Flying fringes – Sh’lach L’cha
The final section of the sidra is the passage about fringes which we call the third paragraph of the Shema (Num. 15:37-41).
The purpose of the fringes (tzitzit) is “that you may look at it and remember all the commandments of the Lord” (verse 39).
The way the sages understood this verse was that the thread of blue which was originally part of the fringes (deriving from the chillazon, a sea creature which some authorities believe they are able to identify, enabling them to restore the thread of blue) suggests the water of the sea, and the sea suggests Heaven, in which is the locale of the Divine Throne of Glory.
Thus the fringes are a reminder of the duty to look up to and obey the will of the God of Heaven and Earth.
