Why does the Torah enjoin us regarding techelet? Because techelet resembles sapphire, and the Tablets were made of sapphire, to tell you that as long as Bnei Yisrael gaze upon this techelet they are reminded of what is inscribed on the Tablets and observe the commandments, therefore it is written, ‘And you shall see it [the techelet string] and remember all of the commandments of G-d and you shall do them.’

– Mishnat Rabbi Eliezer, Chap. 14

Ptil Tekhelet (Murex trunculus)

We are an authorized dealer of Ptil Tekhelet tzitzit and offer the best price available online, for both Rambam and Raavad. We are also set up to tie techelet tzitzit on every tallit and tallit katan we sell.

Ptil Tekhelet Strings>>>
Techelet Tallit>>>
Tallit Katan – Techelet>>>

Techelet is a complex issue, and I don’t claim to be an authority, but I can offer my customers some initial guidance.

Introduction to Techelet

In recent decades two vanguard organizations claim to have rediscovered the techelet dye referred to in Bamidbar 15:38. The first, Radzin Techelet, is derived from the cuttlefish. The second, Ptil Tekhelet, is derived from Murex trunculus. (Another organization, known as Techeiles Chabureh, is a lesser-known offshoot of Ptil Tekhelet.)

Ptil Tekhelet Tzitzit Strings - Raavad and Rambam
Ptil Tekhelet Authorized Dealer

Today, most Orthodox who use techelet insist on Ptil Tekhelet (i.e. Murex trunculus dye), although Chassidim (notably some Breslov disciples, and Radzyn, of course) sometimes stick with the Radzyn techelet tzitzit.

Be warned that the Radzyn techelet dye runs. Your hands will have blue stains after tying the tzitzit, your tallit may get a bit smudged and the white tzitzits will get slightly discolored. From my experience the smudges come out with a damp cloth.

Whether you choose thick or thin is primarily a matter of aesthetics. Also, the thick is a bit easier to tie.

If you intend to order Ptil Tekhelet tzitzit strings to tie on your own, first you’ll need to decide how you intend to tie the tzitzit, because the Rambam set enables you to tie the tzitzit so that one of the eight strings dangling from each corner is blue, while with the Raavad set you get two blue strings hanging on each corner.

The Ptil Tekhelet website has a wealth of information on the various tying customs. Some of them are quite complicated, while others are fairly straightforward. Most of our customers are not ready to tackle tying on their own, but order a tallit or tallit katan with techelet tzitzit already tied on.