Talmud Bavli
Talmud Bavli

Chasidut for Menachot 68:8

ל"ק הא בעתיקתא הא בחדתתא ולמ"ד הזמנה מילתא היא דאתני עלייהו מעיקרא

Surely this cannot be, for R'Haninah sent [from Palestine] the following ruling in the name of R'Johanan: The hand-tefillah may be converted for use on the head but the head-tefillah may not be converted for use on the arm, for one may not bring down what is of a higher sanctity to a lower sanctity!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The head-tefillah is deemed to be of a higher sanctity than that worn on the arm, since the former bears upon it two letters of the Name 'Almighty', whereas the hand-tefillah bears only the last letter of this name; cf. infra 35b. In view of this ruling, then, how can it be said that both R. Judah and R. Jose agree that the head-tefillah may be converted for use upon the hand merely by covering it with a piece of leather?');"><sup>16</sup></span> - This is no difficulty, for one [ruling] refers to an old one<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the head-tefillah had already been worn on the head, in which case its sanctity may not be lowered by converting it for use upon the arm.');"><sup>17</sup></span> and the other to a new one.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The tefillah had been made as a head-tefillah and also designated for that purpose but had not yet been worn; in that case it may be converted for use on the arm.');"><sup>18</sup></span> And according to him who maintains that the mere designation [of a thing for a certain purpose] has a certain force,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Sanh. 47b, Meg. 26b, and Ber. 23b. The fact that it was intended to be used as a head-tefillah will debar it from being used upon the arm.');"><sup>19</sup></span>

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