View source for Tekhelet

{{Short description|Blue dye prized by ancient Mediterranean civilizations}}
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[[File:Heb cover hi.jpg|thumb|right|300px|''[[Tzitzit]]'' produced from a blue dye derived from ''[[Hexaplex trunculus]]'' and tied according to the opinion of the ''[[Sefer ha-Chinuch]]'', resting atop volumes of the ''[[Shulchan Aruch]]''.]]
[[File:Israel-Flag-1-Zachi-Evenor.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[flag of Israel]], which emulates the ''tekhelet'' color for the [[Star of David]] and the two ''[[tallit]]''-like stripes.]]
[[File:פתיל תכלת.JPG|thumb|upright|A contemporary ''tekhelet'' thread tied according to the method of the 18th-century rabbi [[Vilna Gaon]].]]
{{Jews and Judaism sidebar|religion}}
'''''Tekhelet'''''{{Efn|Also transliterated as ''tekheleth'', ''t'chelet'', ''techelet'', and ''techeiles''.}} ({{langx|he|תְּכֵלֶת|rtl=yes}} {{Transliteration|he|təḵēleṯ}}) is a blue dye that historically held great significance in [[history of the Mediterranean region|ancient Mediterranean civilizations]]. It is mentioned in the [[Hebrew Bible]] and is accordingly commonplace in [[Jewish culture]], wherein it features prominently to color the [[fringe (trim)|fringes]] (called ''[[tzitzit]]'') of several [[Jewish religious clothing|Jewish religious garments]], such as the ''[[tallit]]''. The dye was similarly used in the clothing of the [[High Priest of Israel]] and in tapestries in the [[Tabernacle]].<ref name=outekhelet>{{cite web |last=Zohar |first=Gil |title=Fringe Benefits – Kfar Adumim factory revives the lost commandment of tekhelet |publisher=ou.org |url=https://www.gilzohar.ca/articles/israel/i2009-9.html |access-date=14 March 2013}}</ref>

Biblical texts do not specify the source or production method of ''tekhelet''. [[Rabbinic literature]], however, records that it was produced from a marine animal: {{Transliteration|he|ḥillāzon}} ({{lang|he|חלזון}}).{{efn|[[Talmud]] {{cite web |title=Menachot 44a |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Menachot.44a?lang=bi |website=www.sefaria.org}}; [[Tosefta]] [[Kodashim#Menachot|Menachot]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Tosefta Menachot 9:6 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Tosefta_Menachot.9.6?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en |website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref>}} The practical knowledge of ''tekhelet'' production was lost over time, resulting in the omission of the dye from ''tzitzit''. The ''ḥillāzon'' has been identified in contemporary times as ''[[Hexaplex trunculus]]''.

==Biblical references==
Of the 49<ref>{{cite web |title=Strong's Hebrew: 8504. תְּכֵ֫לֶת (tekeleth) -- violet, violet thread |website=biblesuite.com |url=http://biblesuite.com/hebrew/8504.htm}}</ref> or 48<ref name=outekhelet/><ref name=Examiner>{{cite web |last=Amir |first=Nina |title=Lost thread of blue, tekhelet color reestablished |work=Religion & Spirituality |publisher=Clarity Digital Group LLC d/b/a Examiner.com}}</ref> uses of the word ''tekhelet'' in the [[Masoretic Text]], only one refers to fringes on cornered garments of the whole [[Israelites|people of Israel]] ({{bibleverse||Numbers|15:37–41|JPS}}). Six are non-ritual uses, such as [[Mordechai]] dressing himself in tekhelet before the King of Persia (Esther 8:15). Tekhelet could be used in combination with other colors as in [[2 Chronicles]] {{Bibleverse-nb|2 Chr|3:14|HE}} where the veil of [[Solomon's Temple]] is made of tekhelet, [[Tyrian purple]] ({{langx|he|אַרְגָּמָן|ʾargāmān}}) and [[Kermes (dye)#The biblical scarlet (tolaʻat šanī)|scarlet]] ({{langx|he|שָׁנִי|šāni}} or {{lang|he|כַּרְמִיל}} {{Transliteration|he|karmil}}). {{Bibleverse|Ezekiel|27:7|HE}} mentions that ''tekhelet''-cloth could be obtained from "isles of [[Elishah]]" ([[Cyprus]]). All Biblical mentions of tekhelet imply that it was difficult to obtain and expensive, an impression corroborated by later rabbinic writings.<ref name=kosior>{{cite journal |last=Kosior |first=Wojciech |date=2018-07-27 |title="Like a Throne of Glory:" The Apotropaic Potential of Ṣîṣîṯ in the Hebrew Bible and Early Rabbinic Literature |journal=Review of Rabbinic Judaism |language=en |volume=21 |issue=2 |pages=176–201 |s2cid=171703270 |issn=1570-0704 |doi=10.1163/15700704-12341342 |url=https://www.academia.edu/36776651}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:קונכיות ארגמונים מתקופת הברזל II (מאות 7-10 לפנה"ס).jpg|thumb|upright|right|Murex shells from the Iron Age II period (10th-7th centuries BCE) with ancient remains of purple on the shards seen on the right.]]

The manufacture of tekhelet is believed to date back to 1750 BCE at least. In the [[Amarna letters]] (14th century BCE) tekhelet garments are listed as a precious good used for a royal dowry.<ref name="navon">{{cite book |author=Rabbi Mois Navon |title=Threads of Reason: A Collection of Essays on Tekhelet |chapter=On History, Mesorah and Nignaz |chapter-url=https://www.divreinavon.com/pdf/HistoryMesorahNignaz.pdf}}</ref>

Data about the dye seems to have been lost sometime after the period of Rav [[Ahai]] (5th–6th century).<ref name=m43>{{cite web |title=Menachot 43a:4 |website=sefaria.org |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Menachot.43a.4?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en}}</ref> The [[Tanhuma]] (8th century) is the first written source to lament this loss.<ref name=navon/>

In his doctoral thesis (London, 1913) on the subject, [[Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog]] proposes ''H.&nbsp;trunculus'' (then known as ''Murex trunculus'') as the most likely candidate for the source of the dye.<ref>{{cite book |last=Herzog |first=Isaac |title=The Royal Purple and the Biblical Blue |year=1987}}</ref><ref>[https://tekhelet.com/pdf/HerzogDoctorate.pdf Hebrew Porphyrology]</ref> Though ''H.&nbsp;trunculus'' fulfilled many of the Talmudic criteria, Herzog's inability to consistently obtain blue dye from the snail precluded him from declaring it to be the dye source.

