Halakhah for Shabbat 97:14

אמר להו ר' יונתן בן אלעזר מסתברא של בעה"ב תנן אבל של אומן קפיד עלייהו אמר להו ר' חנינא בר חמא כך אמר ר' ישמעאל בר' יוסי

And why is he called the man of wings'? Because the wicked Roman government once proclaimed a decree against Israel that whoever donned tefillin should have his brains pierced through;11 yet Elisha put them on and went out into the streets. [When] a quaestor saw him, he fled before him, whereupon he gave pursuit. As he overtook him he [Elisha] removed them from his head and held them in his hand. 'What is that in your hand?' he demanded. 'The wings of a dove,' was his reply. He stretched out his hand and lo! they were the wings of a dove. Therefore he is called 'Elisha the man of the wings'. And why the wings of a dove rather than that of other birds? Because the Congregation of Israel is likened to a dove, as it is said, as the wings of a dove covered with silver:12 just as a dove is protected by its wings, so is Israel protected by the precepts.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In Gen. R. XXXIX, 8 the point of comparison is stated thus: all birds fly with both wings, and when exhausted they rest on a crag or rock; but the dove, when tired, rests on one wing and flies with the other. So Israel, when driven from one country, finds refuge and rest in another; v. also note a.l. in Sonc. ed. ');">13 IN CARPENTERS' SAWDUST, etc. The scholars propounded: Does R. Judah refer to carpenters' sawdust or to hatchelled flax? Come and hear: R. Judah said: Fine hatchelled flax is like foliage.14 This proves that he refers to hatchelled flax. This proves it. MISHNAH. WE MAY STORE [FOOD] IN FRESH HIDES, AND THEY MAY BE HANDLED;15 IN WOOL SHEARINGS, BUT THEY MAY NOT BE HANDLED.16 WHAT THEN IS DONE? THE LID [OF THE POT] IS LIFTED, AND THEY [THE SHEARINGS] FALL OFF OF THEIR OWN ACCORD. R. ELEAZAR B. AZARIAH SAID: THE BASKET17 IS LIFTED ON ONE SIDE AND [THE FOOD] IS REMOVED, LEST ONE LIFT [THE LID OF THE POT] AND BE UNABLE TO REPLACE IT.18 BUT THE SAGES SAY: ONE MAY TAKE AND REPLACE [IT].19 GEMARA. R. Jonathan b. Akinai and R. Jonathan b. Eleazar were sitting, and R. Hanina b. Hama sat with them and it was asked: Did we learn, FRESH HIDES belonging to a private individual, but those of an artisan, since he is particular about them20 may not be handled; or perhaps, we learnt about those of an artisan, and all the more so those of a private individual? — Said R. Jonathan b. Eleazar to them: It stands to reason that we learnt about those belonging to a private individual, but as for those of an artisan, he is particular about them. Thereupon R. Hanina b. Hama observed to them: Thus did R. Ishmael b. R. Jose say:

Sefer HaChinukh

And [also] that which they said (Shabbat 49a) that tefillin requires a clean body, and they said in the Gemara, "What is a clean body? That he be careful not to pass gas with them [on]." But the matter is not to say that it requires a body clean of sins or of impurity. As every man, even one impure or a sinner is obligated about the commandment of tefillin, so long as he knows to be careful not to pass gas with them [on]. And maybe from being constant with the commandment of tefillin - as they are a great memory device for a person about his service to the Heavens - he will repent from his evil way and purify himself from all of his filth. And the Sages, may their memory be blessed, obligated us about the commandment of tefillin to educate even the small youths about it, so long as they have arrived to the category [of those] that know to guard them. And from here it can be understood that the opinion of our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, was that every man should grab onto this commandment and be accustomed to it, since it is a great fundamental, a protection from sin and a strong ladder to climb with to enter into the service of the Creator, blessed be He. And maybe the intention of those that are stringent about the holiness of the commandment, and discourage the hearts of the masses with their words from being involved with it, is good. But in truth, through this, there is the prevention of people from several commandments, and [so] it is a great evil. And [this is] even though I know that those that preach these lessons base themselves on the Talmud Yerushalmi Berakhot 2:3, "About a certain man who deposited a glass with his fellow, and afterwards demanded it [back] from him and [the other] denied [having it]." And the owner of the glass said to him, "'It is not you that I trusted, but that which is on your head that I trusted'" - and their intention is to say that there is a desecration of God's name, to be pious about some commandments and to be evil about others. But this is not my home with God (not how I understand the ways of God); as I know that 'there is no righteous man in the world who does good and never sins,' and nonetheless he is not prevented from being involved with commandments when the good spirit of God clothes him to do the good. As who knows whether maybe he will continue in his good path until the time of his death - and death will come suddenly. And they, may their memory be blessed, have already taught us (Avot 4:2) that "a commandment leads to another commandment" and "the reward for a commandment is another commandment." About all of these things and the good ethics, they, may their memory be blessed, have preceded us and taught us. And those that want to be wise and add upon their words or take away [from them] are not [involved in] wisdom.

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