Why is tzitzis treated as an obligation

Question

Following up on the question asked here: Why do people feel that there is a NEED to wear tzitzit?

It seems like the answer is that we wear it to remind us about all the mitzvos.

First of all, what is it about tzitzis that reminds us about mitzvos, what if I want to wear a red string on my finger as a reminder?

Second of all, what if it just isn't, then why am I wearing tzitzis. Meaning inherently there is no obligation to wear it, the only reason to wear it is to remind me about the mitzvos, but I have been wearing it my entire life and have never once thought about the mitzvos so why bother continuing to wear it?

And if you say 'Because it's a mitzva so just to do it to get reward', I guess that is a reason to do it, but there are many things we can do at all times to get reward and we don't treat them like obligations that we need to do at all moments (i.e. 6 constant mitzvos).

Answer 1

Tzitzit became an always-obligation on the advice of Chazal, in Menachot 41a, who brought the story of the angel who warned us against an attitude of not seeking to do positive mitzvot even when one doesn't need to, and also explained that this attitude elicits punishment from Hashem at times of Divine anger.

So we developed a very strong minhag to always wear it when awake. The fact that it reminds us to keep all the mitzvot adds to this but is not the main reason (note Sefer Hachinuch describes it as the shoresh of the general mitzva, and hints at what the Tur paskens: it is not a benefit but an obligation to remember the rest of the mitzvot when donning tzitzit!). The same gemara gives a story designed to help us understand that side of things: the man who almost slept with a prostitute, in a very premeditated way was saved at the last minute when his tzitzit hit him in the face when he was getting undressed.

The tzitzit are holy, and Jewish, and a mitzvah. Even if a red string works better for you, the tzitzit are still valuable and mystical, and their sanctity will protect you in ways that go deeper than the mere superficial reminder of the mitzvot.

On that point, it is worth reading through the Sefer Hachinuch on its explanations on the way the tzitzit remind us of the mitzvot. Apart from the more "miraculous" benefits I brought above, the Torah works best when it is studied with effort, so it's cures and remedies can work. As Ramban says, the Torah only makes us good people if we want it to, and we work hard.

Still, we don't wear tzitzit for any reminders. We wear them for the reasons listed above.