In the 1980s, Otto Elsner, a chemist from the [[Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art|Shenkar College of Fibers]] in Israel, discovered that if a solution of the dye was exposed to [[ultraviolet rays]] such as from sunlight, blue instead of purple was consistently produced.<ref>{{cite web |author=Robin Ngo |date=11 September 2013 |title=What Color Was Tekhelet? |url=https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/what-color-was-tekhelet/ |access-date=20 January 2014 |quote=Decades after Herzog’s death, chemist Otto Elsner proved that murex dye could in fact produce a sky-blue color by exposing the snail secretions to ultraviolet rays during the dyeing process. Sky-blue Tzitzit, then, could be made with murex dye.}}</ref><ref>O. Elsner, "[https://tekhelet.com/lib/0049.pdf Solution of the enigmas of dyeing with Tyrian purple and the Biblical tekhelet]", ''Dyes in history and Archaeology'' '''10''' (1992) p 14f.</ref> Elsner's discovery of that exposure to sunlight turns the red [[6,6'-dibromoindigo]] extracted from the hypobranchial gland of ''H.&nbsp;trunculus'' snails<ref name="HoffmannIndigo" /> into a mixture of blue [[indigo dye]] and blue-purple [[6-bromoindigo]] was widely viewed as resolving Herzog's issue.

In 1988, Rabbi Eliyahu Tavger dyed tekhelet from ''H.&nbsp;trunculus'' for the [[613 commandments|commandment]] of ''tzitzit'' for the first time in recent history.<ref name="navon" />{{rp|23}} Based on this work, four years later, the {{ill|''Ptil Tekhelet'' Organization|he|עמותת פתיל תכלת|vertical-align=sup}} was founded to educate about the dye production process and to make the dye available for all who desire to use it.

==Color==
{{see also|Blue–green distinction in language}}
The exact hue of ''tekhelet'' in antiquity is not definitive. The color of tekhelet was likely to have varied in practice, as ancient dyers would have lacked the capability of producing precise shades from one batch of dye to another.<ref>Robert Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer and Bruce K. Waltke, ''Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament'', (Chicago, 1980/2013) [TWOT] (CD-ROM), 2510.0.</ref> Modern scholars believe that ''tekhelet'' probably referred to blue to blue-purple colors.<ref name="thavapalan">Shiyanthi Thavapalan, "[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/janeh-2017-0007/html Purple Fabrics and Garments in Akkadian Documents]", ''Journal of Ancient Near Eastern History'', 2018, {{doi|10.1515/janeh-2017-0007}}</ref>[[File:Aaron in Dura Europos synagogue.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Aaron]] depicted wearing a [[priestly robe (Judaism)|robe]], as [[Dura-Europos synagogue|depicted in the 3rd century]] when ''tekhelet'' was still worn. This was restored in the 20th century among all other Dura Europos paintings, so the original paint and possibly colour did not survive after all those centuries.<ref name="m43" />]]

In the early classical sources ([[Septuagint]], [[Aquila of Sinope|Aquila]], [[Symmachus (translator)|Symmachus]], [[Vulgate]], [[Philo]], and [[Josephus]]), ''tekhelet'' was translated into [[Koine Greek]] as ''hyakinthos'' ({{Lang|el|ὑακίνθος}}, "[[Scilla bifolia|alpine squill]]"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Search Herbal Images |url=https://tulip.hort.purdue.edu/herbalimages/search.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250522213115/https://tulip.hort.purdue.edu/herbalimages/search.html |archive-date=2025-05-22 |access-date=2025-07-29 |website=tulip.hort.purdue.edu |url-status=live }}</ref>) or its Latin equivalent.<ref name=vaynman>Efraim Vaynman, [https://www.torahmusings.com/2017/06/tekhelet-color-perception-apprehension/ Tekhelet: Color Perception or Apprehension?]</ref> The flower of the alpine squill ranges from a violet blue to a bluish purple, and the word ''hyakinthos'' was used to describe both blue and purple colors.<ref name=vaynman/>

Early rabbinic sources provide indications as to the nature of the color. Some sources describe ''tekhelet'' as visually indistinguishable from [[indigo]] ({{lang|he|קלא אילן}} {{Transliteration|he|qālā ilān}}).{{efn|Bava Metzia 61a-b; Menachot 40a-b}} This description is also somewhat ambiguous, as different varieties of indigo have colors ranging between blue and purple,<ref name=vaynman/> but generally the color of dyed indigo in the ancient world was blue.<ref name=perception>[[Baruch Sterman]], [https://www.torahmusings.com/2017/06/tekhelet-perception/ Tekhelet Perception]</ref>

Other rabbinic sources describe tekhelet as similar to the sea or sky. An oft-repeated explanation for the Torah's choice of tekhelet went as follows: "Why is tekhelet different from all other colors? Because tekhelet is similar [in appearance] to the sea, and the sea is similar to the sky, and the sky is similar to [[lapis lazuli]], and lapis lazuli is similar to the [[Throne of God|Throne of Glory]]."<ref>[https://www.sefaria.org/Chullin.89a.3?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en Chullin 89a]; similarly Menachot 43b, Sotah 17a, [[Sifre]] to Numbers 15:38; [[Numbers Rabbah]] 17:5</ref> (In a few versions of this source, "plants" are included in this chain of similarity even though plants are not blue;<ref>Numbers Rabbah 14:3; [[Jerusalem Talmud]] Brachot 1:2</ref> though it has been suggested that these sources refer to bluish plants like hyacinth.)<ref name=vaynman/>

