Tefillin in the talmud Menachos selections / 2018 prepared by Rabbi Mendel Rubin Shabbos House Rohr Chabad Jewish Student Center serving UAlbany 320 Fuller Rd Albany NY 12203 (518) 438-4227 www.shabboshouse.org ומי משתבח קוב"ה בשבחייהו דישראל אין דכתיב (A) TEFILLIN AS STRENGTH (Brachos 6a) )דברים כו, יז( את ה' האמרת היום )וכתיב( וה' האמירך א"ר אבין בר רב אדא א"ר יצחק מנין שהקב"ה מניח היום תפילין שנאמר )ישעיהו סב, ח( נשבע ה' בימינו ובזרוע Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak continues: Is G-d עוזו glorified through the glory of Israel? Rav Chiya bar Rabbi Avin bar Rav Ada said that Rabbi Yitzchak Avin answered: Yes, as indicated by the said: From where do we learn that G-d wears juxtaposition of two verses; (1) as it is stated: “You Tefillin? The verse says: “G-d swore by His right (the Jewish people) distinguished G-d (made G-d hand, and by the arm of His strength” (Isaiah 62:8). one and unique).”And the subsequent verse states: Since it is customary to swear upon holy objects, it “And G-d has distinguished (made one & unique) is understood that “His right hand” and “arm of His the Jewish people” (Deuteronomy 26:17–18). strength” are the holy objects upon which G-d אמר להם הקב"ה לישראל אתם עשיתוני חטיבה אחת .swore בעולם ואני אעשה אתכם חטיבה אחת בעולם בימינו זו תורה שנאמר )דברים לג, ב( מימינו אש דת From these two verses we learn that G-d said to למו Israel: You single me out and make me unique in “His right hand” refers to Torah, as described of the the world, because of this, I’ll make you unique in Torah: “From His right hand, a fiery law for His the world, and you will be a treasured nation. people” (Deut 33:2). אתם עשיתוני חטיבה אחת בעולם שנאמר )דברים ו, ד( ובזרוע עוזו אלו תפילין שנאמר )תהלים כט, יא( ה' עוז שמע ישראל ה' אל-הינו ה' אחד ואני אעשה אתכם לעמו יתן חטיבה אחת בעולם שנאמר ומי כעמך ישראל גוי אחד בארץ The arm of His strength,” refers to phylacteries, as“ in: “G-d gave strength to His nation” (Psalms You (the Jewish people) make me (G-d) unique in 29:11)… the world, as Israel declares G-d’s oneness by saying: “Hear, Israel, the L-rd is our G-d, the L-rd is ומנין שהתפילין עוז הם לישראל דכתי' )דברים כח, י( (One” (Deuteronomy 6:4). Because of this, I (G-d וראו כל עמי הארץ כי שם ה' נקרא עליך ויראו ממך will make you (the Jewish people) unique in the ותניא ר' אליעזר הגדול אומר אלו תפילין שבראש world, declaring: “Who is like Your people, Israel, How do we know that Tefillin provide strength for one nation in the land?” Israel? As it is written: “All the nations of the land shall see the name of G-d called upon you, and (C) THE HEAD KNOT OF TEFILLIN (Brachos 7a) they will fear you” (Deut 28:10). Rabbi Eliezer the והסירתי את כפי וראית את אחרי אמר רב חנא בר Great says: This refers to the head Tefillin. ביזנא א"ר שמעון חסידא מלמד שהראה הקב"ה למשה קשר של תפילין: (B) G-D’S TEFILLIN (Brachos 6a) It is said: “And I will remove My hand, and you will א"ל רב נחמן בר יצחק לרב חייא בר אבין הני תפילין see My back, but My face you will not see” (Exodus דמרי עלמא מה כתיב בהו א"ל )ד"ה א יז, כא( ומי כעמך What did Moses see? Rav Chona bar Bizna .(33:23 ישראל גוי אחד בארץ Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak said to Rav Chiya bar said in the name of Rabbi Shimon Chasida, “And Avin: What is written in G-d’s Tefillin? Rav Chiya you will see My back,” should be understood that bar Avin replied: “Who is like Your people, Israel, G-d (who as mentioned above wears phylacteries) one nation in the land?” (I Chronicles 17:21). showed Moshe the knot of the phylacteries of His head, which is worn on the back of the head. (D) TWO MITZVOT OR ONE? (Menachos 44a) Tefillin on their heads, and arms, Tzitzit on their תפלה של יד אינה מעכבת garments, and a mezuza for their doorways. The Mishna teaches: Absence of the Arm-Tefillin ועליהן אמר דוד שבע ביום הללתיך על משפטי צדקך does not prevent fulfillment of the mitzva of the Head-Tefillin, and absence of Head-Tefillin does not Concerning them David said: “Seven times a day I prevent fulfillment of the mitzva of the Hand- praise You, because of Your righteous ordinances” Tefillin. (Psalms 119:164). This alludes to the two phylacteries, the four corners of Tzitzit, and the אמר רב חסדא לא שנו אלא שיש לו אבל אין לו מעכבת mezuza, which total seven. Rav Chisda said: This is only in a case where one ובשעה שנכנס דוד לבית המרחץ וראה עצמו עומד ערום has the other Tefillin, but they are not with him or אמר אוי לי שאעמוד ערום בלא מצוה