Mitzvos operate in a paradoxical manner—they have finite formulas which we must grasp and somehow unite with the Infinite. The mitzvah to put on a talis was given to remind us of all other mitzvos, and it exemplifies this paradox. The talis envelops the person wearing it, reminding us of the Infinite that envelops and overwhelms the finite, and it terminates in precisely tightly knit dangling strings or fringes, the tzitzis, which correspond to the minutia of finite reality.
The word tzitzis is numerically valued at 600. Together with the eight strands and their five knots adds up to 613, the number of mitzvos in the Torah.
Additionally, there are four sets of chuliyos windings, 7, 8, 11, 13. The first set, 7 plus 8, equals 15 and corresponds to the first two letters of the essential four-letter name of God, which we are forbidden to pronounce. The number 11 corresponds to the second two letters of this name, and the number 13 is equal to echad, meaning “one/oneness.”
Essentially, this mitzvah brings out the idea that God’s oneness permeates our total reality, and it serves as a reminder of this truth.
In the prayer service, whenever there is a change between prayers, a break or movement, a special prayer called a kaddish (“sanctification” of the name of God) is recited in order to bring unity.
Whenever there is a separation in the prayers—or for that matter a “break” in life itself—we recite the Kaddish and declare, “Magnified and sanctified may His great name be…” Thus, we ensure that His name, the Source of all, is brought together in harmony, and a healing on all levels of existence takes place.
The essential four-letter name of God—spelled in Hebrew yud-hei-vav-hei—can be viewed as containing two parts. The first yud-hei, whose numerical equivalent is 15, represents the spiritual transcendence; the second vav-hei, whose numerical equivalent is 11, represents the physical immediate. This separation is the root cause of all dissension and separations, death included.
By reciting the Kaddish, “yisgadal veyiskadesh,” which contains eleven letters, we reunify the name and inspire a total reunification of the entire world.
