Menachot

R. Jose ha-Horem1 says, But we also find the right hand referred to as ‘hand’, for it is written, And when Joseph saw that his father was laying his hand, the right one!2 And the other? It is referred to as ‘the hand, the right one’, but never as ‘the hand’. R. Nathan says, All this is unnecessary, for since it is written And thou shalt bind them3 and And thou shalt write them,4 as writing is with the right hand so the binding shall be with the right hand, and if the binding is to be with the right hand then obviously [the hand-tefillah] must be put on the left hand. Whence does R. Jose ha-Horem learn that it must be put on the left hand? — He derives it from that same passage from which R. Nathan derives it. R. Ashi said, He derives it from thy hand,5 which, being written with the letter he at the end, indicates the weaker hand. Thereupon R. Abba said to R. Ashi, perhaps it means, the stronger hand?6 — He replied, Is it written with the letter heth? This is further disputed by Tannaim. It was taught. Thy hand, written with the he, indicates the left hand. Others say, Thy hand, includes a man that has but the stump of the arm.7 Another [Baraitha] taught: One that has no [left] arm is exempt from tefillin. Others say, ‘Thy hand’, includes a man that has but the stump of the arm. Our Rabbis taught: A left-handed man puts his tefillin on his right hand for that is his left.8 But it has also been taught that he must put it on his left hand which is also the left of all people! — The latter was taught of a person who is ambidextrous. A Tanna in the school of Manasseh taught: Upon thy hand,9 that is, on the biceps muscle; between thine eyes,9 that is, on the skull. On what part? It was said in the school of R. Jannai, Where the skull of a babe is still tender. Pelemo enquired of Rabbi, If a man has two heads on which one must he put the tefillin?’ ‘You must either leave’,10 he replied, ‘or regard yourself under the ban’. In the meantime there came a man [to the school] saying, ‘I have begotten a first-born child with two heads, how much must I give the priest?’11 An old man came forward and ruled that he must give [the priest] ten sela's. But this is not so! For Rami b. Hama learnt: From the verse. The firstborn of man thou shalt surely redeem,12 I might conclude that this would apply even when the firstborn was rendered trefah13 within thirty days [of his birth]. Scripture therefore added, net-maker (Jast.); others read ourjv, the flat-nosed, being called by this epithet either because of his physical deformity or, more probably, because of the teaching he reported concerning a firstling that was flat-nosed; v. Bek. 43b. Other variants are xrvv and xrjv, possibly place-names. so closely in form and pronunciation. this stump. 16. was killed.