Pt1 Tzitzit, Tefillin, and Mezuza: The Power of Everyday Ritual Objects (Menachot 43b-44a)

This is the first part of a two-part series. The outline of the series is below.

This sugya presents a sequence of baraitot, midrashic interpretations, and anecdotes centered on tzitzit, often in connection with tefillin, mezuza, and other mitzvot that physically “surround” the body. The sugya develops in concentric circles: it begins with the biblical verses about tzitzit (Numbers 15:37–41), moves to homiletic readings about their significance, and expands into a wide-ranging reflection on mitzvot as protective, identity-defining, and cosmically significant.

The opening baraitot highlight the textual logic of Numbers 15:39: seeing leads to remembering, which leads to performing. This exegetical chain grounds the claim that tzitzit is “equivalent to all the mitzvot.” R’ Shimon bar Yoḥai raises the stakes further, positing that diligence in tzitzit merits the Shekhina, aligning the verse’s “oto” with Deuteronomy 6:13.

The sugya then broadens, presenting a baraita that portrays Israel as encircled by mitzvot—tefillin, tzitzit, and mezuza—linking them with David’s praise in Psalms 119:164 and with David’s personal reflection in the bathhouse, where only circumcision marked his body with covenantal permanence.

The motif of protection reappears in R’ Eliezer ben Ya’akov’s statement: one who wears tefillin, tzitzit, and maintains a mezuza is fortified “from all sides” against sin, an image reinforced by Ecclesiastes 4:12’s “threefold cord” and Psalms 34:8’s angelic encampment.

R’ Meir then shifts the focus to tekhelet,¹ emphasizing its symbolic ascent from sea to sky to God’s throne, and later distinguishing between the punishments for neglecting (cheap) white vs. (expensive) tekhelet threads, using the parable of (cheap) clay and (expensive) gold seals.

R’ Meir’s voice also introduces daily blessing practices, including the obligation to recite 100 blessings and the three blessings of male identity (not made a non-Jew, not made a woman, not made a commoner/non-scholar).² This leads to Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov’s intervention about including “not a slave.”

Other traditions extend the discourse: the baraita describing the ḥilazon³ and its rarity highlights the economic dimension of tzitzit; Rav Sheshet quantifies the violation of neglected mitzvot in numerical terms; Reish Lakish links tefillin to long life.

The sugya includes a story of a man who avoided sex with a prostitute when his tzitzit struck his face, prompting both a theological reflection on tzitzit as “four witnesses” and the woman’s conversion narrative, culminating in her lawful marriage to him. This story illustrates R’ Natan’s claim that even minor mitzvot yield measurable reward in this world, with further unquantifiable recompense in the World-to-Come.

Outline

Intro

The Passage - Tzitzit, Tefillin, and Mezuza: The Power of Everyday Ritual Objects (Menachot 43b-44a)

1. Baraita - The mitzva of tzitzit is equivalent to all the mitzvot of the Torah - Numbers 15:39

2. Baraita - Looking at tzitzit leads to remembering, which leads to performing the mitzvot - Numbers 15:39

3. R’ Shimon bar Yoḥai - One who is diligent in tzitzit merits receiving the Shekhina - Numbers 15:39; Deuteronomy 6:13

4. Baraita - Jews are surrounded by mitzvot: tefillin, tzitzit, and mezuza

   1. ... regarding them, David praised God seven times daily - Psalms 119:164

   2. David in the bathhouse felt “naked without mitzvot,” until recalling circumcision, which comforted him

   3. David afterwards recited a song about the mitzva of circumcision - Psalms 12:1

5. R’ Eliezer ben Ya’akov - With tefillin, tzitzit, and mezuza, one is fortified against sin

   1. Prooftexts - Ecclesiastes 4:12; Psalms 34:8

6. R’ Meir - Tekhelet was chosen because its color links to sea, sky, and Throne of Glory

   1. Prooftexts - Exodus 24:10; Ezekiel 1:26

7. R’ Meir - Failure to attach white fringes is punished more severely than failure to attach tekhelet

   1. Parable of clay vs gold seal

8. R’ Meir - A person must recite 100 blessings daily - Deuteronomy 10:12

9. R’ Meir - A man must recite 3 daily blessings: not a non-Jew, not a woman, not a commoner / non-scholar

10. Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov - Adds blessing “not a slave,” arguing slavery is lower than womanhood, thus requiring a separate blessing

11. Baraita - Description of the ḥilazon (=murex): resembles sea/fish, rises once in 70 years, its blood dyes tekhelet; it’s costly

12. Rav Sheshet - One who neglects tefillin violates 8 positive commands; one without tzitzit violates 5; a priest who skips blessing violates 3; one without mezuza violates 2

13. Reish Lakish - One who dons tefillin merits long life - Isaiah 38:16

Appendix - Story of man saved from sexual sin by tzitzit (Menachot 44a)

