following the destruction of the Second Temple, the knowledge and tradition about the correct method of the dye was lost for Rabbinic Judaism in Israel and since then, most rabbinic diaspora Jews and Israeli Jews as well have worn plain white without any dyes. Tekhelet, which appears 48 times in the Tanakh – translated by the Septuagint as (, blue) – is a specific blue-violet dye produced, according to the rabbis, from a creature referred to as a Ḥillazon, other blue dyes being unacceptable. Some explain the black stripes found on many traditional prayer shawls as representing the loss of this dye. While there is no prohibition on wearing blue dye from another source, the rabbis maintain that other kinds of do not fulfill the mitzvah of , and thus all the strings have been traditionally kept un-dyed (i.e., white) for many centuries. In recent times, with the (debated) re-discovery of the Ḥillazon in the Murex trunculus mollusk, some have noted that one cannot fulfill the mitzvah of without the strand. This position, however, has been strongly disputed. Others have disputed whether the coloring that comes from the Murex trunculus is the same as the biblical , based on the fact that according to traditional Jewish sources is supposed to be a dark shade of blue, while wool that was discovered in archaeological excavations and was found to have been colored with Murex dye is violet. When is used, there are varying opinions in rabbinic literature as to how many of the strands are to be dyed: one of eight (Rambam), two of eight (Raavad), four of eight (Tosafot). While the white threads are to be made of the material of the garment, rabbinic law instructs that the -dyed thread must be made of wool. According to several rabbinic sages, blue is the color of God's Glory. 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. 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 a blue-violet cloth when transported from place to place. The other threads The other threads in the (all the threads, where is not used) are described as "white". This may be interpreted either literally