Schulchan ib. c. 9. sect. 1. & c. 10. sect. 1. & c. 24. 1.
F2 Buxtorf. Synagog. Jud. c. 9. p. 160.
F3 Leo Modena, History of the present Jews, par. 1. c. 5. sect. 7.
F4 lb. sect. 9.
F5 T. Bab. Sotah, fol. 17. 1.
F6 Maimon. in Misn. Menachot, c. 4. sect. 1.

Números 15:38 In-Context

36 Entonces la congregación lo sacó fuera del campamento, y lo apedrearon con piedras, y murió; como el SEÑOR mandó a Moisés.

37 Y el SEÑOR habló a Moisés, diciendo:

38 Habla a los hijos de Israel, y diles que se hagan pezuelos (franjas) en los remates de sus vestidos, por sus generaciones; y pongan en cada pezuelo de los remates del vestido un cordón de cárdeno.

39 Y os servirá de pezuelo, para que cuando lo viereis, os acordéis de todos los mandamientos del SEÑOR, para ponerlos por obra; y no miréis en pos de vuestro corazón y de vuestros ojos, en pos de los cuales fornicáis.

40 Para que os acordéis, y hagáis todos mis mandamientos, y seáis santos a vuestro Dios.