2) Why are we commanded to attach a blue thread?

The simplest answer comes from the text itself. It serves as a reminder of God's mitzvot. Further, we find in later biblical texts (for example Ezekiel 23:6 and Esther 1:6) that techelet, the blue-purple color, was worn by nobility and the thread in our tzitzit would enhance the symbolism as a mark of nobility.

3) If we are commanded to wear it, how come so many people (like you Rabbi) don't?

The Talmud teaches that there was a scarcity of the blue dye. The noted bible scholar Rabbi Jacob Milgrom, writes in the new JPS Commentary that "since it has been shown that 12,000 snails yield only 1.4 grams of dye, it can readily be understood why only royalty could afford it; and hence the term "royal blue or purple."

One early 20^th century scholar, Jacob Z. Lauterbach, suggests that the color reflected the heavenly throne. And the Rabbis did not want the tzitzit to become an idol. Therefore, they took the blue out to make them less special, & thus less venerated. The commonly held theory is that, at a certain point, either the formula for tekhelet was lost, or it became impossible to get enough tekhelet dye for the 4 corners of every tallit of every Jew in the world.

What did the Rabbis of the Talmud decide to do?

NOTHING!!!!

But Rabbi, I don't understand? How come they did nothing?

Rather than replacing it with green or yellow, or creating some other legal fiction-which they easily could have done-they decided to do nothing. It follows the Rabbinic principle of "shayv v'al taaseh" ---stay & do nothing. In other words, better not to do it than to do it wrong. This principle is used often by our Sages. For example:

A) Lulav & Etrog on Shabbat. The Torah says "On the 1^st day, take these 4 items & rejoice before God." It doesn't say "Except if the 1^st day is on Shabbat."

Yet, Rabbinic understanding was: People may violate the Shabbat and thus, we simply won't do it. Same is the case for Shofar on Shabbat.

But doesn't the Torah specifically say "put in a thread of blue," "take the 4 plants on the 1^st day," "blow the Shofar in the 7^th month on the 1^st day"????

Yes it does. But the Rabbis had a rule that "We overturn words from the Torah with ‘Stay & do nothing.'"

In the Shulhan Arukh, Yoreh Deah 393, it teaches that a mourner can leave his house after the 3^rd day of mourning to go to the cemetery-for another burial-or to go to a Shiva house-to comfort another mourner.

The Rema, Rabbi Moshe Isserlis, who wrote the Ashkenazic glosses on the Shulhan Arukh, thus making it an authoritative work for the Ashkenazic Jewish communities, writes the following in his note to Rabbi Yosef Karo's ruling about a mourner going to a cemetery or a Shiva house:

And I do not see that it's done this way now. Because a mourner does not go to a cemetery or a house of mourning all 7 days. Perhaps it is not a requirement [that he go] but optional. And since now we do not comfort as in those days, --"stay & do nothing" is preferable.

Rabbi Moshe Isserlis rules that in this case, the mourner should NOT act, but should rather "stay & do nothing." Better to do nothing through inactivity than to do something & to do wrong.

In the medical field, one could say this falls under the principle of "do no harm." In other words, before an EMT or paramedic will start treatment or before a physician will order a procedure, he or she has to be sure that they're really helping the patient. If not, they will invoke the rule "1^st do no harm," and evaluate the situation more.

Even though the history of this mysterious purple-blue dye is murky, our lesson is clear. After all, each of us wants to be active--"pro-active" and go out of our way to do good for others and for ourselves; and I'm sure we all have good intentions.

Yet, by creating the principle of "stay and do nothing" the Rabbis offer us sound advice: Be careful when you act; make sure that what you're doing will have a positive outcome. If not, maybe it's better to do nothing, or to wait, & decide to do something later, or to skip altogether doing that which is outdated, counter-productive, or morally questionable.

May we all enjoy as safe, relaxing and enjoyable summer and may each of us use this time and take an extra moment before we act. 

Shabbat shalom and Kayitz Na'eem,

Rabbi Moshe

PS: Earlier this year, the 7^th grade studied with me some of the laws of tzitzit and techelet and then each student tied their own tzitzit to a four cornered garment to make their own tallit. The initial numbered questions and answers were a summary of some of the questions raised in our class.

Have a Shabbat shalom and a wonderful and restful summer!!!