In other sources, the color of the tekhelet is compared to the night sky.<ref>[https://www.sefaria.org/Shabbat.99a.1?lang=bi&with=Commentary&lang2=en Shabbat 99a]; in [[Sifrei]] [https://www.sefaria.org/Sifrei_Bamidbar.115.1?vhe=Wikisource&lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en Bemidbar 115] the color is compared to both the sea and the night sky (ר' אלעזר בר"ש אומר, למה נקרא שמה תכלת ע"ש שנתכלו המצרים בבכורות. שנאמר ויהי בחצי הלילה וה' הכה כל בכור. ד"א על שם שכלו המצרים בים.)</ref> [[Rashi]] quotes [[Moshe ha-Darshan]] who describes it as "the color of the sky as it darkens toward [[evening]]" – a deep [[sky blue]] or dark violet.<ref>{{Alhatorah|Bemidbar|15:41|Rashi}}</ref>

[[Rashi]] himself describes the color as "green" ({{lang|he|ירוק}})<ref>{{Alhatorah|Bemidbar|15:38|Rashi}}</ref> and "green, and close to the color of leeks",<ref>Rashi to Brachot 9b: ירוק הוא וקרוב לצבע כרתי שקורין פור"ייש; the last word transliterates the French ''poireau''</ref> the latter commenting on a Talmudic passage according to which the morning [[Shema]] may be recited once it is light enough to distinguish between tekhelet and leeks. However, other rabbinic texts comment that "the appearance which is called in the language of Ashkenaz ''bleu'' ({{lang|he|בלו"א}}) is within the category of green"<ref>[[Shulchan Aruch]], Yoreh Deah 188:1; see also [[blue–green distinction in language]]</ref> suggesting that Rashi's language does not necessarily rule out a blue color.

The [[Sifrei]] says that counterfeit tekhelet was made from both "[red] dye and indigo", indicating that the overall color was purple.{{efn|{{cite web |title=Sifrei Bamidbar 115:1 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Sifrei_Bamidbar.115.1?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en |website=www.sefaria.org}}}} However, other sources list just "indigo" as the counterfeit, suggesting either that in their opinion the color was purely blue, or that indigo was the main counterfeit ingredient and the other ingredients not significant enough to mention.

The [[Sippar]] Dye Text ([[7th century]]), as well as the [[Leyden papyrus X]] and [[Papyrus Graecus Holmiensis]] ([[3rd century]]) provide recipes for counterfeit ''takiltu'' that includes a mixture of red and blue colors, for an overall purple color.<ref name=thavapalan/>

A pure blue can only be produced from ''Hexaplex'' dye through a [[dehalogenation|debromination]] process. The creation of blue ''Hexaplex'' dye using this process was only discovered in the 1980's, leading some experts to conclude that ancient dyers would not have been able to create blue tekhelet (and, therefore, that an undebrominated purple color is more likely).<ref name=vaynman/> However, in recent years archaeologists have recovered several fabrics dyed blue with ''Hexaplex'' dye 1800 or more years ago, demonstrating that ancient dyers could and did make blue dye from ''Hexaplex''.<ref name=perception/> Such fabrics have been found at [[Wadi Murabba'at]] (2nd century),<ref>{{cite web |title=Wadi Murba'at Textiles The Authentic Tekhelet Discovery |first=Baruch |last=Sterman |date=January 26, 2016 |url=https://www.tekhelet.com/wadi-murbaat-textiles-the-authentic-tekhelet-discovery/}}</ref> [[Masada]] (1st century BCE),<ref>{{cite web |title=The color 'techelet' |website=jpost.com |date=4 March 2011 |url=https://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Jewish-News/The-color-techelet}}</ref> [[Qatna]] (14th century BCE),<ref>James, Matthew et al, "High prestige Royal Purple dyed textiles from the Bronze Age royal tomb at Qatna, Syria", ''Antiquity'' 83:1109–1118 (2009)</ref> and arguably<ref name=vaynman2>Efraim Vaynman, [https://www.torahmusings.com/2017/06/testament-true-tekhelet/ A Testament to the True Tekhelet]</ref> the [[Pazyryk burials]] (5th–4th century BCE).<ref name=perception/>

==Source – Identifying the ''ḥillazon''==
While the Bible does not identify the source of tekhelet, rabbinic texts specified that it could only be made from a sea creature known as the ''ḥillāzon''.{{efn|Unusually, Rabbi [[Israel Lipschitz]] wrote that any dye of the proper color could serve as ''tekhelet'', not just ''ḥillāzon'' dye.<ref>תפארת ישראל כללי בגדי קודש של כהונה, quoted in [https://yoelamital.com/%D7%9B%D7%9C%D7%9C%D7%99/%D7%A6%D7%99%D7%A6%D7%99%D7%AA/%D7%96-%D7%96%D7%99%D7%94%D7%95%D7%99-%D7%94%D7%AA%D7%9B%D7%9C%D7%AA/ זיהוי התכלת]</ref>}} Various animals have been suggested as the ''ḥillazon''.<ref name=Bromiley>The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia – Page 1057 Geoffrey W. Bromiley – 2007 "The most highly prized dye in the ancient world obtained from the secretions of four molluscs native to the eastern Mediterranean: ''[[Helix ianthina]]'', ''[[Murex brandaris]]'', ''Murex trunculus'', and'' [[Purpura lapillus]]''. Various shades could be produced"</ref><ref name=HoffmannLeibowitz>{{cite book |last1=Hoffmann |first1=Roald |last2=Leibowitz |first2=Shira |title=Old wine, new flasks: reflections on science and Jewish tradition |date=1997 |publisher=W. H. Freeman |location=New York |isbn=978-0716728993 |url=https://archive.org/details/oldwinenewflasks00hoff |url-access=registration}}</ref><ref name=HoffmannIndigo>{{cite web |last1=Hoffmann |first1=Roald |title=Indigo - A Story of Craft, Religion, History, Science and Culture |publisher=Special Collections & Archives Research Center Oregon State University Libraries |date=April 19, 2012 |url=http://scarc.library.oregonstate.edu/events/2012hoffmann/video-hoffmann.html |access-date=16 February 2015}}</ref><ref name=StermannTaubes>{{cite book |last1=Sterman |first1=Baruch |last2=Taubes |first2=Judy |title=The rarest blue: the remarkable story of an ancient color lost to history and rediscovered |date=2012 |publisher=Globe Pequot Press |location=Guilford, Conn. |isbn=978-0762782222}}</ref>

