Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Outfit // Why I May Start Wearing Tzit-tzit || +What Are They?!

 Hello all! So...my title. You probably want an explanation. Well, I guess I should start way back in March when our family first visited the Torah Community Bible Study. Our Aunt had invited us several times and my parents finally decided we could go and see what it was all about. While I didn't really enjoy it (the first time), I was interested and wanted to go back! And go back we did! We've scarcely missed a service since! But how does all this add up to why I might start wearing four weird little strings on my shirt? Read on to find out!

 All my life I've been told,"When Jesus died He became the ultimate sacrifice, dying for our sins!" While this statement is completely true, they also somehow seemed to slip in there the 'fact' that we are no longer under the Old Testament laws, but under grace! I accept the latter part of that sentence as a definite, we are under grace! God sent His only Son to give His life for mine, so that we wouldn't literally have to make sacrifices unto Him with the help of the High Priest. But may I suggest that we our under both law and grace? Could such a thing be possible? Has the truth been hidden in plain sight all along? 

 The months following our joining the Torah Community circle (after much prayer and even fasting) went by in a blur. We were learning and absorbing information and ideas that had never occurred to Christians like us! Is pork a meat we should be eating? Should we really be calling Him Jesus? Or His Hebrew name Yashua? I am only mentioning these questions to give you an idea of the kind of things we were (are) considering. On to the questions raised in this post's title though!

 So, in the material sense, *tzitziyot [*the plural of tzit tzit; seet-seeth], simply meaning- tassels, are just four hand-woven ropes with a strand of blue running through it. Sometimes incorporating a special knotting pattern that [in Hebrew numerals] spells out Yahweh (the Name of our Creator). But why wear them? Well, without going any further, I will show you the scripture behind my conviction-I-haven't-been-convicted-of-yet, the very first account they were literally written of in the Bible.

Numbers 15:38-40.
 38 "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. 39 You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the Lord, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by chasing after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. 40 Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God."

Hmm. Interesting right? But, none of this means anything if you don't believe that you are an "Israelite".
 This brings on a whole new subject, that is far too vast to completely cover all in one post, and which I may not be prepared to breach quite yet. Are we now considered not Gentiles but "Jews"? Hence we are adopted into the family of God?

 The mystery is in that throughout the gospels, the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers in the promise of Messiah.  [Ephesians 3:16.]

 Definition of Jew:
  1. An adherent of Judaism as a religion or culture.
  2. A member of the widely dispersed people originally descended from the ancient Hebrews and sharing an ethnic heritage based on Judaism.
  3. A native or inhabitant of the ancient kingdom of Judah.
 While I am not Hebrew/Jewish by blood and only recently started giving any serious thought to celebrating the Old Testament feasts, what does this verse mean then?

 Romans 11:17
"But some of these branches from Abraham's tree--some of the people of Israel--have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God's special olive tree."

Before saying anything else, I will say that if you believe we are 'grafted in' in the way described in the verse above, then the verse from Numbers should henceforth be applied in your life by wearing the tassels. Why then am I not wearing them on a day-to-day basis? After thinking on it a lot, I have come to the conclusion that I simply don't want to.  And by "I simply don't want to", I mean I should be but I'm not. I don't want to be the weird, different one who stands out in the crowd. Even though by dressing how I dress, I already do. I didn't ever feel like this when I stopped wearing pants, (which is much more noticeable than four little strings!), so why do I now?


Maybe it's because of laziness, I don't want to commit to having another kind of question thrown my way. 

"Why are you wearing those little strings?"  ''Uhhhmmm... I dunno..."

It wouldn't be that I didn't have an answer, I just told you why I should be wearing them! It's that once you tell someone like that, they want to know more and more, what you believe about this, that, and the other. Those are the questions I am not equip for yet. But, we are light the unto the world. The most liked quick and easy line that Cass and I have come across to answer these questions from people concerning the tassels is that, basically they are a WWJD bracelet that dates back to Bible times. This is so true!  They are to remind us, and entice others, that we have a higher calling, that we have a choice to do what is right in the eyes of our Maker, or to follow in the footsteps of the world.

