Commentary for Menachot 76:14

אמר רבא שמע מינה צריך לקשור על כל חוליא וחוליא דאי ס"ד לא צריך הא דאמרי בני רבי חייא גרדומי תכלת כשרין וגרדומי אזוב כשרין כיון דאישתרי ליה עילאי אישתרי ליה כולה

What is the minimum length of a curtailed thread? - Bar Hamduri stated in the name of Samuel, There must be sufficient to make a loop therewith. The question was raised: Does 'sufficient to make a loop' mean to make a loop of all the threads together,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In which case the curtailed thread would have to be longer than where the loop was to be made by the curtailed thread by itself.');">⁸</span> or of each thread separately? - This remains undecided. R'Ashi raised the question: How is it if [the curtailed threads] are so thick that one cannot make a loop with them, although had they been thinner one could have made a loop with them? - R'Aha the son of Raba answered R'Ashi, They are most certainly [valid], since the precept is all the more noticeable thereby.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For there is here the minimum length for curtailed threads, and moreover they are thicker and therefore more noticeable.');">⁹</span> Who is the Tanna that disagrees with Rabbi?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., whose view is put forward by the Sages in the Baraitha supra p. 233.');">¹⁰</span> - It is the Tanna of the following Baraitha. For it was taught: R'Isaac says in the name of R'Nathan who said it in the name of R'Jose the Galilean and who in turn said it in the name of R'Johanan B'Nuri, If a man has no blue threads he should insert all white threads.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For the omission of one colour does not prevent the use of the other. This Tanna clearly disagrees with Rabbi.');">¹¹</span> Raba said, You can infer from this<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' From the statement of R. Hiyya's sons. khsd ;dg');">¹²</span> that one must make a knot after each joint;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Each fringe is in part wound around with thread () , and in part hangs loose () . After the threads have been inserted in the hole at the corner of the garment and folded over double, one thread is taken and wound around the others, and after several windings a knot is made and thkuj rae then the windings begin over again. Each series of windings is called a joint () , and at the end of each joint a knot () is made to prevent the windings from becoming undone.');">¹³</span> for should you hold that this is not necessary, then how could the sons of R'Hiyya have said, Curtailed blue threads are valid, also curtailed hyssop twigs are valid? As soon as the upper knot<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the uppermost and first knot when holding up the garment by the fringe; or the last or nethermost knot when the garment is worn.');">¹⁴</span> becomes loose it would all become undone!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since a thread has snapped close to the last knot it would inevitably follow that this knot would become undone, and if there were no other knots at each joint, the entire fringe would become undone, in which case it certainly cannot be valid.');">¹⁵</span> -

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