Rabbinic sources describe several qualities of this animal. It was found on the coast between [[Tyre, Lebanon|Tyre]] and [[Haifa]].<ref>Shabbat 26a</ref> "Its body is similar to the sea, and its form (ברייתו) is similar to a fish, and it comes up [from the sea] once every 70 years, and with its blood ''tekhelet'' is dyed, therefore it is expensive."<ref name=m44>{{cite web |title=Menachot 44a:2 |website=sefaria.org |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Menachot.44a.2?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en}}</ref> Dye was extracted from the ''Ḥillazon'' by cracking it open, suggesting that it has a hard external shell.<ref>{{cite web |title=Shabbat 75a:5 |website=sefaria.org |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Shabbat.75a.5?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en}}</ref> Another source suggested that just as the Hebrews' clothing did not wear out in the desert ({{Bibleverse|Deut|8:4|HE}}), the shell of the ''ḥillāzon'' does not wear out.<ref>[[Devarim Rabbah]] 7:11</ref>

Garments dyed with tekhelet and indigo have such a similar appearance that it was said only God can distinguish them.<ref>[https://www.sefaria.org/Bava_Metzia.61b.7?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en Bava Metzia 61b]</ref> One opinion states that there is no chemical test which can distinguish between ''tekhelet'' and indigo wool, but another opinion describes such a test and tells the story of it working successfully.<ref>[https://www.sefaria.org/Menachot.42b.15?lang=bi Menachot 42b]</ref> Trapping the ''ḥillāzon'' is considered a violation of Shabbat.<ref name=s75/> In the time of the Talmud, the ''ḥillāzon'' was used as part of a remedy for [[hemorrhoid]]s,<ref>[https://www.sefaria.org/Avodah_Zarah.28b.3?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en Avodah Zarah 28b]</ref> though this may refer to a different species of snail.{{efn|The term ''hillāzon'' does not refer exclusive to the animal from which ''tekhelet'' was derived; for example, in [[tractate Sanhedrin]] 91a it refers to a land snail.}}

===''Hexaplex trunculus''===
[[File:Hexaplex trunculus found on Israeli coastal plain near Tel Shikmona (6).JPG|thumb|upright|right|''Hexaplex trunculus'' found on Israeli coastal plain near [[Tel Shikmona]]]]
[[File:Hexaplex_Trunculus_camouflaged_in_sea_fouling.png|thumb|upright|right|''[[Hexaplex trunculus]]'' camouflaged in sea fouling]]
[[File:Purpurküpe.jpg|thumb|upright|right|[[Purple|Purple dye]]-bath with extracts from fresh ''Hexaplex trunculus'' glands]]
[[File:wool techelet.jpg|thumb|upright|right|A guide from the [https://www.tekhelet.com/ ''Ptil Tekhelet Foundation''] shows how a piece of [[wool]], dipped into the solution for the ''Hexaplex trunculus''-based dye, turns into [[leek]]-like green in sunlight, and eventually into (dark) blue with a purple hue.]]
====Arguments for ''Hexaplex trunculus''====

[[File:Raavya on Porphyrin and Prisinan - Manuscript 1.png|thumb|alt=Raavya on Porphyrin and Prisinan - Manuscript 1|Raavya on Porphyrin and Prisinan - Manuscript 1]]

[[File:Raavya on Porphyrin and Prisinan - Manuscript with Highlighted Text.jpg|thumb|alt=Raavya on Porphyrin and Prisinan - Manuscript with Highlighted Text|Raavya on Porphyrin and Prisinan - Manuscript with Highlighted Text]]

[[File:Chavos Yair manuscript where he says Purple.jpg|thumb|Chavos Yair manuscript where he writes Purple]]

The dye produced by ''Hexaplex'' has the exact same chemical composition as indigo,<ref name="herzog">{{cite book |last=Herzog |first=Isaac |title=The Royal Purple and the Biblical Blue |publisher=Keter Publishing House |year=1987 |pages=73}}</ref> corresponding to the statement that only God can distinguish the ''tekhelet'' from indigo garments.

In the area between Tyre and Haifa where the ''ḥillāzon'' was found, piles of murex shells hundreds of yards long have been found, apparently the result of dyeing operations.<ref name=hakirah/> In [[Tel Shikmona]] (near Haifa), a "biblical era purple dye workshop" was found, including relics of purple dye produced from sea snails, as well as textile manufacturing equipment.<ref>{{cite web |title=Biblical era purple dye industry discovered in Haifa |website=[[The Jerusalem Post]] ! JPost.com |date=July 2019 |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/biblical-era-purple-dye-industry-discovered-in-haifa-594266 |access-date=2021-10-20}}</ref>

Chemical testing of ancient blue-dyed cloth from the appropriate time period in Israel reveals that a sea snail-based dye was used. Since murex dye was available, very long-lasting, and visibly indistinguishable from indigo-based dyes, but also not specifically prohibited as counterfeit despite being known, it is argued that ''H.&nbsp;trunculus'' (or one of the other two indigo-producing sea snails) must have been the ''ḥillāzon'' or at least deemed as acceptable to use interchangeably.<ref>{{cite web |title=How a Chemical Test Proves Trunculus was Used for Blue Dye |url=https://www.tekhelet.com/faqs/how-a-chemical-test-proves-trunculus-was-used-for-blue-dye/}}</ref>

The word ''ḥillāzon'' is cognate to the Arabic word {{Transliteration|ar|halazūn}} ({{lang|ar|حلزون}}), meaning snail.<ref>{{cite web |title=Snail – an Arabic word |website=arabic.fi |language=en |url=https://arabic.fi/search?q=snail}}</ref> ''Hexaplex'' opponents suggest that in ancient times the word might have referred to a broader category of animals, perhaps including other candidate species such as the cuttlefish.<ref name=mendel/>