Shoes- Ariat Riding Boots, gifted // Leggings- gifted // Petticoat- Cassie made // Skirt- thrifted, $2 // Sweater- Borrowed from Cass, Goodwill, $4 // Tzitzit- Borrowed/made by Cass // Necklace- gifted // Headband- Cassie's

You probably noticed that  I left a thought hanging a couple paragraphs up when I said,"What does this verse mean?" I believe it means that we, all believers in Jesus Christ, have been grafted in and therefore should do as He did. He wore tzit-tzit, so, that is something I (Me, I am not telling you what to do here, and realize that all of this is as new to you as it was to me not so long ago!) think would be profitable and right for me to do once I get my thoughts together and am slightly more ready for the barrage of questions that is sure to follow from well-meaning friends, family, and likely, complete strangers!

 I have covered the doctrinal part of this post as well as I'm able and shall now tell you a bit about the rest of my outfit! I wore this spur-of-the-moment a few weeks ago... When I saw Cassie's new yellow sweater laying on the cloths hamper, I picked it up and thought to myself,"This reminds me of Lilly!" [ Lilly Tsiporenko is a friend of mine on Instagram, and is inspiring in fashion and faith!] So, I went on to put together a completely Lilly-inspired outfit! Now, you see it here on the blog after I wore it all day long and to an Amish bulk foods store later that afternoon!

Dread may not be a suitable word for the feeling I had whenever I thought about having to write this post, but something closely related to it to be sure. Now that it is over, I feel relieved, but apprehensive. I don't know how you all will take it. I guess I will have to wait and see.


Do you wear tzitziyot/tassels?
Who inspires your wardrobe?
Was this post necessary, or would you rather I had kept this to myself for the time being?

-Rebekah
~A Humble Follower of the Most High~

*If you have comments/questions please curiously and respectfully comment below.*

18 comments:

  1. Sweet sister, "Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes." ~Romans 10:4 "Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian" ~Gal. 3:23-25 Also, "Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ." ~Colossians 2:16-17 If you decide to obey the law, will you obey the whole law? or just parts of it? Will you begin once again to perform animal sacrifices even though when Christ came he became the final sacrifice - "once for all" ~Hebrews 10:10 Please think long and hard about putting yourself back under the bondage of the law. Please also study out Acts 15:1-21. I am sure you have before, but do it again prayfully. Sincerely, someone who truly cares for you.

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    1. Wow, thanks for your comment.

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    2. Dear "Someone who truly cares",
      thank you for commenting and for your concern, but being 'under the law' is not what I consider bondage. As I stressed in the post, I [and our whole family] have already been studying and praying it out for closing in on a years time. We obviously have differing interpretations on the scriptures you showed above. In particular, the Colossians reference is one I believe much differently about apparently in the fact that to me it means that you should not allow people to judge you as you carry out those Sabbaths and Festivals, not that we shouldn't do them after He came. Thanks again for commenting, have a great day!
      ~Rebekah for Calico Sisters

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    3. Hello again. Thanks for the wishes for a great day. I did have a good day today. :-) Yes, I think we are interpreting the above Scriptures differently. I think the Colossians reference was about not judging those who did OR who did not celebrate festivals or Sabbaths a certain way. I do indeed believe in obeying laws as long as I don't think that is what saves me. It is only the blood of Christ that can cleanse me and make me pure before the eyes of God, not anything I do. I want to obey what He has told me to do because I love Him (who first loved me). I'm sure that God knows that His children are imperfect and will see things differently and that is where His grace comes in. Thank you so much for your reply and I hope YOU have had a lovely day too. Love in Christ, Me :-)

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  2. Wonderful post! Love your honesty about where you are and why. As you know I think you are beautiful, inside and out.
    As I see already, many will not understand what you are working through in your own heart. Just keep asking Him to show you truth, and He will.

