Pt2 Tzitzit, Tefillin, and Mezuza: The Power of Everyday Ritual Objects (Menachot 43b-44a)

This is the second and final part of a two-part series. Part 1 is here; the outline of the series is at Part 1.

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

תניא

היה רבי מאיר אומר:

חייב אדם לברך מאה ברכות בכל יום

שנאמר (דברים י, יב):

“ועתה ישראל

מה ה’ אלהיך שואל מעמך”

[…]

It is taught in a baraita that

R’ Meir would say:

A person is obligated to recite 100 blessings every day,

as it is stated in the verse:

“And now, Israel,

what [ma] does YHWH your God require of you” (Deuteronomy 10:12).

R’ Meir interprets the verse as though it said 100 [me’a], rather than ma.

[…]

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

(See footnote.)¹

תניא

היה ר”מ אומר:

חייב אדם לברך שלש ברכות בכל יום

אלו הן:

1. שעשאני ישראל

2. שלא עשאני אשה

3. שלא עשאני בור

It is taught in a baraita that

R’ Meir would say:

A man is obligated to recite three blessings every day praising God for His kindnesses,

and these blessings are:

1. Who did not make me a non-Jew;

2. Who did not make me a woman;

3. and Who did not make me an ignoramus (בור)

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

רב אחא בר יעקב שמעיה לבריה דהוה קא מברך שלא עשאני בור

אמר ליה: כולי האי נמי?!

אמר ליה:

ואלא מאי מברך?!

שלא עשאני עבד?!

היינו אשה!

עבד זיל טפי.

Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov heard his son reciting the blessing: Who did not make me an ignoramus.

Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov said to him: Is it in fact proper to go this far in reciting blessings?!

Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov’s son said to him:

Rather, what blessing should one recite?!

If you will say that one should recite: Who did not make me a slave,

that is the same as a woman; why should one recite two blessings about the same matter?!

Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov answered: Nevertheless, a slave is more lowly than a woman, and therefore it is appropriate to recite an additional blessing on not having been born a slave.

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

ת”ר

חלזון זהו:

1. גופו דומה לים

2. וברייתו דומה לדג

3. ועולה אחד לשבעים שנה

4. ובדמו צובעין תכלת

לפיכך דמיו יקרים.

[...]

§ A baraita states:

This ḥilazon, which is the source of the tekhelet dye used in tzitzit, has the following characteristics:

1. Its body resembles the sea,

2. its form resembles that of a fish,

3. it emerges once in 70 years,

4. and with its blood one dyes wool tekhelet for tzitzit.

It is scarce, and therefore it is expensive.

[...]

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

(See footnote.)²

אמר רב ששת:

1. כל שאינו מניח תפילין --

   1. עובר בשמונה עשה.

2. וכל שאין לו ציצית בבגדו --

   1. עובר בחמשה עשה.

3. וכל כהן שאינו עולה לדוכן --

   1. עובר בג’ עשה.

4. כל שאין לו מזוזה בפתחו --

   1. עובר בשני עשה”

      1. “וכתבתם”

      2. “וכתבתם”

Rav Sheshet says:

1. Anyone who does not don tefillin --

   1. violates 8 positive mitzvot.

   2. This is referring to the mitzva to don tefillin of the arm and head, each of which is mentioned in 4 different passages (Exodus 13:9; Exodus 13:16; Deuteronomy 6:8; Deuteronomy 11:18).

2. And anyone who does not have tzitzit on his garments --

   1. violates 5 positive mitzvot.

   2. This is because the mitzva of tzitzit is stated 4 times in the primary passage concerning tzitzit in Numbers:

      1. “That they prepare for themselves strings…and they shall put on the fringe of the corner a tekhelet thread. And it shall be to you for a fringe that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of YHWH” (Numbers 15:38–39).

      2. An additional command appears in the verse: “You shall prepare yourself twisted cords” (Deuteronomy 22:12).

3. And any priest who does not ascend the platform (דוכן) to recite the Priestly Benediction --

   1. violates 3 positive mitzvot

   2. expressed in the verses:

      1. “So you shall bless the children of Israel; you shall say to them” (Numbers 6:23),

      2. and: “And they shall put My name upon the children of Israel” (Numbers 6:27).