Another Talmudic requirement is that the dye cannot fade, and the ''H.&nbsp;trunculus'' dye does not fade and can only be removed from wool with bleach.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hellmann |first=Meir |title=Levush Haaron |pages=20}}</ref>

The Talmud states that the ''ḥillāzon'' is preferably kept alive while the dye is extracted, as killing it causes the dye to degrade.{{efn|<ref>{{cite web |title=Shabbat 75a:6 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Shabbat.75a.6?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en |website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref>}} This matches both ancient descriptions of the ''Hexaplex'' dyeing process and also modern experience that an enzyme in the snail needed for dye production decays quickly after death.<ref name=hakirah/><ref name=faq/>

The [[Jerusalem Talmud]] as quoted by [[Eliezer ben Joel HaLevi|Raavyah]] translates tekhelet as ''porporin'';{{efn|Note that this wording is not present in contemporary texts of the Jerusalem Talmud. According to Raavyah, the Jerusalem Talmud text is בין תכלת לכרתן, בין פורפרין ובין פריסינן, with פריסינן meaning "leek" similar to πράσο in modern Greek. Thus, the Jerusalem Talmud is simply translating "tekhelet" and "leek" to their Greek equivalents. This interpretation follows a recently discovered manuscript of Raavyah's commentary; previously, printed editions of the commentary had substituted פריפינין
for פריסינן (an apparent corruption, though justified by the creative suggestion<ref name=mendel/> that it represents a novel Greek word parufaino, meaning "a robe with a hem or border of purple").<ref>{{cite web |title=Raavya on Purfirin Prasinan |website=bluefringes.com |language=en-US |url=https://bluefringes.com/textual_sources/raavya-on-purfirin-prasinan/ |access-date=2024-03-03}}</ref>}} similarly ''Musaf Aruch'' translates ''tekhelet'' as ''parpar''. These translations refer to the Latin term ''purpura'', meaning the dye produced by Hexaplex snails.<ref name=hakirah/> Similarly, [[Yair Bacharach]] stated that tekhelet was derived from ''purpura'' snails, even though this forced him to conclude that the colour of ''tekhelet'' was purple (purpur) rather than blue, as in his era it was unknown how to produce blue dye from Hexaplex.<ref name=hakirah/><ref>{{cite web |title=Chavos Yair Writing that Techeiles is Purple |website=bluefringes.com |url=https://bluefringes.com/textual_sources/chavos-yair-writing-that-techeiles-is-purple/}}</ref>

The word porforin, or porpora, or porphoros is used in the midrash as well as many other Jewish texts to refer to the ''Ḥillazon'', and this is the Greek<ref>{{cite web |title=About Us |website=Techeiles Chabura |language=en-US |url=https://www.techeiles.org/about-us/ |access-date=2021-10-20}}</ref> translation of ''Murex trunculus''. [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]] and [[Aristotle]] also both refer to the Porpura as being the source for purple and blue dyes, showing that the Murex has a long history of being used for blue dye.<ref name="yutorah">{{cite web |title=YUTorah Online - The Techeiles Revolution: Archeology, Chemistry, Mesorah, Debate and More (Rabbi Hershel Schachter, Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz, Rabbi Dr. David Shabtai, Rabbi Efrem Goldberg) |url=https://www.yutorah.org/lectures/978967/ |access-date=2021-10-20 |website=yutorah.org}}</ref>

{{Bibleverse|Deuteronomy|33:19|HE}} speaks of "treasures hidden in the sand", which the Talmud clarifies refers to the ''ḥillāzon''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Megillah 6a:7 |website=sefaria.org |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Megillah.6a.7?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en}}</ref> ''H.&nbsp;trunculus'' often burrows into the sand, making it difficult to detect even by scuba divers.<ref name=hakirah/>

While (as described in the next section) Hexaplex arguably does not fit every textual description of the ''ḥillāzon'', nevertheless, "Of the thousands of fish and mollusks that were studied to date, no other fish has been found that can produce the ''tekhelet'' color", which suggests that there is no more likely alternative species.<ref name=hakirah/>

====Arguments against ''Hexaplex trunculus''====

[[File:Tekhelet from only boiling.jpg|thumb|alt=Tekhelet produced from heating via boiling, per Dr. Ziderman's method.|Tekhelet produced from heating via boiling, per Dr. Ziderman's method]]

[[File:Ziderman Tekhelet Tzitzit 2.jpg|thumb|Dr. Israel Irving Ziderman's personal [[tzitzit]]]]

[[File:Black Murex trunculus glands.jpg|thumb|alt=Black Murex trunculus glands|Black Murex trunculus glands]]

The Talmud equates the colors of tekhelet and indigo but also gives a practical test to distinguish between the two fabrics. Seemingly, since the color-producing compounds in ''H. trunculus'' and indigo are identical, no test should be able to distinguish them.<ref name="hakirah">{{cite journal |last=Epstein |first=Menachem |title=Has Tekhelet been found? |journal=Hakirah |pages=175–176 |url=https://hakirah.org/vol%203%20epsteinm.pdf}}</ref><ref name=mendel/> However, according to Professor Otto Elsner, while ''Hexaplex'' and indigo have the same color-producing compound, they also contain other compounds which differ and may lead to a different response in the practical test.<ref name=hakirah/> According to [https://www.tekhelet.info/ Dr. Israel Irving Ziderman]'s, heating the violet wool in 60-80C will turn the wool blue with a small hint of violet.