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    1. Thanks for reading it Aunt Wendy! Love you!
      ~Rebekah

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  3. Oh, my brave brave friend.... I am humbled and impressed with your wisdom and candor. Yes, I wear tzit and I believe that blessings come from following the instructions of God/Yahweh. Laws are good... as anyone who drives a car knows... bad things happen when we don't obey. Yes, we may look different but may our lights shine with HIS light as brightly as your beautiful yellow sweater. Love you, Shannon and Timothy

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    1. Thanks so much for commenting Miss Shannon! See you on Sabbath! I will sing with you this week probably, if you want me to! ;-)
      ~Bekah

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  4. About eating pork... didn't God tell Peter in a vision that He had made the unclean clean?

    Anyway, what I wanted to say is totally beside the topic- I LOVE your yellow sweater and you look so good in it!

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  5. Also, the 'About Page' is not on the list of pages--- could you please add it, because I'd love to read your updated version. :-)

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. Hi Naomi! Thanks for your comments!
      Concerning Peter's vision, I have to say that you are only relaying on what you have been thought or what others have read into the passage of Acts 10. In verse 28 Peter is given the meaning of the dream, what God wanted him to get out of it and shares it with the household he was staying at- “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean." So instead of God saying "you may now eat what I have called unclean', all along He was talking about people. The "law" that is talked about here was that of what was written by man, our Heavenly Father never intended for only some people to be part of His covenant, but all mankind!

      Thank you for asking in such a kindly manner. We know that this is a big topic to chew. :)

      Thank you for making us aware of the problem with the About page. I am SO sorry that it is having trouble! Quite frustrating to be exact! I'll be trying my best to get it in working order!

      Fondly,
      Cassie
      the Elder Sister

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  6. Hi there! In regards to Peter's vision, yes, it was about not calling the Gentiles unclean and that the Apostles should take the gospel to them as well, but it IS indeed about food too. If you are a guest in someone's house you eat what they put before you. If you refuse your host's food when you are ultimately there to share the gospel you may very well offend them and lose your opportunity to share Christ. Just something to think about. Sincerely, Me :-) (I say everything in love and I hope I am offending no one)

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    1. Thanks for your thoughts!
      ~Bekah, for Calico Sisters

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  7. Dear Bekah, your post has promtped me to do a more indepth study in regards to the law. Galatians chapter 3 is a really place to read. I enjoy it when people do write posts that really make you think and want to dig deeper. I appreciate you two sisters. Take care and the Lord be with you. Sincerely, Me (again)

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  8. Hello Bekah and Cassie!

    I know this is an old post now, but ever since I first read it, it has been on my mind. And especially lately, with all the wonderful Bible classes we've been going to, I keep thinking about it, and I think I finally have some coherent thoughts to share with you. :)
    What do you think of passages like Galatians 3:10-14, or Hebrews 7:18-19? I think the Bible clearly teaches that Christ's death fulfilled the law, meaning we are no longer under it. The law was shadow of what was to come, showing how fruitless it was to keep God's commands on our own. God gave the Israelites the law to set them apart from other nations, but it didn't save them. It was only an outward showing of obedience, which for us now goes so much deeper. Because it's not about just following laws and regulations, what to wear, what to eat, and so on. It goes to our hearts, inner obedience to Christ, repenting, trusting in His saving grace alone. To please Him then, it's more then following rules, but serving Him in whatever we do, showing the fruits of the Spirit, and following his command to share the gospel.
    I know this is something you've been studying as an entire family, but please read those passages I mentioned, and let me know what you think.

    A concerned sister in Christ,
    Bethany

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  9. I know this is an older post now but I found it on Pinterest! Thank you so much for working up the courage and posting this. It was such an encouragement to me! My family and I too have recently become more hebrew roots minded. We have started keeping Adonai's Feasts, eating Kosher and following Torah as best we can! The one thing that I have also struggled with it wearing tzit tzit. I have made one and love the meaning behind it but remembering to put it on every day and wearing it in public is also hard as I too worry about embarrassment and all the questions that I might receive. It's so nice to know I'm not the only one, you have encouraged me greatly. Keep it up!!

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    1. I am so happy you were blessed by this post!! When I saw this comment pop up I too was blessed! It is exciting to find out that other families are seeking His will in this way! Thanks for sharing your story and I wish you a wonderful day!
      ~Rebekah for Calico Sisters

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