One important Jewish concept, which is often missed in English translations of the Bible, concerns the story of a woman with an issue of blood, recorded in Matthew 9:20-21.
Having heard that the Messiah was near, the woman said within herself, "If I may but touch His garment, I shall be whole." The text indicates that it was specifically the hem of His garment that she touched, an important detail from an Hebraic viewpoint.
The English word hem is a translation of a Greek word meaning a tassel of twisted wool. The woman was, in fact, reaching for the tassels on Jesus prayer shawl. In Hebrew, these tassels, which are attached to the corners of the prayer shawl, are called tzitzit. They were, and still are, worn by observant Jews in fulfillment of the biblical commandments found in Numbers 15:37-41 and Deuteronomy 22:12 and are intended to remind the people of God s commandments.