And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them ; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: (Numbers 15:39)
The “fringes” were to be a constant reminder to the people that they belonged to God, and that in dress as in other habits they were to follow the principles He had imparted to them.