Techeiles Shita

Ignoring the debate regarding the authenticity of the dyes used for techeiles in the modern day, as well as the ideological disagreement typically associated with them, what is the shita for techeiles according to Rabbonei Ashkenaz?

A quick reading of R' Hirsch on the maftir of Shelach seems to show an understanding that we should follow the opinion of the Rambam on this matter, but it is somewhat unclear.

I have heard that some will tie according to the opinions of the Ba'alei Tausefaus and Rashi (or R' Herschel Schachter's interpretation thereof), but this seems to disagree with the p'shat, which identifies a single p'sil.

Kol tuv

Minhag-Rambam demands the first white winding of the first Hulyah must touch Tallit.
But now I see many guys who tie Techelet and Minhag-Rambam first do double-knot before the first Hulyah. I think it's a big problem! Because the double-knot contain Techelet touching Tallit.

Minhag-Rambam don't have any double-knot at all. According to Rambam, all-white Tzitzit one may tie whatever he wish. But Techelet must be done only Minhag-Rambam.

See Rashi on Shmos 39:31 proves that פתיל is not always singular. It therefore looks to me, that similar to שער and ציצת, the word p'sil is yet another word for strand that is best categorized as a collective singular, and therefore will often have a plural meaning.

The shitah of two full strings of techels was accepted by virtually all Ashkenazi authorities throughout the doros, including Rabbenu Gershom, Rashi, Rabbeinu Tam, the Ri, the Maharam MeRothenburg, the Rosh, the Tur, Rabbenu Yerucham, the Mordochai, the Yereim, the Itur, the smak, Rabbeinu Peretz, the Agudah, and the Agur.

Melech

I read that Rashi and I didn't see how we can apply that this use of p'sil is also to be used for mitzvas tzitzis.

While I realise that the Chochmei Provence and Gedaulei Sepharad uPholonia were not often accepted in Ashkenaz, it seems that outside of our Rishaunim, the idea that the word "p'sil" could be collective seems to be viewed with distrust.

Furthermore, considering the authority of R' Hirsch and his peirush, I wonder if his apparent preference for the opinions of non-Ashkenazi Rishaunim should be considered by modern rabbonei Ashkenaz

A few thoughts:

1) While the Rashi I cited above doesn't refer to the Mitzva of tzitzis, it does show that the word p'sil doesn't carry a default pshat of "one strand".

2)There are many Poskim from outside Ashkenaz as well who held of the views of the Ashkenazi Rishonim that there should be two full strings of techeles per corner, including the Rashba (from Sefarad), Rabbeinu Yehonasan Milunil (from Provence), and I think the Piskei Harid (i don't know where he's from, but I don't think he's Ashkenazi). Additionally, Rav Yosef Karo didn't take a position, but definitely didn't distrust the position of Rashi and Tosfos that p'sil is more than one, as is clear not only in the Beis Yosef, but also in Shulchan Aruch when he discusses gardumin.

3) The Chachmei Polin pretty much all describe techeles this way as well, including the Prisha, Rav Binyomin Z'eev (a very early acharon) the Taz, the Eliyahu Rabba (from Prague), the SHulchan Aruch Harav, the Sfas Emes, the Aruch Hashulchan, and the Chazon Ish. The Malbim and the Mishna B'rura go even farther and explicitly rely on this l'halacha l'kula, in allowing one to use two white cotton strings along with two wool strings on a cotton beged, but not one wool with three cotton strings.

4) The p'shat of the sugya in menachos seems best understood like this shittah as well, explaining its popularity among the poskim and mefarshim. While the G'ra later took different positions (based at least on part on passges in the Zohar), he writes on the be'ur hag'ra in Shulchan Aruch that the sugya is muchach like Tosfos.


Melech

Rambam says quite easily: take a thread (chut) blue, and wind it around the white tassel.
ולוקחין חוט צמר שנצבע כעין הרקיע, וכורכין אותו על הענף; וחוט זה, הוא הנקרא תכלת.

Rashi says on Dvarim 32:5 ופתלתל: אנטורטיליי"ש [פתלתל] כפתיל הזה שגודלין אותו ומקיפין אותו סביבות הגדיל.
That is a single Tehelet must twist around a tassel.

For a number of reasons, I don't think this Rashi is very informative as to the number of techeles strings:

1)Rashi is talking about how a p'sil functions (it's twisted, just like the meaning of "p'saltol"), not how many p'silim are used.


2)Even those who hold of 1 techeles string require at least one more to be wrapped around the g'dil; the Gemara is explicit that both lavan and techeles are used in the k'richos. So reading Rashi as implying that only one string is wrapped around the g'dil wouldn't support any of the Rishonim.

3)In any event, I see no reason to believe that Rashi was even talking about tzitzis at all.

4)Finally, Rashi's shittah that half the strings are techeles is consistent throughout shas, and also works well with Rashi on Sh'mos 39:31. P'sil according to him is probably a collective singular, just like other words meaning "strand", such as tzitzis and se'ar. (Analagous to this is words conveying mastery, which are frequently in the plural even when actually singular, such as ba'al, a'don, Elokim, and perhaps Tz'vakos.)

Melech

"Rav Schwab on Prayer" page 366 says that we do two white strings and two techeiles. (I could not find it in the Hebrew version)