Laws of Tzitzit

Clothing is one of a person’s forms of expression. From the way he dresses one can learn something about him. This is how he chose to appear, and presumably not by chance. This is true not only of each individual; every nation, too, has some national garment that distinguishes it from other nations. The Mexicans, for example, stood out with their sombreros; the Arabs wrap themselves in the keffiyeh; the Dutch have wooden clogs, and the Japanese the kimono. Our national garment is the tallit with four corners and tzitzit. Unlike other nations, who chose their garments for themselves, our garment was determined by the Holy One, blessed be He.

It is a mistake to think that the kippa is the national garment, for from a halakhic perspective the importance of the kippa is much less than the importance of tzitzit. Wearing a kippa is a custom from the period of the Gemara, whereas the mitzva of tzitzit is an explicit Torah commandment.

It is related that a certain Jew who wanted to draw closer to the values of Judaism came to consult with Rav Tzvi Yehuda ha-Kohen Kook zatzal about how to proceed. In the course of the conversation he told the Rav that it was very difficult for him to wear a kippa, since he felt that it represented a particular group within the nation. The Rav answered him that in truth wearing a kippa is not so very important, but by contrast, wearing a tallit with tzitzit is of great importance, since it is a Torah commandment. And so, in those days a Jew walked around Jerusalem with his tzitzit out but without a kippa on his head. Later on, that Jew progressed and also covered his head with a kippa.