4. Anyone who does not have a mezuza in his doorway --

   1. violates 2 positive mitzvot,

   2. stated in the verses:

      1. “And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house” (Deuteronomy 6:9),

      2. and: “And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house” (Deuteronomy 11:20).

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

ואמר ר”ל:

כל המניח תפילין --

מאריך ימים

שנאמר (ישעיהו לח, טז):

ה’ עליהם יחיו

ולכל בהן חיי רוחי

ותחלימני והחייני”

And Reish Lakish says:

Anyone who dons tefillin lives a long life,

as it is stated:.

“YHWH is upon them, they will live,

and altogether therein is the life of my spirit;

and have me recover, and make me to live” (Isaiah 38:16).

This is interpreted as referring to those who don tefillin, which contain the name of YHWH, on their heads; as a result, they will live, be healed and merit long life.

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

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

תניא

א”ר נתן

אין לך כל מצוה קלה שכתובה בתורה

שאין מתן שכרה בעה”ז

ולעה”ב איני יודע כמה

צא ולמד ממצות ציצית.

It is taught in a baraita that

R’ Natan says:

There is no mitzva, however minor, that is written in the Torah,

for which there is no reward given in this world;

and in the World-to-Come I do not know how much reward is given.

Go and learn from the following incident concerning the mitzva of tzitzit.

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

מעשה באדם אחד

שהיה זהיר במצות ציצית

שמע שיש זונה בכרכי הים

שנוטלת ד’ מאות זהובים בשכרה

שיגר לה ארבע מאות זהובים, וקבע לה זמן

כשהגיע זמנו, בא וישב על הפתח.

There was an incident involving a certain man

who was diligent about the mitzva of tzitzit.

This man heard that there was a prostitute in one of the cities overseas³

who took 400 gold coins (זהובים) as her payment.

He sent her 400 gold coins and fixed a time to meet with her.

When his time came, he came and sat at the entrance to her house.

Her female slave ushered him in.

נכנסה שפחתה

ואמרה לה: אותו אדם ששיגר ליך ד’ מאות זהובים בא וישב על הפתח

אמרה היא: יכנס

נכנס

The female slave of that prostitute entered

and said to her: That man who sent you 400 gold coins came and sat at the entrance.

She said: Let him enter.

He entered.

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

הציעה לו ז’ מטות:

1. שש של כסף

2. ואחת של זהב

ובין כל אחת ואחת --

סולם של כסף

ועליונה --

של זהב.

She arranged (הציעה) 7 beds for him:

1. 6 of silver

2. and one of gold.

Between each and every one of them --

there was a ladder made of silver,

and the top bed --

was the one that was made of gold.

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

עלתה וישבה על גבי עליונה כשהיא ערומה

ואף הוא עלה לישב ערום כנגדה

באו ד’ ציציותיו וטפחו לו על פניו

נשמט וישב לו ע”ג קרקע

ואף היא נשמטה וישבה ע”ג קרקע

She went up and sat naked on the top bed,

and he too went up in order to sit naked facing her.

his 4 tzitzit came and slapped him on his face.

He dropped down and sat himself on the ground,

and she also dropped down and sat on the ground.

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

אמרה לו:

גפה של רומי!

שאיני מניחתך

עד שתאמר לי מה מום ראית בי.

אמר לה:

העבודה!

שלא ראיתי אשה יפה כמותך

She said to him:

I take an oath by the gappa of Rome!⁴

that I will not allow you to go

until you tell me what defect you saw in me.

He said to her:

I take an oath by the Temple service (העבודה)!

that I never saw a woman as beautiful as you.

... 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

אלא מצוה אחת ציונו ה’ אלהינו

וציצית שמה

וכתיב בה (במדבר טו, מא): “אני ה’ אלהיכם” שתי פעמים:

1. אני הוא

   1. שעתיד ליפרע

2. ואני הוא

   1. שעתיד לשלם שכר

עכשיו נדמו עלי כד’ עדים.

