Menachot 67

אדעתא דגינה הוא דעבידא

made for the sake of the garden. Abaye and Raba decided in accordance with the views of Rabbah and R'Joseph, whilst R'Ashi decided in accordance with the views of Rab and Samuel, adopting the stricter ruling.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., accepting R. Jose's ruling. So that in all the circumstances stated a mezuzah is necessary.');">¹</span>

אביי ורבא עבדי כרבה ורב יוסף ורב אשי עביד כרב ושמואל לחומרא והילכתא כרב ושמואל לחומרא

And the law is in accordance with the views of Rab and Samuel, adopting the stricter ruling. It was stated: As for a staircase which leads from one room to an upper room,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' It was usual to place a door at the foot of the staircase or at the top so as to afford privacy to the tenants of the upper and lower floors. Sometimes a door was placed both at the foot and at the top of the staircase.');">²</span>

איתמר לול פתוח מן הבית לעלייה אמר רב הונא אם יש לו פתח אחד חייב במזוזה אחת אם יש לו ב' פתחין חייב בשתי מזוזות אמר רב פפא שמע מינה מדרב הונא האי אינדרונא דאית ליה ארבעה באבי חייב בארבע מזוזות פשיטא לא צריכא אף על גב דרגיל בחד

R'Huna said, If it has but one door, it requires one mezuzah only, but if it has two doors, it requires two mezuzoth. R'Papa said, One can learn from R'Huna's dictum that a room that has four doors requires four mezuzoth.

אמר אמימר האי פיתחא דאקרנא חייב במזוזה אמר ליה רב אשי לאמימר והא לית ליה פצימין א"ל עדי פצימי

Is not this obvious? - It was necessary to be stated even though one [door] was mostly used.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' All four doors, nevertheless, must be provided with mezuzoth.');">³</span> Amemar said, A door which is in the corner<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the door was placed in a corner of the room at an angle to each of the adjoining walls (see drawing) . According to Asheri the meaning is that the whole of one wall was taken up by the door.');">⁴</span>

רב פפא איקלע לבי מר שמואל חזא ההוא פיתחא דלא הוה ליה אלא פצים אחד משמאלא ועבידא ליה מזוזה א"ל כמאן כר"מ אימר דאמר ר"מ מימין משמאל מי אמר

requires a mezuzah. Thereupon R'Ashi said to Amemar, But it has no posts! - He replied, Here are its posts.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The extremities of the two walls to which the door is attached form the door-posts.');">⁵</span>

מאי היא דתניא ביתך ביאתך מן הימין אתה אומר מן הימין או אינו אלא משמאל ת"ל ביתך מאי תלמודא אמר רבה דרך ביאתך מן הימין דכי עקר איניש כרעיה דימינא עקר

R'Papa once came to Mar Samuel's house and saw there a door which had only one door-post, and that on the left side, to which was affixed a mezuzah. He said, Apparently this is in accord with R'Meir,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Who holds that a door which has only one door-post must, nevertheless, have a mezuzah.');">⁶</span>

רב שמואל בר אחא קמיה דרב פפא משמיה דרבא בר עולא אמר מהכא (מלכים ב יב, י) ויקח יהוידע הכהן ארון אחד ויקב חור בדלתו ויתן אותו אצל המזבח מימין בבוא איש בית ה' ונתנו שמה הכהנים שומרי הסף את כל הכסף המובא בית ה'

but might not R'Meir have said so only when [the post was] on the right side; did he say so when it was on the left side? What is [your authority for] this?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That the right side only was meant. l,hc l,thc');">⁷</span>

מאי ר"מ דתניא בית שאין לו אלא פצים אחד ר"מ מחייב במזוזה וחכמים פוטרין מאי טעמא דרבנן (דברים ו, ט) מזוזות כתיב

- It was taught: [Upon the doorposts of] thy house:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. VI, 9. Heb. 'thy house' is interpreted as 'thy entering'.');">⁸</span> that is, upon the right side as you enter.

מ"ט דר' מאיר דתניא מזוזות שומע אני מיעוט מזוזות שתים כשהוא אומר (דברים יא, כ) מזוזות בפרשה שניה שאין תלמוד לומר הוי ריבוי אחר ריבוי ואין ריבוי אחר ריבוי אלא למעט מעטו הכתוב למזוזה אחת דברי ר' ישמעאל

You say, the right side, but perhaps it is not that but the left side? The ver therefore says, 'Thy house'.

ר"ע אומר אינו צריך כשהוא אומר (שמות יב, כג) על המשקוף ועל שתי המזוזות שאין ת"ל שתי מה ת"ל שתי זה בנה אב כל מקום שנאמר מזוזות אינו אלא אחת עד שיפרט לך הכתוב שתים

How is this derived [from the verse]? Rabbah explained, 'As you enter' implies the right side, for when a man steps [into his house] he steps in with his right foot first.

ת"ר וכתבתם יכול יכתבנה על האבנים נאמר כאן כתיבה ונאמר להלן כתיבה מה להלן על הספר אף כאן על הספר

R'Samuel B'Aha quoting Raba B''Ulla derived it in the presence of R'Papa from the following verse: And Jehoiada the priest took a chest, and bored a hole in the lid of it, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one cometh in the house of the Lord; and the priests that kept the threshold put therein all the money that was brought into the house of the Lord.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' II Kings XII, 10. Hence whatever is to be placed at the entrance of a house must be placed on the right side.');">⁹</span> What is this view of R'Meir? - It was taught: A house that has only one door-post requires a mezuzah according to R'Meir; but the Sages exempt it.

