“…and it shall be to you as a fringe, that you may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them…” (Bamidbar 15:39)

At the end of the Parsha it discusses the mitzvah of tzitzis. It is clear from the Torah itself that tzitzis serve as a reminder of Hashem’s sovereignty over the world and our obligation to fulfill His mitzvos. The Ibn Ezra (Abraham ben Meir Ibn Ezra 1092 – 1167) writes on the above verse, “One must wear tzitzis during prayers. However, I believe it is even more critical to wear them throughout the rest of the day. During prayer, people are less likely to sin, but during the rest of the day, they need a constant reminder to avoid sin!” If so, why did Chazal emphasize wearing and looking at our tzitzis specifically during davening?

The answer may be that wearing tzitzis properly during prayer creates a lasting impression—a “residue” of spiritual awareness—that inspires us to serve Hashem properly throughout the entire day.

At the beginning of the parsha, we read about the sin of the spies. Unlike other sins committed during the desert wanderings—such as the Golden Calf or Korach’s rebellion, which Hashem forgave—the sin of the spies was never forgiven. Although Hashem said to Moshe “Salachti Kidvarecha” the generation aged 20-60 died in the desert because of this sin, indicating it wasn’t completely forgiven. Why was the sin of the spies so severe that it was unforgivable?

Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan Spector (1817 –1896) explains that there are two categories of sins, against our fellow man, and against Hashem. However, the sin of the spies was against the essence of Klal Yisroel! Such a sin, violating the sanctity of “knesses Yisroel” is unforgivable. The commentators note that when the spies began their travels, they were still righteous, but during their mission they had a change of heart and turned to evil.

The classical explanation for this change in heart is because of their fear that they would lose their positions of power – a selfish act, given their spiritual stature, which betrayed klal Yisrael.

How could the spies have protected themselves from falling into such a grave sin? The mitzvah of tzitzis offers an answer. By constantly thinking about tzitzis before acting, one gains a clearer understanding of what his actions and objectives should be, preventing such a moral lapse.

Today, klal Yisroel is often divided over many issues. However, the current war with Iran has unified klal Yisroel once again, a sense of unity not felt since the 8th of October – nearly two years ago. Perhaps Hashem is giving us a head start, akin to our focus on tzitzis in the morning. With all of klal Yisrael unified on the same issue, we have an opportunity to recognize the good in other factions of klal Yisrael. With this, not only will our personal behavior improve, but it will also create the environment that is necessary for moshiach to arrive speedily, a nation that is totally righteous.