Tzitzit: a Talismanic Guide
My latest project is live Kickstarter now!
This project has been five years in the making, directly. And far more than that indirectly. I began exploring the practice in 2009, after receiving teachings about them as part of my training at the Kohenet Hebrew Priestess Institute (z”l).
Around 2018, I went on a deep dive and wondered — where are all the books that focus on the practice?
I found ONE.
There may be others focused on the “laws” of tzitzit. But I found only ONE that focused on the practice: Tzitzith: A Thread of Light by Aryeh Kaplan. After a bit of searching, I tracked down a copy.
In 2019, I published a post called Tzitzit: a guide for the curious where I proposed a progressive halakhah around tzitzit. Last year, I shared the post again and Ollie from Pushcart Judaica said they wanted to offer the zine in their shop.
Zine? It’s a “blog post.” Then I thought, why not?!
More Than a Book: A Magical Artifact
As I was creating this version of the guide, I realized that I wanted to do more than transmit information — I wanted to transmit my love of the practice. I wanted to create a guide about this talisman that was itself a talisman encapsulating the experience of falling in love with tzitzit; both in concept and practice.
That meant it had to be GORGEOUS and EXPERIENTIAL? Thanks to my regular squad of collaborators, who challenged and supported me, I feel like I have achieved my vision.
How You Can Support this Project
Head over to http://devotaj.com/kickstarter
Pledge $18 (or more) by February 15, 2025.
This is my third Kickstarter, and I’m keeping this one really simple.
There’s one reward - the guide.
There’s two post-pledge optional add-ons:
Extra copies with combined shipping
A limited number of opportunities to have me design a custom tzitzit pattern.
Needless to say, I would love help getting the word out about this Kickstarter. If you see me posting about it on Substack, on Instagram, on Bluesky — consider reposting it If you are on platforms I’m not on and communities I’m not a part of — maybe share the info.
Thank you!
I appreciate all the ways you all support my work. I hope you’ll support this unique project by pledging and spreading the word.
Excited to receive mine! Bless your work!
Just pledged! I've never thought much about tzitzit because I always saw it as a practice more geared towards men. But I do love fibre art magic and knot magic. Interested to hear your thoughts on the relationship between tzitzit and gender.