וכיון שנזכר במילה he is unable to wear them for some reason. But if שבבשרו נתיישבה דעתו לאחר שיצא אמר עליה שירה he does not have the other Tefillin at all, then their שנאמר למנצח על השמינית מזמור לדוד על מילה absence does prevent the fulfillment of the mitzva שניתנה בשמיני .to wear the Tefillin that he has When David entered the bathhouse and saw אמרו לו אמרת אמר להו לא אלא מאן דלית ליה תרי himself unclothed, he said: Woe to me that that I מצות חד מצוה נמי לא ליעביד stand naked without any mitzva. But once he Later on, his students said to him: Do you still say remembered the mitzva of circumcision his mind that? Rav Chisda said to them: No, rather I would was put at ease, as he realized he was still say the opposite: One who does not have ability to accompanied by this mitzva. After he left the fulfill two mitzvot, shouldn’t he perform the one bathhouse, he recited a song about circumcision, mitzva that he does have the ability to fulfill? as it is stated in the verse: “on the Sheminith (8th .(day) A Psalm of David” (Psalms 12:1 ומעיקרא מאי סבר גזירה שמא יפשע רבי אליעזר בן יעקב אומר כל שיש לו תפילין בראשו ?So why did Rav Chisda think differently before ותפילין בזרועו וציצית בבגדו ומזוזה בפתחו הכל בחיזוק ,That’s because he thought it was a rabbinic decree שלא יחטא שנאמר והחוט המשלש לא במהרה ינתק lest he be negligent and not try to acquire the part of the Tefillin set that he lacks. Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov says: Anyone who has ,Tefillin on his head and arm, tzitzit on his garment אמר רב ששת כל שאינו מניח תפילין עובר בשמונה and a mezuza on his doorway is strengthened from עשה all sides so that he will not sin, as it is stated in the After recognizing that hand and head Tefillin are verse: “And a threefold cord is not quickly broken” seen as separate Mitzvot, Rav Sheshet says: (Ecclesiastes 4:12). This is an allusion to the three Anyone who does not wear Tefillin violates eight mitzvot of phylacteries, tzitzit, and mezuza. positive mitzvot. For each, the hand and head Tefillin, contain the four different passages (F) THE WORD TOTAFOT (Menachos 34b) ת"ר לטטפת לטטפת לטוטפת הרי כאן ד' דברי רבי ;mentioning Tefillin (Exodus 13:9; Exodus 13:16 ישמעאל .(Deuteronomy 6:8; Deuteronomy 11:18 (E) SURROUND MITZVOT (Menachos 43b) The Sages taught in a Baraita: In describing the compartments of the Head-Tefillin, the verse תנו רבנן חביבין ישראל שסיבבן הקדוש ברוך הוא states: “It shall be for a sign upon your hand, and במצות תפילין בראשיהן ותפילין בזרועותיהן וציצית totafot between your eyes” (Exodus 13:16), with בבגדיהן ומזוזה לפתחיהן the word totafot spelled deficient, without a vav The Sages taught in a baraita: The Jewish people before the final letter, in a way that can be read as are beloved as G-d surrounded them with mitzvot: singular; and again: “They shall be for totafot Tefillin), whereas there it means to the right of the between your eyes” (Deuteronomy 6:8), spelled as one who is wearing the Tefillin himself. a singular word; and again: “They shall be for והקורא קורא כסדרן: totafot between your eyes” (Deuteronomy 11:18), this time spelled full, with a vav before the final And in this manner the reader (i.e. the viewer) letter, in a manner that must be plural. There are reads (faces) the passages in their order. four mentions of totafot here, as the third one is (H) INSIDE OUTSIDE TEFILLIN (Menachos 34b-35a) written in the plural and therefore counts as two. אמר רב חננאל אמר רב החליף פרשיותיה פסולות Consequently, it is derived that the phylacteries of the head must have four compartments. This is the Rav Chananel says that Rav says: If one exchanged statement of Rabbi Yishmael. its passages, i.e., placed them in a different order .within the compartment, the phylacteries are unfit ר"ע אומר אינו צריך טט בכתפי שתים פת באפריקי שתים אמר אביי לא אמרן אלא גוייתא לברייתא וברייתא לגוייתא אבל גוייתא לגוייתא וברייתא לברייתא לית לן Rabbi Akiva says: There is no need for this proof, as בה the requirement of four compartments in the Head-Tefillin can be derived from the word totafot Abaye said: We did not say this unless it is a case itself: The word tot in the language of Katfei means where one exchanges an inner passage for an outer two, and the word pat in the language of Afriki also והי' כי יביאך one, e.g., he placed the passage of means two, and therefore totafot can be Exodus קדש לי Exodus 13:11–16 to the right of understood as a compound word meaning four.