1. R’ Natan - Every mitzva has reward in this world and more in the next

2. There was a man diligent about tzitzit who heard of a prostitute overseas charging 400 gold coins; He sent her the fee and went to meet her

3. Her female slave ushered him in.

4. She arranged 7 beds—6 of silver, 1 of gold—stacked with ladders between them

5. She lay naked on the top bed; The man climbed up naked to face her, but his tzitzit struck his face, stopping him; Both sat down on the ground

6. She swore she would not let him go until he explained what defect he had seen in her; The man swore he had never seen a woman as beautiful as she

7. ... But the mitzva of tzitzit reminded him of God’s double statement “I am YHWH your God” (Num. 15:41), which he interpreted as: God punishes transgressors and rewards observers; His 4 tzitzit had appeared to him like 4 witnesses

8. The prostitute demanded his name, city, teacher, and study hall; He wrote it down for her

9. She liquidated her assets—giving one-third to the government, one-third to the poor, and taking one-third with her, along with the golden and silver beds

10. She went to the study hall of R’ Ḥiyya and asked to convert

11. R’ Ḥiyya questioned her motives, but she produced the note from the man; He told her: “Go, take possession of your purchase.”

12. The same beds once prepared for a prohibited act were later arranged for him lawfully, after her conversion; “this was his reward in this world; the reward in the World-to-Come cannot be calculated”

The Passage

Menachot.43b.8-44b.1

Baraita - The mitzva of tzitzit is equivalent to all the mitzvot of the Torah. - Numbers 15:39

תניא אידך:

“וראיתם אותו

וזכרתם את כל מצות ה’”

שקולה מצוה זו כנגד כל המצות כולן.

It is taught in another baraita:

The verse states: “That you may look upon it

and remember all the commandments of YHWH”;

this teaches that this mitzva of tzitzit is equivalent to all the mitzvot of the Torah.

Baraita - Looking at tzitzit leads to remembering, which leads to performing the mitzvot. - Numbers 15:39

ותניא אידך:

“וראיתם אותו

וזכרתם

ועשיתם”

ראיה מביאה לידי זכירה

זכירה מביאה לידי עשיה

And it is taught in another baraita:

The verse states: “That you may look upon it

and remember all the commandments of YHWH

and do them.”

This teaches that looking at the tzitzit leads to remembering the mitzvot,

and remembering them leads to doing them.

R’ Shimon bar Yoḥai - One who is diligent in tzitzit merits receiving the Shekhina - Numbers 15:39; Deuteronomy 6:13

ורשב”י אומר:

כל הזריז במצוה זו --

זוכה ומקבל פני שכינה

• כתיב הכא:

  • “וראיתם אותו”

• וכתיב התם (דברים ו, יג):

  • “את ה’ אלהיך תירא, ואותו תעבוד”

And R’ Shimon bar Yoḥai says:

Anyone who is diligent in this mitzva of tzitzit --

merits receiving the Shekhina.

• It is written here:

  • “That you may look upon it [oto]” (Numbers 15:39),

• and it is written there:

  • “You shall fear YHWH your God; and Him [oto] shall you serve” (Deuteronomy 6:13).

Just as oto in that verse is referring to the Shekhina, so too in this verse it is referring to the Shekhina.

Baraita - Jews are surrounded by mitzvot: tefillin, tzitzit, and mezuza

ת”ר:

חביבין ישראל --

שסיבבן הקב”ה במצות:

1. תפילין בראשיהן

2. ותפילין בזרועותיהן

3. וציצית בבגדיהן

4. ומזוזה לפתחיהן

A baraita states:

The Jewish people are beloved,

as God surrounded them with mitzvot:

They have

1. tefillin on their heads,

2. and tefillin on their arms,

3. and tzitzit on their garments,

4. and a mezuza for their doorways.

... regarding them, David praised God seven times daily - Psalms 119:164

ועליהן אמר דוד (תהלים קיט, קסד):

“שבע ביום הללתיך

על משפטי צדקך”

Concerning them David said:

“Seven times a day I praise You,

because of Your righteous ordinances” (Psalms 119:164).

This alludes to the 2 tefillin, the 4 tzitzit, and the mezuza, which total 7.

David in the bathhouse felt “naked without mitzvot,” until recalling circumcision, which comforted him

ובשעה שנכנס דוד לבית המרחץ

וראה עצמו עומד ערום

אמר:

אוי לי!

שאעמוד ערום בלא מצוה!

וכיון שנזכר במילה שבבשרו --

נתיישבה דעתו

And when David entered the bathhouse

and saw himself standing naked,

he said:

Woe to me!

that I stand naked without any mitzva!

But once he remembered the mitzva of circumcision that was in his flesh --

his mind was put at ease, as he realized he was still accompanied by this mitzva.

