Why is it Ok to have tzizit without techelet?

Question

The Mishna in Menachos 4:1 says that the mitzvah of the white tzizit is not gone if there is no techelet, and the mitzvah of the techelet is not gone if there is no white. That seems a straight forward enough statement.

However, the gemorah's reponse to this statement is essentially a "Are you crazy? How could the Mishna say this?" They then comment that "Obviously, they mean if the tzizit are torn or ripped, it doesn't invalidate your tzizit as long as a "tuft" of the blue is remaining, or vice versa. They then go on to ask what the minimum size of tizit must be before they get turned into tufts.

When Techelet no longer became available during the Geonic period, they obviously said it was ok to have tzizit without techelet.

Two questions:

• What was their rationale, i.e. how did they ignore the Gemora, or is there another gemora which contradicts the Gemora in Manachot?

• Was the idea of hinuch, so we don't forget about tzizit at all, enough of a reason to possibly violate a Torah commandment of purposefully putting on a four corner garment to put on incomplete tzizit?

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(see Sefaria for translation of sources that led to this question: Menachos 38a-40a)

Answer 1

The Maor HaKatan (R' Zerachiah HaLevi) discusses this issue on Shabbat 11b in the pagination of the Rif. He argues that in fact the halacha follows Rebbe and not R Yochanan ben Nuri (RYBN) that tzitzit require both blue and white to be kosher. He makes 3 arguments to this end:

• RYBN is a lone opinion and the general rule is that the halacha follows Rebbe against lone opponents but not groups.

• The gemara spends a large amount of time trying to fit the mishna into his opinion, thus indicating that his view is normative. (I think this is your point.)

• Finally, he found that the mishna which at first glance does not accord with Rebbe's view, is left out of the works of certain Geonim.

The below cited Milchamot notes that R' Zerachiah HaLevi did not wear any tzitzit his whole life because he held like Rebbe in a time when there was no available techelet.

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The Milchamot Hashem there (Ramban's critique of the Maor) rejects these arguments.

• He notes that RYBN is not alone as other Tannaim are cited with him, including R Yose HaGelili, as well as the unattributed question you cite from 40a. (This last point doesn't bug the Maor per se because of differences in the way he understands the sugya of tzitzit on linen clothing.)

• Additionally, he notes that the gemara spends so much time fitting Rebbe's opinion into the mishna because Rebbe is the one who compiled the mishna and it is trying to understand why he would have left his own opinion out. This is similar, he says, to the Gemara's attempts on Gittin 4 to establish a certain Mishna like R Meir only because it expects the unattributed Mishna to be in accordance with his opinion, not because it is normative.

• He notes the custom which he claims dates back beyond the Geonim to wear only white strings when necessary.

• He notes in addition the gemara's assertion in the view of R Nachman (Menachot 39b) that a silk garment can have "either wool [tzitzit] or linnen [tzitzit]" which implies that it is possible to have tzitzit without and wool ie without any techelet.

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Independently, Tosfot (sort of) asks your question on Menachot 38b sv "אלא". He too gives the first answer of the Milchamot Hashem, noting as well that R Yose is a teacher of Rebbe, so certainly we follow the opinion of the teacher.

Answer 2

The Rambam in Hilchos Tzitzis 1:4 writes:

הַתְּכֵלֶת אֵינוֹ מְעַכֵּב אֶת הַלָּבָן וְהַלָּבָן אֵינוֹ מְעַכֵּב אֶת הַתְּכֵלֶת. כֵּיצַד. הֲרֵי שֶׁאֵין לוֹ תְּכֵלֶת עוֹשֶׂה לָבָן לְבַדּוֹ. וְכֵן אִם עָשָׂה לָבָן וּתְכֵלֶת וְנִפְסַק הַלָּבָן וְנִתְמַעֵט עַד הַכָּנָף וְנִשְׁאַר הַתְּכֵלֶת לְבַדּוֹ כָּשֵׁר‏

The absence of the blue thread does not bar the use of the white fringe. Nor does the absence of the white fringe prevent the use of the blue thread. How so? If a person has no blue thread, he puts in the white fringe alone. So too, if the white fringe and the blue thread have been attached and the white fringe has been severed and diminished up to the corner of the garment and only the blue thread was left, it is fit for use.

The Kesef Mishneh explains the logic and I gathered (though I didn't pour over it) that he traces it to the posuk for tzitzis which says that the ptil techeilet is added to what is already an extant "tzitzit." The techeilet becomes its own mitzvah. Hilchos Tzitzis 1:9 gives the method for tying plain white threads.

Interestingly, the Rambam closes out the second perek (2:9) by writing:

קשה עונש מי שאינו מניח לבן, יתר מעונש מי שלא הניח תכלת: לפי שהלבן, מצוי לכול; והתכלת, אינה מצויה לכול--לפי שאינה מצויה בכל מקום ולא בכל זמן, מפני הצבע שאמרנו‏

Not to attach white fringes to one's garment is more culpable than to omit the blue thread. For the white fringes are procurable by all, while the blue thread cannot be obtained in all places and at all times on account of the need of the special dye, of which we have spoken.

This references the braisa on Menachos 43b quoting R' Meir which, it seems, shows that the gemara accepted the idea of plain white tzitzis.

Answer 3

Very interesting set of responses. But I'd point out that your initial claim about the gemara is just wrong. It says nothing like, 'essentially a "Are you crazy? How could the Mishna say this?" They then comment that "Obviously...' Don't mean to criticize, but this is just a misreading. None of this is there at all.
The gemara actually says, "Shall we say that the mishnah [which said that white and techeles don't need one another] differs from the opinion of Rebbi [who holds that they do]?" Then the gemara has a long discussion that finds a way to fit Rebbi's opinion in with the mishnah.
That does not prove that we must therefore hold like Rebbi - we can still hold like the tanna who disagreed with him and who had a simpler reading of the mishnah. And in fact the major poskim down to the Tur and Shulchan Aruch and all authorities after them AFAIK stick with the simple reading of the mishnah: the white threads do not need the techeiles threads.