The ''ḥillāzon''{{'}}s body resembles the sea, which is not intuitive of ''H. trunculus''. When alive, ''H. trunculus'' is well camouflaged and has a similar appearance to the sea floor, apparently due to algae growing on its shell.<ref name=hakirah/> The shell color can even be blue, similar to the sea.<ref name=zidermaneng/>

The ''ḥillāzon'' has a "form like a fish", which a snail seemingly is not. ''H. trunculus''' shell somewhat resembles a fish in shape.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rabbi Yisroel Barkin |url=https://bluefringes.com/notable_people/rabbi-yisroel-barkin/}}</ref> Similarly [[Maimonides]], [[Tosafot]], and [[Rashi]] say the ''Ḥillazon'' is a "fish" (דג), while ''H. trunculus'' is a snail rather than a fish. ''H. trunculus'' supporters argue that many other forms of aquatic life not usually called a "fish" (e.g., [[shellfish]]) are also called "דגים" in Hebrew.<ref name="reisman">{{cite web |title=Techeles Hachodosh - Rabbi Reisman |website=Techeiles Chabura |language=en-US |url=https://www.techeiles.org/library_audio/techeles-hachodosh-rabbi-reisman/ |access-date=2021-10-20}}</ref>

The ''ḥillāzon'' is said to come up from the sea once every 70 years. It is unclear what this is exactly referring to, but the ''Hexaplex'' has no such cycle.<ref name=mendel>{{cite web |last=Singer, Ph.D |first=Mendel E |title=Understanding the Criteria for the Chilazon |website=tekhelet.com |url=https://www.tekhelet.com/pdf/mendel.htm |access-date=2021-10-20}}</ref> ''Hexaplex'' supporters note that elsewhere the Talmud makes clear that the ''ḥillāzon'' was also hunted by normal methods at other times.<ref name=s75>Shabbat 75a</ref> Some sources say the reference to "70 years" does not imply a periodic cycle, but rather simply that this phenomenon is a rare event.<ref name=hakirah/> ''Hexaplex'' may have cycles of other lengths which inspired this statement: a seven-month cycle for harvesting ''Hexaplex'' was claimed by Pliny and confirmed in modern research, while ''Hexaplex'' appears to have a yearly behavioral cycle in which it burrows in the sand in summer and emerges from swimming in winter.<ref name=zidermaneng/> Other sources claim that the 70-year cycle was a miraculous occurrence which no longer occurs or else that the decrease in ''Hexaplex'' population numbers may have caused this behavior to cease.<ref name=hakirah/>

Two other snails produce natural indigo dye like ''H.&nbsp;trunculus'': ''[[Bolinus brandaris]]'' and ''[[Stramonita haemastoma]]''. However'', H.&nbsp;trunculus'' contains a higher proportion of natural indigo and thus is a more natural source for blue tekhelet. Archaeological finds show ''H.&nbsp;trunculus'' being processed separately from snails of the other species, suggesting that a different color was derived from this species.<ref name=faq>{{cite web |title=Ask Ptil Tekhelet |website=Ptil Tekhelet |language=en-US |url=https://www.tekhelet.com/ask-ptil-tekhelet/ |access-date=2021-10-20}}</ref>

Trapping the ''Ḥillazon'' is a violation of Shabbat.<ref name=s75/> However, according to some [[rishonim]], in general, it is permitted to capture slow-moving animals like snails on Shabbat (as capturing them requires only a trivial effort - בחד שחיא).<ref>[[Mishneh Torah]] Shabbat 10:20</ref> This contradiction suggests that the ''hillazon'' is not a snail. ''Hexaplex'' supporters argue that since ''Hexaplex'' tends to camouflage itself and hide in the sand, capturing it is a difficult process and thus (by some opinions) forbidden.<ref name=hakirah/> There is another point of contention in that the animals permitted to catch are land-based slow-moving creatures. All sea-based creatures, aside from having the halakhic status of a "fish", on a more practical level are impossible for the average person to gather without some form of trapping, and in fact, even today are caught with nets<ref>{{cite web |title=La pesquería artesanal de gasterópodos murícidos ( Hexaplex trunculus y Bolinus Brandaris ) en la laguna de Ría Formosa (costa del Algarbe, sur de Portugal) |website=researchgate.net |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/240828195}}</ref> or wicker baskets.<ref>{{cite web |title=A short response to: "The Case Against the Murex" |website=techeiles.org |url=https://www.techeiles.org/latest_develop/a-short-response-to-the-case-against-the-murex/}}</ref>

Maimonides described the ''ḥillāzon'', stating that "its blood is as black as ink",<ref>[[Mishneh Torah]] Hilchot Tzitzit 2:2</ref> which does not seem to match the characteristics of ''Hexaplex''. ''Hexaplex'' supporters argue that this claim has no source earlier than Rambam and seems to be based on a mistaken statement by Aristotle<ref name=mendel/> However, a black precipitate can indeed be derived from ''Hexaplex'' and refined into dye.<ref name=zidermaneng/> Additionally, Aristotle classified the dye secretions of marine snails into two color categories: black and red, with ''tekhelet'' falling under the black blood category.<ref>{{cite web |title=Porphyrology |website=porphyrology.com |url=https://porphyrology.com/view-doctorate/appendix-a-the-last-two-chapters-of-samuel-ben-hofnis-%d7%9b%d7%aa%d7%90%d7%91-%d7%90%d7%95%d7%96%d7%9b%d7%90%d7%a1-%d7%a9%d7%a8%d7%a2-%d7%90%d7%9c%d7%a6%d7%99%d7%a6%d7%99%d7%aa/}}</ref>  In his "History of Animals", Aristotle writes: "There are many kinds of purpurae ... Most of them contain a black pigment; in others, it is red, and the quantity of it small."<ref>{{cite web |title=Project Gutenberg, Aristotle, History of Animals, Book V Ch. XIII: 3 |website=gutenberg.org |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/59058/59058-h/59058-h.htm}}</ref>

Tractate Menachot<ref>{{cite web |title=Menachot 42b:10 |website=sefaria.org |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Menachot.42b.10?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en}}</ref> and the Rambam explain the process for making the dye for tekhelet, and neither of them mention explicitly that it needs to be placed in the sunlight. Exposing the dye to sunlight is the most commonly used method today to make the dye from ''H.&nbsp;trunculus''.<ref name="reisman"/> Other methods have been discovered to produce blue, such as like boil heating or adding a strong reactant.<ref>{{cite web |title=Techeiles – Methods to Get Blue Color |website=mywesternwall.net |date=13 May 2020 |url=https://www.mywesternwall.net/2020/05/13/techeiles-methods-to-get-blue-color.html}}</ref>

