Blue in Judaism

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Because blue is the color of the sky and sea, it has often symbolized divinity, as well as height and depth. It can also represent equilibrium, since its hue suggests a shade midway between white and black, day and night.^[1]

Blue stripes on a traditional tallit.

In the Torah, the Israelites were commanded to put fringes, tzitzit, on the corners of their garments, and to weave within these fringes a “twisted thread of blue (tekhelet).”^[2] In ancient days, this blue thread was made from a dye extracted from a Mediterranean snail (or cuttlefish) called the hilazon. Maimonides claimed that this blue was the color of “the clear noonday sky”; Rashi, the color of the evening sky.^[3]

According to several rabbinic sages, blue is the color of God’s Glory.^[4] Staring at this color aids in meditation, bringing us a glimpse of the “pavement of sapphire, like the very sky for purity,” which is a likeness of the Throne of God.^[5]. Many items in the Mishkan, the portable sanctuary in the wilderness, such as the menorah, many of the vessels, and the Ark of the Covenant, were covered with blue cloth when transported from place to place.^[6]

A set of tzitzit with blue techelet thread

The Flag of Israel has two blue stripes and a blue Star of David against a white background. An early Zionist poem explains that the color white symbolizes great faith; blue the appearance of the firmament.^[7] (The original dark blue stripes were later lightened to heighten visibility at sea.) Because of its association with the State of Israel, blue has become very popular in contemporary Jewish design. Modern tallitot, especially those used by Religious Zionist Jews, often have blue stripes on a white background instead of black stripes common in Haredi communities.

In modern Hebrew “blue-white” (Hebrew: כחול־לבן‎) is used a synonym for “Israeli” as an adjective, especially for local produce (as opposed to imported).