Menachot 65

בטפח הסמוך לרשות הרבים כמה דמרחק מעלי קמ"ל

in the handbreadth nearest to the street, the further it is from the house the better, he therefore teaches us [that it is not so]. Rab Judah further said in the name of Samuel, If one wrote it on two sheets,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' So Tosaf. and Asheri. According to Rashi: 'in two columns'.');">¹</span>

ואמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל כתבה על שני דפין פסולה מיתיבי כתבה על שני דפין והניחה בשני סיפין פסולה הא בסף אחד כשרה ראויה לשני סיפין קאמר

it is invalid. An objection was raised: It was taught: If one wrote it on two sheets and fixed it on the two door-posts, it is invalid.

ואמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל במזוזה הלך אחר היכר ציר מאי היכר ציר אמר רב אדא אבקתא היכי דמי כגון פיתחא דבין תרי בתי בין בי גברי לבי נשי

It follows, however, that if it was placed on one doorpost it is valid!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Even though written on two sheets; contra Rab Judah.');">²</span> - [The Baraitha] meant that it could be placed on two door-posts.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In the Baraitha cited, the two sheets were actually placed on one door-post, but it could have been placed on the two door-posts since there were separate sheets; thus it is in accordance with Rab Judah.');">³</span>

ריש גלותא בנא ביתא אמר ליה לרב נחמן קבע לי מזוזתא א"ר נחמן תלי דשי ברישא

Rab Judah further said in the name of Samuel, In the law of mezuzah one must be guided by the conclusiveness of the hinge. What is meant by 'the hinge'? - R'Adda said, The sockets [for the pin of the hinge].

אמר רב יהודה אמר רב עשאה כמין נגר פסולה איני והא כי אתא רב יצחק בר יוסף אמר כולהו מזוזתא דבי רבי כמין נגר הוו עבידן וההיא פיתחא דעייל ביה רבי לבי מדרשא לא הוה לה מזוזה לא קשיא הא דעבידא כסיכתא הא דעבידא כאיסתוירא

In what circumstances?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Is one to be guided by the conclusiveness of the hinge.');">⁴</span> - For example, where there is a door between two houses, one house being for men and the other for women.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The mezuzah must be affixed to the right door-post as one enters the house; in this case, however, where one door communicates between two houses, whilst each house has its own door leading into the street, it is difficult to establish which house leads into the other, and on which door-post of this door is the mezuzah to be fixed. We are therefore taught the following test: that side of the door where the sockets for the door-pin are placed is considered to be the inside. Accordingly the mezuzah must be affixed to the right door-post as one enters that house on the inside of which the sockets are found.');">⁵</span>

איני והא ההוא פיתחא דהוה עייל בה רב הונא לבי מדרשא והויא לה מזוזה ההוא רגיל הוה דאמר רב יהודה אמר רב במזוזה הלך אחר הרגיל

The Exilarch once built a house and said to R'Nahman, 'Fix the mezuzoth for me'; whereupon R'Nahman replied, 'First put the door[-posts] in their places'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For only then arises the duty to fix the mezuzah.');">⁶</span> Rab Judah said in the name of Rab, If one fixed it in the manner of a bolt,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., horizontally.');">⁷</span>

א"ר זירא אמר רב מתנא אמר שמואל מצוה להניחה בתחלת שליש העליון ורב הונא אמר מגביה מן הקרקע טפח ומרחיק מן הקורה טפח וכל הפתח כולו כשר למזוזה

it is invalid. But this cannot be for when R'Isaac B'Joseph came [from Palestine] he reported that all the mezuzoth in Rabbi's house were fixed in the manner of a bolt, and also that the door through which Rabbi used to enter the House of Study had no mezuzah! - This is no contradiction, for in the one case it was attached horizontally,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In which case it is invalid.');">⁸</span>

מיתיבי מגביה מן הקרקע טפח ומרחיק מן הקורה טפח וכל הפתח כולו כשר למזוזה דברי רבי יהודה רבי יוסי אומר וקשרתם וכתבתם מה קשירה בגובה אף כתיבה בגובה

in the other it was bent at a right angle.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., partly horizontal and partly vertical; like the thigh and the leg which form a right angle at the knee when sitting. In this case it is valid.');">⁹</span> But this<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The report that the door through which Rabbi used to enter the House of Study had no mezuzah.');">¹⁰</span>

בשלמא לרב הונא הוא דאמר כר' יהודה אלא לשמואל דאמר כמאן לא כר' יהודה ולא כר' יוסי

too cannot be, for the door through which R'Huna used to enter the House of Study had a mezuzah! - That [door] was used more frequently [than the others]. And Rab Judah has said in the name of Rab that in the law of mezuzah one must decide upon the [door] most frequently used.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., in a room which has more than one door the mezuzah must be affixed to that door which is most frequently used.');">¹¹</span>

אמר ר"ה בריה דרב נתן לעולם כרבי יוסי

R'Zera said in the name of R'Mattena who said it in the name of Samuel, The proper performance of the precept is to fix it at the beginning of the upper third of the door-post. But R'Huna said, It must be raised one handbreadth from the ground and it must be one handbreadth away from the lintel, otherwise the whole of the door-post is valid for the mezuzah. An objection was raised: It must be raised one handbreadth from the ground and it must be one handbreadth away from the lintel, otherwise the whole of the door-post is valid for the mezuzah. So R'Judah. R'Jose says, It is written, And thou shalt bind them,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. VI, 8.');">¹²</span> and And thou shalt write them:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. 9.');">¹³</span> as the binding [of the tefillin] is high up,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' At the top of the head; v. infra 37a.');">¹⁴</span> so the writing must be placed high up.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' At the top of the door-post, close to the lintel.');">¹⁵</span> Now according to R'Huna this is well, for he agrees with R'Judah; but with whom does Samuel agree? Neither with R'Judah nor with R'Jose! - R'Huna the son of R'Nathan answered, Indeed he agrees with R'Jose,