===''Sepia officinalis''===
[[File:Cuttlefish.jpg|thumb|upright|right|The common [[cuttlefish]]]]
[[File:Prussian blue.jpg|thumb|upright|right|A sample of [[Prussian blue]], a ''counterfeit'' blue]]
In 1887, [[Radzin (Hasidic dynasty)|Grand Rabbi Gershon Henoch Leiner]] ("the [[Radzin (Hasidic dynasty)|Radziner]] [[Rebbe]]") concluded that ''[[Sepia officinalis]]'' (common [[cuttlefish]]) met many of the criteria. Within a year, [[Radzin (Hasidic dynasty)|Radziner chassidim]] began wearing tzitzit with cuttlefish dye. Herzog obtained a sample of this dye and had it chemically analyzed. The chemists concluded that it was the well-known synthetic dye "[[Prussian blue]]" made by reacting [[iron(II) sulfate]] with an organic material. In this case, the cuttlefish only supplied the organic material, which could have as easily been supplied from a vast array of organic sources. Herzog thus rejected the cuttlefish as the ''ḥillāzon''. Some {{who|date=January 2022}} suggest that had Leiner known this fact, he too would have rejected it based on his explicit criterion that the blue color must come from the animal and that all other additives are permitted solely to aid the color in adhering to the wool.<ref>''P'til T'khelet'', p.168</ref>

===''Janthina''===
Having failed to consistently achieve blue dye from ''H.&nbsp;trunculus'', Herzog wrote, "If for the present all hope is to be abandoned of rediscovering the ''ḥillāzon shel tekhēleth'' in some species of the genera ''Murex'' [now "Hexaplex"] and ''Purpura'' we could do worse than suggest ''Janthina'' as a not improbable identification".<ref>Herzog, p.71</ref> [[Janthina]] is another genus of sea snails, separate from Hexaplex. More recently, blue dye has been obtained from ''Janthina'',<ref>{{cite web |last=Kitrossky |first=Levi |title=Do We Know Tekhelet? |url=https://www.tekhelet.com/pdf/1003.pdf}}</ref> but ''Janthina'' seems an unsuitable candidate in several ways: it was apparently only rarely used by ancient dyers; only found far out at sea (while the ''ḥillāzon'' is apparently found near the coast); and its pigment is allegedly unsuitable for dyeing.<ref name=zidermaneng>[https://www.tekhelet.info/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/halakhic-aspects-of-reviving-the-ritural-tekhelet-dye.pdf Halakhic aspects of reviving the ritual tekhelet dye]</ref>

==Current status of the ''tekhelet'' commandment==
[[File:Tzitzit tchelet.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Tzitzit with blue thread produced from ''[[Hexaplex trunculus|Hexaplex (Murex) trunculus]]'', tied according to Vilna Gaon]]

A midrash states that tekhelet was "hidden" ({{lang|he|נגנז}}) and now only white strings are available.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bamidbar Rabbah 17:5 |website=sefaria.org |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Bamidbar_Rabbah.17.5?vhe=Midrash_Rabbah_--_TE&lang=bi}}</ref> The meaning of the term "hidden" is unclear. [[Yosef Dov Soloveitchik (Beis Halevi)|Beit Halevi]] argued (when debating the [[Izhbitza-Radzin|Radziner rebbe]]) that a continuous tradition regarding the source of the dye, which no longer exists, was necessary in order for it to be used.<ref>[[Joseph B. Soloveitchik]], ''Shiurim lezecher abba mori'', "Shnei sugei mesoret" (p. 249)</ref> However, [[Radbaz]] and [[Yaakov ben Moshe Levi Moelin|Maharil]] ruled otherwise, that rediscovering the dye is sufficient to perform the commandment.<ref name=hakirah/> [[Israel Joshua Trunk|Yeshuot Malko]] suggested that even if ''tekhelet'' was hidden until the messianic era, the apparent rediscovery of ''tekhelet'' suggests that the messianic era is approaching, rather than suggesting that the ''tekhelet'' is invalid.<ref name=ziderman>{{cite web |title=מתי נגנזה התכלת? |url=https://www.tekhelet.info/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/shelved-tekhelet.pdf}}</ref>

A principle of [[halakha]] is that when in doubt about the laws of a commandment from the Torah, one acts stringently. Some rabbis {{Who|date=December 2024}}, therefore, argue that even if we are uncertain in our identification of the ''ḥillāzon'', we must wear the most likely dye anyway (i.e. ''Hexaplex''). Others disagree, asserting that the principle of stringency only applies in cases such that after one acts stringently, there is no further obligation (whereas if ''Hexaplex'' is only doubtfully correct, there would remain a theoretical obligation to find the actual correct species and use it).<ref name="hakirah"/> Nevertheless, a number of Rabbis wear tekhelet publicly.<ref>[https://bluefringes.com/notable-wearers/ Notable Wearers - Blue Fringes]</ref>

Based on {{Bibleverse|Deuteronomy|14:1|HE}}, the Talmud rules that we should not make divisions among the Jewish people. Therefore, if a person acts differently from the rest of the Jewish people, they are creating divisions.<ref>{{cite web |title=Yevamot 13b:17 |website=sefaria.org |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Yevamot.13b.17?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en}}</ref> Some have argued that one should not publicly wear tekhelet for this reason;<ref>[https://www.techeiles.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Kuntres-Michtavim-5780.pdf קונטרס המכתבים]</ref> others consider this not to be a concern.<ref>{{cite web |title=לא תתגודדו בלבישת תכלת |date=March 9, 2017 |website=דין - שאל את הרב |url=https://din.org.il/2017/03/09/לא-תתגודדו-בלבישת-תכלת/}}</ref> In any case it would not be relevant in many contemporary communities where ''tekhelet''-wearing is widespread.