David afterwards recited a song about the mitzva of circumcision - Psalms 12:1

לאחר שיצא --

אמר עליה שירה

שנאמר (תהלים יב, א):

“למנצח על השמינית

מזמור לדוד”

על מילה שניתנה בשמיני.

After he left the bathhouse,

he recited a song about the mitzva of circumcision,

as it is stated in the verse:

“For the leader, on the Sheminith:

A Psalm of David” (Psalms 12:1).

This is interpreted as a psalm about circumcision, which was given to be performed on the eighth [ba-shemini] day of the baby’s life.

R’ Eliezer ben Ya’akov - With tefillin, tzitzit, and mezuza, one is fortified against sin

רבי אליעזר בן יעקב אומר:

כל שיש לו

1. תפילין בראשו

2. ותפילין בזרועו

3. וציצית בבגדו

4. ומזוזה בפתחו

הכל בחיזוק שלא יחטא

R’ Eliezer ben Ya’akov says:

Anyone who has

1. tefillin on his head,

2. tefillin on his arm,

3. tzitzit on his garment,

4. and a mezuza on his doorway

is strengthened from all sides so that he will not sin,

Prooftexts - Ecclesiastes 4:12; Psalms 34:8

• שנאמר (קהלת ד, יב):

  • “והחוט המשולש לא במהרה ינתק”

• ואומר (תהלים לד, ח):

  • “חונה מלאך ה’ סביב ליראיו, ויחלצם”

• as it is stated in the verse:

  • “And a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12).

  • This is interpreted as an allusion to the three mitzvot of tefillin, tzitzit, and mezuza.

• And the verse states:

  • “The angel of YHWH encamps round about them that fear Him, and delivers them” (Psalms 34:8).

  • This is interpreted to mean that the angel of YHWH surrounds those who fulfill the mitzvot and saves them from sin.

R’ Meir - Tekhelet was chosen because its color links to sea, sky, and Throne of Glory

תניא

היה ר’ מאיר אומר:

מה נשתנה תכלת מכל מיני צבעונין?

מפני ש

1. התכלת

   1. דומה לים

2. וים

   1. דומה לרקיע

3. ורקיע

   1. לכסא הכבוד

It is taught in a baraita that

R’ Meir would say:

What is different about tekhelet from all other types of colors such that it was chosen for the mitzva of tzitzit?

It is because

1. tekhelet

   1. is similar in its color to the sea,

2. and the sea

   1. is similar to the sky,

3. and the sky

   1. is similar to the Throne of Glory,

Prooftexts - Exodus 24:10; Ezekiel 1:26

• שנאמר (שמות כד, י):

  • “ותחת רגליו כמעשה לבנת הספיר

  • וכעצם השמים לטהר”

• וכתיב (יחזקאל א, כו):

  • “כמראה אבן ספיר

  • דמות כסא”

• as it is stated:

  • “And they saw the God of Israel; and there was under His feet the like of a paved work of sapphire stone,

  • and the like of the very heaven for clearness” (Exodus 24:10),

  • indicating that the sky is like a sapphire brickwork.

• And it is written:

  • “The likeness of a throne,

  • as the appearance of a sapphire stone” (Ezekiel 1:26).

R’ Meir - Failure to attach white fringes is punished more severely than failure to attach tekhelet

תניא

היה רבי מאיר אומר:

גדול עונשו של לבן

יותר מעונשו של תכלת

It is taught in a baraita that

R’ Meir would say:

The punishment for not attaching white strings

is greater than the punishment for not attaching tekhelet strings, despite the fact that the tekhelet strings are more important.

Parable of clay vs gold seal

משל למה הדבר דומה?

למלך בשר ודם

שאמר לשני עבדיו

1. לאחד אמר:

   1. הבא לי חותם של טיט

2. ולאחד אמר:

   1. הבא לי חותם של זהב

ופשעו שניהם

ולא הביאו

איזה מהן עונשו מרובה?

הוי אומר

זה שאמר לו: הבא לי חותם של טיט, ולא הביא.

R’ Meir illustrates this with a parable: To what is this matter comparable?

It is comparable to a king of flesh and blood

who said to his two subjects that they must bring him a seal.

1. The king said to one of them:

   1. Bring me a seal of clay,

2. and he said to the other one:

   1. Bring me a seal of gold.

And both of them were negligent

and did not bring the seals.

Which of them will have a greater punishment?

You must say that

it is this one to whom he said: Bring me a seal of clay, and despite its availability and low cost, he did not bring it.⁴

1. The sky-blue thread on tzitzit, made from the dye of the murex snail.

2. Nowadays recited as part of Birkot ha-shachar (daily morning blessings).

3. The murex snail, from which the tekhelet dye is made for tzitzit, see previous footnote.

4. Similarly, the failure to attach (cheap) white fringes is more blameworthy than failure to attach (expensive) tekhelet.