או כלך לדרך זו נאמר כאן כתיבה ונאמר להלן כתיבה מה להלן על האבנים אף כאן על האבנים

What is the reason for the Sages' view? - Because it is written The door-posts.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. ibid. The use of the plural implies a minimum of two.');">¹⁰</span> And what is the reason for R'Meir's view? - It was taught: It is written 'The door-posts', and I know that the minimum of 'door-posts' is two; since, however, in the second portion<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Inscribed in the mezuzah.');">¹¹</span>

נראה למי דומה דנין כתיבה הנוהגת לדורות מכתיבה הנוהגת לדורות ואין דנין כתיבה הנוהגת לדורות מכתיבה שאינה נוהגת לדורות וכמו שנאמר להלן (ירמיהו לו, יח) ויאמר להם ברוך מפיו יקרא אלי את הדברים האלה ואני כותב על הספר בדיו

the verse also says the doorposts,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. XI, 20.');">¹²</span> which is unnecessary, we have then an inclusive term following another inclusive term, and whenever an inclusive term follows another inclusive term its effect is to restrict;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For here each expression by itself indicates plurality, and since it is repeated Scripture thereby intimates that the condition of plurality is no longer essential.');">¹³</span>

אמר ליה רב אחא בריה דרבא לרב אשי רחמנא אמר על מזוזות ואת אמרת נילף כתיבה כתיבה אמר קרא (דברים ו, ט) וכתבתם כתיבה תמה והדר על המזוזות

Scripture has thus brought down the law to one door-post.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That a door which has only one door-post requires a mezuzah.');">¹⁴</span> This is the argument of R'Ishmael.

ומאחר דכתיב [וכתבתם] האי גזירה שוה למה לי אי לאו גזירה שוה הוה אמינא ליכתבא אאבנא וליקבעה אסיפא קמ"ל:

R'Akiba says, This is unnecessary; for it is written, Upon the lintel and on the two side-posts.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ex. XII, 23.');">¹⁵</span> Now there was no need for Scripture to say: 'two'; what then does it mean by 'two'?

ארבע פרשיות שבתפילין מעכבות זו את זו ואפילו כתב אחד מעכבן: פשיטא

It lays down the principle that wherever' 'door-posts' are mentioned only one is meant unless the verse expressly says 'two'. Our Rabbis taught: It is written, And thou shalt write them.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. VI, 9.');">¹⁶</span>

אמר רב יהודה אמר רב לא נצרכא אלא לקוצו של יו"ד והא נמי פשיטא לא נצרכא אלא לאידך דרב יהודה דאמר רב יהודה אמר רב כל אות שאין גויל מוקף לה מארבע רוחותיה פסולה:

It is possible to think that this means that one should write [the portion] upon the stones [of the house], therefore it uses the expression 'writing' here and the expression 'writing' there,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In the law of a bill of divorce; cf. ibid. XXIV, 1. So Rashi; Tosaf. suggest that the reference is to the scroll used in the case of a woman suspected of adultery, cf. Num. V, 23, or to the Book of the Law written by the king, cf. Deut. XVII, 18.');">¹⁷</span> and as in the latter case it means upon a scroll so here it means upon a scroll. Or perhaps argue this way: it uses the expression 'writing' here and the expression 'writing' there,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' With reference to the memorial of stones to be set up by the Israelites when they cross the Jordan, and upon which are to be written all the words of the law; cf. ibid. XXVII, 3ff.,');">¹⁸</span> as there it means upon the stones so here it means upon the stones. Let us then see to which [of the two] is this case most similar. We may infer the 'writing' which is intended as a precept for all times from the 'writing' which is also intended as a precept for all times, but we may not infer the 'writing' which is intended as a precept for all times from the 'writing' which is not intended as a precept for all times.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The engraving upon the stones was an ordinance for that time only.');">¹⁹</span> And [it<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The mezuzah as well as the bill of divorce and the other cases mentioned above in n. 3.');">²⁰</span> must be written with ink] as it says elsewhere, Then Baruch answered them, He pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Jer. XXXVI, 18.');">²¹</span> R'Aha the son of Raba said to R'Ashi, But the Divine Law says upon the door-posts,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., actually written upon the wood. o,c,fu o, c,fu');">²²</span> and you say we must infer the 'writing' here from the 'writing' there [that it shall be written on a scroll]! [He replied,] The verse says, 'And thou shalt write them', which implies a perfect writing,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The Heb. 'and thou shalt write them', is interpreted as though divided into two words: meaning, a perfect writing; and this is the case only when writing is applied with ink upon a scroll, for any writing with ink upon wood or stones would be imperfect and indistinct.');">²³</span> and then [place it] upon the door-posts. But since then it is written, 'And thou shalt write them',<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Signifying that the writing must be upon a scroll.');">²⁴</span> wherefore do I need the analogy of the common expressions? - Without the analogy I should have said that one must write it upon a stone<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., one must carve the words upon a stone, which would also be a perfect and distinct writing.');">²⁵</span> and set it up upon the threshold [as the door-post], it therefore teaches us otherwise. OF THE FOUR PORTIONS OF SCRIPTURE IN THE TEFILLIN, THE [ABSENCE OF] ONE INVALIDATES THE OTHERS; INDEED EVEN ONE [IMPERFECT] LETTER CAN INVALIDATE THE WHOLE. Is not this obvious?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. supra ');">²⁶</span> - Rab Judah answered in the name of Rab, The law had to be taught in respect of the tittle of the letter yod. And is not this, too, obvious? - It was necessary to be taught in respect of the other statement of Rab Judah; for Rab Judah said in the name of Rab, Any letter that is not surrounded on all four sides by a margin of parchment is invalid.