מנחות 42 — Soncino English Talmud

¹there is no prescribed maximum length but there is a prescribed minimum length. For if you will not say so, the ruling ‘And so, too, that there was no prescribed length for the lulab’ would also have to mean that there is no prescribed length at all for it, but we have learnt: A lulab which is three handbreadths in length, long enough to shake, is valid? We must therefore say that it means, there is no prescribed maximum length for it but there is a prescribed minimum length; so here too, [with regard to the zizith] it means, there is no prescribed maximum length for it but there is a prescribed minimum length. Our Rabbis taught: zizith: the word zizith means nothing else than something which hangs loose, for so it says, And took me by a lock [zizith] of mine head. Abaye said, One must keep [the threads] separate, like the forelock of the gentiles. Our Rabbis taught If one attached the fringes to the tip [of the corner] or to the selvedge [of the garment], it is valid; R. Eliezer b. Jacob declares it invalid in both cases. Whose view is adopted in the following statement of R. Giddal in the name of Rab: The fringes must hang over the corner, for it is written, Upon the corners of their garments? It is the view of R. Eliezer b. Jacob. R. Jacob said in the name of R. Johanan, It must be removed from the corner the distance of the first joint of the thumb. Now both R. Papa's teaching and this teaching of R. Jacob are necessary. For from R. Papa's teaching I only know that it must be within three fingerbreadths’ distance from the corner and not farther away than that, but the nearer it is [to the corner] the better; therefore R. Jacob's teaching was necessary. And from R. Jacob's teaching I only know that it must be away from the corner the distance of the first joint of the thumb and not nearer than that, but the farther away it is [from the corner] the better; therefore [both teachings] are necessary. Rabina and R. Sama were once sitting before R. Ashi when R. Sama noticed that the [edges around the hole in the] corner of Rabina's garment had frayed and [the fringe] was now less than the distance of the first joint of the thumb away [from the corner], and he said to him, ‘Does not my Master accept R. Jacob's teaching?’ He replied, ‘That rule was intended to apply only at the time when it was first made’. [R. Sama] became embarrassed, whereupon R. Ashi said to him, ‘Do not be upset, for one of them is equal to two of us’. R. Aha b. Jacob used to take four threads, double them over, insert them through the garment, and then make them into a loop; he was of the opinion that there must be eight threads in the [hole of the] garment, the same number as the threads which hang loose. R. Jeremiah of Difti used to insert eight threads, which [when hanging down] made sixteen loose threads, but he did not make them into a loop. Mar the son of Rabina used to do it as we do now. R. Nahman once found R. Adda b. Ahabah inserting the threads [in a garment] and reciting the blessing ‘[Blessed art thou . . . and hast commanded us] to make the zizith’, whereupon he said, ‘What is this zizi that I hear? Thus said Rab: When making the zizith no blessing is to be pronounced’. After the death of R. Huna, R. Hisda came in [as head of the School] and pointed out the following contradictory teachings of Rab. Did Rab really say that when making the zizith no blessing was to be pronounced? Surely Rab Judah has stated in the name of Rab, Whence do we know that the zizith made by a gentile are invalid? Because it is said, Speak unto the children of Israel and bid them that they make them fringes; the children of Israel shall make [the fringes], but not gentiles! But where is the contradiction here? — R. Joseph said, R. Hisda is of the opinion that a precept which may be performed by a gentile does not require a blessing when performed by an Israelite, but a precept which may not be performed by a gentile requires a blessing when performed by an Israelite. Is this a general principle? But take the case of circumcision. This is permitted to be performed by a gentile, for it has been taught: In a town where there is no Israelite physician but there is a Cuthean physician as well as a gentile one, circumcision should be performed by the gentile but not by the Cuthean. This is the opinion of R. Meir. But R. Judah said, It should be performed by the Cuthean but not by the gentile. And yet when performed by an Israelite a blessing must be pronounced, for a Master has said, He that performs the circumcision must say, ‘Blessed . . . who hast sanctified us by thy commandments, and hast given us command concerning the circumcision!’ — This question [by R. Hisda] concerns Rab, does it not? Surely Rab declares it invalid! For it has been stated: Whence do we know that circumcision performed by a gentile is invalid? Daru b. Papa said in the name of Rab, From the verse, And as for thee, thou shalt keep my covenant. R. Johanan said, From the words, Must needs be circumcised, that is, he who is circumcised shall circumcise. The law concerning the sukkah adds support [to R. Hisda's principle] while that concerning the tefillin refutes it. Thus, the sukkah is valid when made by a gentile, for it has been taught: A booth of gentiles, women, cattle, or Cutheans, or any manner of booth, is valid [as a sukkah], provided it was roofed according to law. And when made by an Israelite no blessing is necessary, for it has been taught: When a man makes a sukkah for himself he must say, ‘Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who hast kept us in life, and hast preserved us, and enabled us to reach this season’; and when he enters to sit in it he must say, ‘Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who hast sanctified us by thy commandments, and hast commanded us to dwell in the sukkah’. But one never says, [Blessed . . . and hast commanded us] to make the sukkah. On the other hand, the law of tefillin is a refutation; for the tefillin are invalid when made by a gentile, for R. Hinena the son of Raba^ᵃ^ᵇ^ᶜ^ᵈ^ᵉ^ᶠ^ᵍ^ʰ^ⁱ^ʲ^ᵏ^ˡ^ᵐ^ⁿ^ᵒ^ᵖ^ᵠ^ʳ^ˢ^ᵗ^ᵘ^ᵛ^ʷ^ˣ^ʸ^ᶻ

^ᵃnote:The fringes may be as long as desired, but they must hang down for at least the length of four fingerbreadths.
^ᵇnote:But if it is less than three handbreadths in length it is not valid; so that there is a prescribed minimum length for it. V. Suk. 29b.
^ᶜnote:Ez. VIII, 3. Heb.,mhmc.
^ᵈnote:The forelock after being bound together was left to hang loose in separate strands of hair. So, too, with the fringes, after the necessary windings the threads must hang loose in separate strands.
^ᵉnote:The closely woven binding at the edge of the garment so as to prevent ravelling.
^ᶠnote:I.e., the fringes must be some distance away from the corner so that the threads hang over and strike the corner; and it is invalid if the fringes were attached to the actual corner, thus in agreement with R. Eliezer b. Jacob.
^ᵍnote:Num. XV, 38.
^ʰnote:I.e., the hole in the garment through which the fringes are thread.
^ⁱnote:Supra 41b, that the fringes must be inserted within three fingerbreadths’ distance from the corner.
^ʲnote:Sc. scholars from Palestine, of whom Rabina was one.
^ᵏnote:Having doubled over the threads he used to insert the looped end through the hole in the garment an inch or so and then pass the ends of the threads through this loop and pull tight, and in this manner the threads hung from the garment.
^ˡnote:So MS.M. and early editions, reading ibhgcs for huvhks ohkhsd khsd. According to cur. text: the same as the number of threads that hang loose suggested by the terms ‘twisted cord’ and ‘twisted cords’ (v. supra p. 239).
^ᵐnote:I.e., insert four threads so that there are eight threads hanging loose.
^ⁿnote:Mockingly mispronouncing the word.
^ᵒnote:Num. XV, 38.
^ᵖnote:For the usual formula ‘Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who hast sanctified us by thy commandments and hast commanded us . . .’ does not apply since the commandment may be also performed by a gentile.
^ᵠnote:And since gentiles may not make the fringes it follows that when an Israelite makes them a blessing must be pronounced; thus contradicting the former statement of Rab.
^ʳnote:The Cutheans, often called Samaritans, were one of the peoples settled in Samaria by the Assyrian king after the exile of the ten tribes. They adopted certain Jewish practices, particularly those based upon the written word of the Torah; cf. 2 Kings XVII, 2ff. Later, however, they were found to be worshipping a dove on Mount Gerizim; v. Hul. 6a.
^ˢnote:V. A.Z. 26b.
^ᵗnote:Shab. 137b.
^ᵘnote:Sc. circumcision by a gentile.
^ᵛnote:A.Z. 27a.
^ʷnote:Gen. XVII, 9. Only one like Abraham, i.e., circumcised, may perform the circumcision.