But there is one mitzva that YHWH, our God, commanded us,

and its name is tzitzit,

and in the passage where it is commanded, it is written twice: “I am YHWH your God” (Numbers 15:41).

The doubling of this phrase indicates:

1. I am the one

   1. who will punish those who transgress My mitzvot,

2. and I am the one

   1. who will reward those who fulfill them.

Now, said the man, the 4 sets of tzitzit appeared to me as if they were 4 witnesses who will testify against me.

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

אמרה לו:

איני מניחך,

עד שתאמר לי:

1. מה שמך

2. ומה שם עירך

3. ומה שם רבך

4. ומה שם מדרשך שאתה למד בו תורה

כתב

ונתן בידה.

She said to him:

I will not allow you to go

until you tell me:

1. What is your name,

2. and what is the name of your city,

3. and what is the name of your teacher,

4. and what is the name of the study hall in which you studied Torah

He wrote the information

and placed it in her hand.

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

עמדה וחילקה כל נכסיה:

1. שליש

   1. למלכות

2. ושליש

   1. לעניים

3. ושליש

   1. נטלה בידה

חוץ מאותן מצעות.

She arose and divided all of her property,

1. giving one-third

   1. as a bribe to the government,

2. one-third

   1. to the poor,

3. and one-third

   1. she took with her in her possession,

in addition to those beds⁵

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

ובאת לבית מדרשו של ר’ חייא

אמרה לו:

רבי!

צוה עלי

ויעשוני גיורת

She came to the study hall of R’ Ḥiyya

and said to him:

My teacher!

instruct your students concerning me

and have them make me a convert.

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

אמר לה:

בתי!

שמא עיניך נתת באחד מן התלמידים?!

הוציאה כתב מידה, ונתנה לו

אמר לה: לכי זכי במקחך.

R’ Ḥiyya said to her:

My daughter!

perhaps you set your sights on one of the students and that is why you want to convert?!

She took the note the student had given her from her hand and gave it to R’ Ḥiyya.

He said to her: Go take possession of your purchase.

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”

אותן מצעות שהציעה לו באיסור --

הציעה לו בהיתר

זה מתן שכרו בעה”ז

ולעה”ב איני יודע כמה.

Those beds that she had arranged for him in a prohibited fashion --

she now arranged for him in a permitted fashion.

The Talmud completes its point about the reward of mitzvot and points out how this story illustrates the concept:

This is the reward given to him in this world,

and with regard to the World-to-Come, I do not know how much reward he will be given.

1. See discussion of these blessings in Hebrew Wikipedia, מעמד האישה ביהדות, section “האישה במחשבת המשנה והתלמוד”.

2. The formula of this four-part statement of Rav Sheshet is as follows:

כל שאינו [עושה מצוה ] --

עובר ב-[מספר] עשה.

Anyone who does not [do mitzva X] --

violates [Y - number of] positive mitzvot (עשה)

1. tefillin - 8

2. tzitzit - 5

3. priestly blessing - 3

4. mezuza - 2

On “positive mitzvot“, see Wikipedia, “Mitzvah“, section “Categories of mitzvot“:

The commandments are divided into positive (”thou shalt”) and negative (”thou shalt not”) commandments.

According to Jewish tradition, the 613 commandments contain 365 negative commandments and 248 positive commandments.

And see a list of relevant entries in the Wikipedia category “Positive Mitzvoth“, and see the dedicated entry in Hebrew Wikipedia, “מצוות עשה“.

3. כרכי הים - literally: “cities of the sea”.

On this term, see my note in “A Sequence of Eleven Stories of Talmudic Rabbis as Empirical Linguists (Rosh Hashanah 26a-b)“, on section “Kira = “sale” (observed in the speech of ‘Sea Towns’) - R’ Yehuda HaNasi (Genesis 50:5)“.

4. גפה של רומי.

This same (purported) Roman oath is cited in another story in the Talmud, see my “The Divine Providence of Galut: A Talmudic Perspective on the Jewish Diaspora As A Shield Against Genocide of the Jewish Nation (Pesachim 87b)“.

5. מצעות - “sheets”.