Tzitzit precursor and method therefor

Abstract

A method of tying tzitzit including forming a tzitzit precursor that comprises unfinished knots separated by groups of windings.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to tzitzit for four cornered garments.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Tzitzit (also referred to as tzitzis or tzitzith, depending on the locale and dialect) are strings used in carrying out a positive commandment from the Torah, or Bible. The commandment requires tying a set of strings to each of the four corners of a four cornered garment. The commandment is set forth in the Books of Numbers and Deuteronomy, and its laws are expounded in the Tractate Menachot of the Babylonian Talmud and codified in the halachic (Jewish Law) work, the Shulchan Aruch, in the section of Orach Chaim.

As defined in Jewish Law, tzitzit comprises four strings placed through a hole (or two holes according to some customs) formed near the corner edges of the four cornered garment. The strings are tied into a (double) knot and one of the strings is wound about the others so as to form a series of windings separated from each other by a (double) knot. In general, there are a total of five double knots spaced by four groups of windings. The remaining lengths of the strings dangle downwards from the last double knot. Since the four strings have been doubled over in the tying process, there are eight strings that hang downwards from the last knot in the finished tzitzit.

There are many requirements that must be followed in order for tzitzit to be valid. One of the requirements is that the tzitzit be tied on the garment. That is, one cannot pre-form or pre-tie tzitzit on a piece of cloth and then sew that cloth with the ready-made tzitzit on to the four cornered garment. Rather a positive action must be performed on the strings so as to tie the tzitzit to the garment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention seeks to provide a novel tzitzit precursor, that is, pre-formed tzitzit, which although being pre-formed, still enable fulfilling the requirement of being positively tied on to the four cornered garment, as is described more in detail hereinbelow. Tying the tzitzit precursors of the present invention on to a four cornered garment may significantly reduce the time for tying tzitzit (in some cases, perhaps ten times less than the normal time). It may also be tied by someone not necessarily skilled in tying regular tzitzit.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the method of tying tzitzit includes tying tzitzit strings in a noose-like manner that comprises knots separated by groups of windings. The tzitzit strings may be first placed through a hole in a four cornered garment before tying them. Alternatively, the tzitzit strings may be placed through the hole in the four cornered garment after forming at least one knot.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be understood and appreciated more fully from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a simplified pictorial illustration of initially placing four strings on a mandrel to eventually form a tzitzit precursor in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a simplified pictorial illustration of wrapping the four strings around the mandrel;

FIG. 3 is a simplified pictorial illustration of tightening the first winding of the four strings to form a pre-knot of a noose around the mandrel;

FIG. 4 is a simplified pictorial illustration of tightening a second winding of the four strings to form a pre-double-knot of the noose;

FIG. 5 is a simplified pictorial illustration of winding one of the strings around the other strings to form a series of windings after the pre-double-knot of the noose;

FIG. 6 is a simplified pictorial illustration of preparing to wrap the four strings around the mandrel after finishing making the first winding group;

FIG. 7 is a simplified pictorial illustration of wrapping the four strings around the mandrel after the first winding group;

FIG. 8 is a simplified pictorial illustration of tightening this wrapping of the four strings to form another pre-double-knot of the noose;

FIG. 9 is a simplified pictorial illustration of a finished tzitzit precursor, constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, with a total of five pre-double-knots spaced by four groups of windings;

FIG. 10 is a simplified pictorial illustration of threading the strings of the tzitzit precursor through a hole of a four cornered garment and through the mandrel, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 11 is a simplified pictorial illustration of a portion of a finished four cornered garment with tzitzit tied from the tzitzit precursor, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Reference is now made to FIG. 1, which illustrates the beginning of forming a tzitzit precursor in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Initially, four strings 10 may be placed on a mandrel 12. The strings 10, as is well known in the art, are generally made of wool, which may be specially carded and spun by hand. One of the strings is generally longer than the other three, and is referred to hereafter as the winder string 10. The mandrel 12 may be made of any suitable material, such as but not limited to, metal, plastic, wood, bone, ceramic and the like. The mandrel 12 may be formed with a passageway 14 for eventually passing the strings 10 therethrough. For example, without limitation, passageway 14 may take the form of a lumen 16 formed through the length of the mandrel 12. As another example, passageway 14 may be an aperture 18 formed at one end of the mandrel 12, resembling the eye of a needle.

Referring to FIG. 2, the four strings 10 may be wrapped around the mandrel 12 to form a first winding or loop 20.