^ˣnote:Ibid. 13. Heb. kunh kunv can by a slight alteration of the vowels be rendered kunv, ‘he who is circumcised may circumcise’, thus excluding gentiles.
^ʸnote:Heb. vfx, the booth set up at the Feast of Tabernacles in fulfilment of Lev. XXIII, 42.
^ᶻnote:Suk. 8b.

²of Pashrunia taught: A scroll of the Law, tefillin and mezuzoth written by a min, a Cuthean, a gentile, a slave, a woman, a minor, or an apostate Jew, are invalid, since it says, And thou shalt bind them . . . and thou shalt write them, which indicates that those who ‘bind’ may ‘write’, but those who do not ‘bind’ may not ‘write’. And yet when made by an Israelite no blessing is pronounced; for R. Hiyya the son of R. Huna sent the following decision in the name of R. Johanan: Over the hand-tefillah one must say, ‘Blessed . . . who hast sanctified us by thy commandments and hast commanded us to put on the tefillin’. Over the head-tefillah one must say, ‘Blessed . . . who hast sanctified us by thy commandments and hast given us command concerning the precept of the tefillin’. But one never says, ‘[Blessed . . . and hast commanded us] to make the tefillin!’ — Indeed this is the true principle: Wherever a precept is completed by a single act, e.g., circumcision, although it may be performed by a gentile, when an Israelite performs it he must pronounce a blessing; and wherever a precept is not completed by a single act, e.g., the tefillin, although it may be made by a gentile, when an Israelite makes it he does not pronounce a blessing. And as regards the zizith they differ in this: One holds that [the law of zizith] is an obligation resting upon the garment, whilst the other holds that it is an obligation incumbent upon the person. R. Mordecai said to R. Ashi, You have had it reported so; but we had it reported thus: Rab Judah said in the name of Rab, Whence do we know that the zizith made by a gentile is valid? Because it is said, Speak unto the children of Israel and bid them that they make them fringes; others may make [the fringes] for them. Rab Judah said in the name of Rab, If a man made [the zizith] from the fringes of the cloth, or from sewing threads, or from tufts of the cloth, they are invalid; but if he made them from a ball of thread they are valid. When I repeated this before Samuel he said that even if he made them from a ball of thread they are invalid, because it is necessary that the weaving of the thread be done for this purpose. This, however, is a matter of dispute between Tannaim, for it has been taught: If a man overlaid [the tefillin] with gold or covered them with the skin of an unclean animal, they are invalid; if with the skin of a clean animal, they are valid, even though he did not prepare it for this specific purpose. Rabban Simeon b. Gamaliel says, Even if he covered them with the skin of a clean animal they are invalid, unless it had been prepared for this specific purpose. Abaye enquired of R. Samuel b. Rab Judah, How do you dye the blue thread? He replied, We take the blood of hillazon together with other ingredients and put them all in a pot and boil them together. Then we take out a little in an egg-shell and test it on a piece of wool; and we throw away what remains in the egg-shell and burn the wool. One can infer three things from this: [i] that the dye used for testing is unfit; [ii] that the dyeing must be for the specific purpose [of the precept]; and [iii] that the dye used for testing renders the rest unfit. Are not the rules that the test quantity is itself unfit and that the dyeing must be for the specific purpose [of the precept] identical in meaning? — R. Ashi answered, One states the reason for the other, as much as to say: Why is the test quantity itself unfit? Because the dyeing must be for the specific purpose [of the precept]. This, however, is a matter of dispute between Tannaim, for it has been taught: The test quantity is itself unfit, for it says, All of blue. So R. Hanina b. Gamaliel. But R. Johanan b. Dahabai says, Even the second dyeing is valid, for it says, And scarlet. Our Rabbis taught: There is no manner of testing the blue thread; it should therefore be bought only from an expert. The tefillin can be tested, nevertheless they should only be bought from an expert. Scrolls of the Law and mezuzoth can be tested, and may be bought from anyone. Is there then no manner of testing the blue thread? But R. Isaac the son of R. Judah used to test it (mnemonic sign: with Ge Shem) thus: He used to mix together liquid alum, juice of fenugreek, and urine^ᵃᵃ^ᵃᵇ^ᵃᶜ^ᵃᵈ^ᵃᵉ^ᵃᶠ^ᵃᵍ^ᵃʰ^ᵃⁱ^ᵃʲ^ᵃᵏ^ᵃˡ^ᵃᵐ^ᵃⁿ^ᵃᵒ^ᵃᵖ^ᵃᵠ^ᵃʳ^ᵃˢ^ᵃᵗ^ᵃᵘ^ᵃᵛ^ᵃʷ^ᵃˣ^ᵃʸ^ᵃᶻ^ᵇᵃ^ᵇᵇ^ᵇᶜ

^ᵃᵃnote:Heb. ihn, a sectarian, or heretic. Idolatrous priests, whether Jews or gentiles (Rashi); v. Glos.
