Biblical Blue String of Royalty

A fascinating in'depth explanation of the history and  

THE RE'EMERGENCE OF TECHELET AND ARGAMAN

There is a tradition from Rav Nachman of Breslev that some time before the advent of the Messianic era the Mitzvah of Techelet will be reinstated (HaTechelet p. 186 note 21, see Likutei Tfilot 1:49).

"The Techelet (or Biblical Blue) dye is mentioned dozens of times throughout the Tanach, usually together with another dye named Argaman (Royal, or Tyrian, Purple). In the ancient world these two dyes were extremely valuable -- they were worth many times their weight in gold. Clothing dyed with these pigments were generally reserved for royalty, or at least for high ranking nobles. Techelet and Argaman were also used for dying the priestly garments worn by the Kohanim in the Holy Temple.

"In Parashat Shelach the Torah gives every Jewish man the right -- even the obligation -- to wear a string of this royal Techelet on his garments. Perhaps the inclusion of Techelet in our Tzitzit was also meant to demonstrate the idea expressed in the Mishnah: "All the Bnai Yisroel are like sons of *kings*" (Shabbat 111a). The Midrash puts it even more succintly: The Techelet reminds us of the dominion of Hashem Himself. It is attached to our garments to show all that we are none other than His own children! (Socher Tov Tehillim 90, "V'Hadarcha Al B'neihem").

What exactly is this Chilazon from which the Techelet dye is extracted?

Where has it been "hidden" all these years?

What color is the Techelet dye?

From where does the Chilazon -- the source of the Techelet dye -- come?

In Yechezkel 27:7 we read that the most professional production sites of Techelet were to be found in "the islands of Elishah, ..."

"...a few kilometers north of Haifa there is a ravine known to the Arabs as Wadi Hilzun, which is near a mountain called Mount Chilazon. Rashi (Megilla 6a, Sanhedrin 91a -- see also Rashi Menachot 44a) explains the "coming up" of the Chilazon, as the Chilazon emerging from the sea and ascending the mountains. Is it possible that every few years (or decades) there is some sort of mass migration of these snails through Wadi Hilzun and up Mount Chilazon, from which these places may have been given their names in ancient times?"


The fascinating details and conclusion to these questions and more can be read in an article by Rabbi Mordechai Kornfeld entitled In Search of the Biblical Blue.