I want to tie tzizit according to the Vilna Gaon with Raavad Techelet. I saw the video on line but my question is with the longer techelet and longer tzizit strings – when you use them as the tying strands they don’t equal out at the end meaning the tzizit are all of different lengths. It looks like I’m doing it wrong. Can you guide me further?
What you need to do is take the 4 strings for one corner (2 regular length white, 1 long white and 1 long blue) and line up one side so that when you hold them between your thumb and index finger the four lengths are equal (approximately). Then you will notice that the four ends on hanging down on at the other end are all misaligned.
Now, (say l’shem mitzvat tzitzit and) place the four aligned ends through the whole in the corner of the talit.
Now pull the four strings through slowly and grab onto the four ends that are on the other side (i.e, now you should have one hand holding one end of the 4 strings, and one hand holding the other end on the opposite side of the talit.
(It is best if the talit is lying on a table weighted down by something like a heavy dictionary).
Now, pull the strings on either end so that you line up the side with the 4 aligned strings to be even with the TWO white strings on the misaligned strings side.
Now tie a double knot.
You should now have 5 white string ends and 1 blue string end all aligned (more or less) and have 1 longer white end and 1 longer blue end (which will be your shamashim).
It is now best to tie off the 4 string ends that are not with the shamashim, so this way, every time you make a double know you always do so with the same ends. (By “tie off”, I mean the aligned side because that’s the side without the shamashim hanging, and you need those shamashim to be free to do the wrapping. Tying off means: take the four string ends and loop them around themselves to make a knot which you later undo – it’s just a way so that you know which side is which for doing the double knots.)
– Mois Navon.
Mois Navon