^ᵃᵇnote:Heb. rnun, ‘a changed (Israelite)’; a Jew who neglects the practices without discarding the beliefs of Judaism.
^ᵃᶜnote:Deut. VI, 8, 9.
^ᵃᵈnote:Lit., ‘comes to an end by the doing thereof’.
^ᵃᵉnote:For the performance of the precept of tefillin is not completed by the making but by the wearing of them.
^ᵃᶠnote:R. Nahman and R. Hisda as to whether one must pronounce a blessing when making the fringes.
^ᵃᵍnote:This is R. Hisda's view, and therefore as soon as the fringes are inserted in the garment that is the completion of the precept, so that it is necessary to make a blessing at the time.
^ᵃʰnote:R. Nahman holds that the precept is performed only when the garment is worn, and therefore no blessing is pronounced when inserting the fringes.
^ᵃⁱnote:That fringes made by a gentile are invalid.
^ᵃʲnote:Num. XV, 38. ‘They’ is taken impersonally, not necessarily the children of Israel.
^ᵃᵏnote:The fringes or tufts of the woven cloth were twisted into zizith, but were not attached to the cloth for this purpose.
^ᵃˡnote:That were used in the sewing of the garment and the ends of which were left hanging from the garment.
^ᵃᵐnote:Since they were not attached to the garment as zizith.
^ᵃⁿnote:Even though the thread was not woven specifically for zizith.
^ᵃᵒnote:Git. 45b; Sanh. 48b.
^ᵃᵖnote:Cf. Shab. 108a: That the law of the Lord may be in thy mouth (Ex. XIII, 9), the tefillin should be made from that which is permissible for food.
^ᵃᵠnote:Similarly the first Tanna and Rabban Simeon b. Gamaliel would differ as to the necessity for weaving the threads specifically for the purpose of zizith.
^ᵃʳnote:Heb. iuzkj, a species of mollusc. V. Lewysohn, Zoologie des Talmuds, 280-285.
^ᵃˢnote:For dyeing, and the wool dipped in it must be burnt, since it was not dyed for the purpose of the zizith.
^ᵃᵗnote:If it is poured back into the vessel with the dye.
^ᵃᵘnote:Ex. XXVIII, 31. The dyeing of the blue thread for the zizith should be the first use of the dye, i.e. nothing should have been dyed with this dye previously. Hence the quantity of dye used in testing is not valid for the zizith.
^ᵃᵛnote:I.e., even though something else has already been dyed with this dye.
^ᵃʷnote:Lev. XIV, 4. Heb. ,gku, hba is interpreted as ,gku, hba ‘the second use of the scarlet dye’. And so it is too with the blue dye.
^ᵃˣnote:To ascertain whether it has been dyed with genuine or imitation blue.
^ᵃʸnote:One who knows that vegetable blue or any other imitation blue is unfit for the purpose.
^ᵃᶻnote:To ascertain whether they have been made according to prescribed law and whether the Scriptural portions therein have been correctly written.
^ᵇᵃnote:One who knows that it is essential to prepare the leather specifically for the tefillin.
^ᵇᵇnote:Since it is not necessary that the parchment upon which they are written be prepared specially for the purpose.
^ᵇᶜnote:oad being the initial letters of the ingredients used in the mixture for testing: d for tkhd (alum), a for ackhk,t (fenugreek) and n for ohkdr hn (urine).