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Sky of Blue

Sotah 17


R. Meir used to say: Why is blue specified from all the varieties of colours? Because blue resembles [the colour of] the sea, and the sea resembles [the colour of] heaven, and heaven resembles [the colour of] the Throne of Glory, as it is said: And they saw the God of Israel and there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and as it were the very heaven for clearness,28  and it is written: The likeness of a throne as the appearance of a sapphire stone.29


This famous saying explains why the color techelet, a beautiful shade of blue, was chosen for one fringe of the tzitzit . The rediscovery of how to make the techelet dye is a fascinating story and for that take a look at http://tekhelet.com// But the techelet color has also been an inspiration in Jewish art and in Jewish homes, particularly in the mystical city of Tzfat. So here, courtesy of Google images, are some memorable Tzfat techelet scenes. 




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