There exists a Torah commandment not to detract from any other law. Rabbi [[Hershel Schachter]] says that if one knows what tekhelet is, yet chooses to wear tzitzit without tekhelet, they are violating this commandment.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ginat Egoz - גנת אגוז |url=https://www.tekhelet.info/rabbinical-approval/rabbi-herschel-schachter-הרב-צבי-הרשל-שכטר-שליטא/ginat-egoz-גנת-אגוז/}}</ref> Many other rabbis do not agree with this statement.

==Tying methods==
A garment with tzitzit consists of four tassels, each containing four strings. There are three differing opinions in rabbinic literature regarding the number of strings in each tassel that should be dyed with tekhelet: two strings,<ref>[[Rashi]], [[Tosafot]], [[Asher ben Jehiel]]</ref> one string,<ref>[[Nathan ben Jehiel|Rabbi Natan ben Jechiel]], [[Raavad]], [[Isaiah di Trani the Younger|Rabbi Isaiah di Trani the Younger]]</ref> or one-half string.<ref>[[Rambam]]</ref>

Maimonides holds that half of one string should be colored blue, and it should wrap around the other seven white strings. It should wrap around three times and then leave some space and then three more and leave some more space and should continue like this for either 7 or 13 groups. The first and last wrap-around should be from a white string, not a blue string.<ref name="schachter">{{cite web |last=Schachter |first=Rabbi Hershel |title=Using Tekhelet in Tzizit |pages=51–62 |url=https://www.tekhelet.com/pdf/0189.pdf}}</ref>

[[Abraham ben David]] holds that one full string should be blue, and there should be four groups of at least seven coils alternating between white and blue, both beginning and ending with blue.<ref name=schachter/> There are multiple other opinions of how to tie the tzitzit if one full string is blue.

Tosafot holds that two full strings should be tekhelet. He is of the opinion that the coils should be in groups of three, starting with three white, then three blue alternating and ending with three white.<ref>{{cite web |title=Menachot 39a:10 |website=sefaria.org |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Menachot.39a.10?lang=bi&with=Tosafot&lang2=en}}</ref> There is another way to tie using two full strings that Rabbi Hershel Schachter follows based on the opinion of [[Samuel ben Hofni]].<ref name=schachter/>

[[File:Tekhelet tying methods.jpg|thumb|center|upright=4|Tzitzit with tekhelet, tied according to a variety of opinions]]

==Tekhelet in Jewish culture==
[[File:Emblem_of_Israel.svg|thumb|The [[Emblem of Israel]], featuring the [[temple menorah|Menora]] in white on a [[Sky blue#Dark sky blue|dark sky blue]] hue]]
{{See also|Jewish symbolism}}
Besides the ritual uses of tekhelet, the color blue plays various roles in Jewish culture, largely influenced by the role of tekhelet.

The stripes on the [[tallit]], often black or blue, are believed by some to symbolize the lost ''tekhelet'',<ref>Simmons, Rabbi Shraga. [https://web.archive.org/web/20051024150739/http://judaism.about.com/library/3_askrabbi_o/bl_simmons_tallit.htm Tallit stripes]</ref> though other explanations have been given.<ref name=vaynman/> The use of blue in the tallit and [[temple robes]] led to the association of blue and white with Judaism<ref>''"Zivei Eretz Yehudah"'' (1860), [[Ludwig August von Frankl]].</ref> and inspired the design of the [[flag of Israel]].

Like their non-Jewish neighbors, Jews of the Middle East painted their doorposts, and other parts of their homes with blue dyes; have ornamented their children with tekhelet ribbons and markings.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Encyclopedia of Jewish Symbols |last1=Frankel |first1=Ellen |last2=Teutsch |first2=Betsy Platkin |date=1992 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=9780876685945 |language=en |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PASL_g8JDqsC&q=doorposts%252C%2520heads%252C%2520and%2520other%2520parts%2520of%2520their%2520bodies&pg=PA22}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Tyrian-Purple.svg|Structural formula of murex-based [[tyrian purple]], the red-purple dye present in ''tekhelet'' [[indigo dye|indigo]] before exposure to sunlight. (<small>''note the two [[bromide]]s: in marine environments, [[sodium bromide]] is abundant. It is far less abundant in terrestrial environments''{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}</small>)
File:Indigo skeletal.svg|Structural formula of plant based or synthetic [[indigo dye|indigo]], a ''counterfeit'' dark-blue
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|Judaism}}
*Argaman, also called [[Tyrian purple]], a Biblical reddish-purple dye from the related seasnail, [[Bolinus brandaris]]

== Note ==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{Notelist}}

==Bibliography==
* [https://www.academia.edu/12584925/Deep_Blue_Notes_on_the_Jewish_Snail_Fight_Contemporary_Jewry_2015_Online-First_Version_ Gadi Sagiv, 'Deep Blue: Notes on the Jewish Snail Fight']
* {{cite book |last1=Hoffmann |first1=Roald |last2=Leibowitz |first2=Shira |title=Old wine, new flasks: reflections on science and Jewish tradition |date=1997 |publisher=W. H. Freeman |location=New York |isbn=978-0716728993 |url=https://archive.org/details/oldwinenewflasks00hoff |url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book |last1=Sterman |first1=Baruch |last2=Taubes |first2=Judy |title=The rarest blue: the remarkable story of an ancient color lost to history and rediscovered |date=2012 |publisher=Globe Pequot Press |location=Guilford, Conn. |isbn=978-0762782222}}
* [https://www.techeiles.org/techeiles-video-its-not-all-black-and-white/ KolRom Media, 'Techeiles - It's Not All Black and White']

==External links==
* [http://www.tekhelet.com/ Ptil Tekhelet] – A group that promotes the view that the ''ḥillāzon'' is the snail ''H.&nbsp;trunculus''.
* [https://pubsapp.acs.org/cen/80th/bromine.html Explanation of how tekhelet was discovered and made from the ''H. trunculus'']

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Animal dyes]]
[[Category:Color in religion]]
[[Category:Hebrew words and phrases in the Hebrew Bible]]
[[Category:Jewish religious clothing]]
[[Category:Jewish ritual objects]]
[[Category:Mollusc products]]
[[Category:Non-clerical religious clothing]]
[[Category:Shades of blue]]