The Colour of Blue

I was listening to an MP3 file from Aish Audio, and they were talking about the blue fringes that are supposed to be on the Tzitzis (one of the 8 threads are supposed to be blue, the others white). A description was given as to just what colour of blue it was. The response is very mystical on many levels. What they said was “The blue of the Tzitzis is like the blue of the seas. The blue of the seas is like the blue of the sky. The blue of the sky is like the throne of G-d.”

The simple reading is that G-d has a blue throne… while that sounds like a nice tidbit of trivia, hardly earth shattering news. But we know that G-d takes no form, thus doesn’t really have a throne. So what’s this trying to say? I can see two meanings.

First, by drawing the connection between the Tzitzis and G-d we get a glimpse of the power of the mitzvah of Tzitzis. Wearing the blue fringe (or to a lesser extent the all while fringes we wear today) connects us with the throne of G-d. Simply by glancing down, we are able to be reminded of G-d presence and active role in our lives.

The second meaning draws from the comparison of the blue of the sea and sky to G-d’s throne. The sea and sky are magnificent shades of blue… but have you ever tried to capture that colour? Take a glass of sea, is it still blue? What about a glass full of sky? We know they are both blue, we can see and feel it, but when we try to put our hands on it, it’s no longer there. The same can be said for G-d’s presence. We know it’s there, we can even see it if we look at the big picture. But when we try to capture it, when we try to grasp it, it seems to slip between our fingers. But just like the sea and sky, even though we may not be able to put our hands on it, we never doubt its reality.