Referring to FIG. 3, the loop 20 may be tightened to form a pre-knot 22 of a noose around the mandrel 12.

Referring to FIG. 4, the four strings 10 may be wrapped around the mandrel 12 to form a second winding or loop 24, which may be tightened to form a pre-double-knot 26 of the noose.

Referring to FIG. 5, the winder string 10 may be wound around the other strings to form a series of windings 28 after the first pre-double-knot 26 of the noose. The first series of windings 28 may have seven windings, for example.

Referring to FIG. 6, the first series of windings 28 may be bunched and tightened against the pre-double-knot 26. The strings 10 are then prepared to be wrapped around the mandrel 12 again. As similarly shown above for FIGS. 2 and 3, in FIGS. 7 and 8, respectively, the four strings 10 may be wrapped around the mandrel 12 to form another winding or loop 30, which may be tightened to form a pre-knot 32 of the noose around the mandrel 12.

The process may then repeat itself so as to form a finished tzitzit precursor 33 (FIG. 9), with a total of five pre-double-knots 34 spaced by four groups of windings 36. The groups of windings 36 may have different numbers of windings, such as seven, eight, eleven and thirteen, for example. Other ways of winding tzitzit or looping them (e.g., Chabad, Sephardic, Yemenite) are also included in the scope of the invention.

It is important to note that the tzitzit precursor 33 does not consist of finished knots or tzitzit, rather it comprises unfinished knots, which may be unstable. By “unstable, unfinished knot” it is meant that if the tzitzit precursor 33 were pulled it would come apart. For example, the illustrated tzitzit precursor 33 is a noose (or equivalent non-knot). Thus, even though the tzitzit precursor 33 is pre-formed, it still can and must be actively tied on to a four cornered garment to become a series of stable, finished knots, thereby fulfilling one of the halachic requirements of tzitzit, as is now described.

It is further noted the pre-knots do not have to be pre-double-knots. For example, the first and last knots may be looped and formed as pre-single-knots, and the person tying the tzitzit precursor to the four cornered garment finishes tying these into double knots.

Referring to FIG. 10, the strings 10 of the tzitzit precursor 33 may be passed through a hole 38 of a four cornered garment 40 and through passageway 14 of the mandrel 12. The tzitzit precursor 33 may then be separated from the mandrel 12 by removing it from the mandrel 12 (or equivalently, the mandrel 12 may be slipped off the tzitzit precursor 33), and the strings 10 tightened to form finished tzitzit 42 (FIG. 11). This action constitutes the active tying process referred to above and transforms the tzitzit precursor 33 into a series of stable, finished double knots 44 separated by groups of windings 36. FIG. 11 illustrates a portion of the finished four cornered garment 40 with tzitzit 42 hanging from hole 38. It is appreciated that the four cornered garment 40 has four tzitzit 42 at each of its four corners.

It is appreciated that various features of the invention which are, for clarity, described in the contexts of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination.

Claims

1. A method of tying tzitzit comprising: forming a tzitzit precursor that comprises unfinished knots separated by groups of windings.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising tying the tzitzit precursor on a four cornered garment to form a series of stable, finished double knots separated by the groups of windings.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein forming the tzitzit precursor comprises winding four strings about a mandrel into unfinished knots separated by the groups of windings.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein tying the tzitzit precursor on the four cornered garment comprises passing the strings through a hole formed in the four cornered garment and through a passageway formed in the mandrel, separating the tzitzit precursor from the mandrel, and tightening the strings to form finished tzitzit.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein winding the four strings about the mandrel forms a noose.

6. A tzitzit precursor that comprises unfinished knots separated by groups of windings.

7. The tzitzit precursor according to claim 6, wherein the unfinished knots and the groups of windings comprise four strings wrapped and looped about a mandrel.

8. The tzitzit precursor according to claim 7, wherein said mandrel is formed with a passageway for passing the strings therethrough.

9. The tzitzit precursor according to claim 8, wherein said passageway includes a lumen formed through a length of the mandrel.

10. The tzitzit precursor according to claim 8, wherein said passageway includes an aperture formed at one end of the mandrel.

11. A method of tying tzitzit comprising: tying tzitzit strings in a noose-like manner that comprises knots separated by groups of windings.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the tzitzit strings are first placed through a hole in a four cornered garment before tying them.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the tzitzit strings are placed through a hole in a four cornered garment after forming at least one knot.