Menachot 68

Our Rabbis taught: It is written, Letotefeth, letotefeth, and letotafoth,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The word (frontlets, i.e., the tefillin) occurs three times in the Torah, twice (Deut. VI, 8 and XI, 18) defectively written, so that ,upyyk in each instance the word might be read in the singular, and once (Ex. XIII, 16) written plene, , which indicates the plural number,' thus ,upyyk making a total of four. It must be noted that this Talmudic statement does not agree with the Masoretic text, for , written plene, is not to ,pyyk be found at all in our versions. V. Tosaf. s.v. .');">¹</span> making four in all.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Hence the rule that the tefillin worn on the head must be composed of four compartments, each containing a specified portion of Scripture.');">²</span> So R'Ishmael. R'Akiba says, There is no need of that interpretation, for 'tot' means two in Katpi<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' perhaps the Coptic language.');">³</span>

and 'foth' means two in Afriki.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The language of N. Africa.');">⁴</span> Our Rabbis taught: I might have said that one should write [the Scriptural portions] upon four pieces of parchment and put them in four compartments made out of four pieces of leather; the verse therefore says, And for a memorial between thine eyes:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ex. XIII, 9.');">⁵</span> one memorial I commanded you, but not two or three memorials. How then should one do?

One should write them upon four pieces of parchment and put them in four compartments made out of one piece of leather.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This was constructed with the aid of a mould or frame over which the hide, flexible and moist, was tautly stretched and allowed to harden, thus assuming the required form.');">⁶</span> If, however, one wrote them upon one parchment and put them in the four compartments,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The four portions were written upon one long strip of parchment with large blank spaces between one portion and the other, and the parchment was so placed in the compartments that each portion occupied a separate compartment, and the blank spaces of the parchment corresponded with the spaces between the compartments.');">⁷</span> that is sufficient. There must be a blank space between each [portion].

So Rabbi; but the Sages say, This is not necessary. They agree, however, that between each there must be a line or a thread.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., although the Sages do not insist upon the leaving of a blank space between one portion and the other, they nevertheless concede to Rabbi that each portion must be separated and marked off from the others at least by a thread. Others explain: even when the four portions are in four separate compartments, each portion must be tied up with a thread. V. Sh. Mek. n. 4.');">⁸</span> And if the divisions [between the compartments] were not noticeable,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Although consisting of four compartments they were so firmly united that the divisions were no longer noticeable from the outside.');">⁹</span> they are invalid.

Our Rabbis taught: How must one write them? The portions for the hand-tefillah<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the tefillah (sing. of tefillin) that is put on the arm.');">¹⁰</span> one should write upon one piece of parchment; if one wrote them upon four pieces of parchment and put them in one compartment that is still valid. They must, however, be fastened together,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Into one piece, either sewn together or joined together with glue.');">¹¹</span>

for it is written, And it shall be for a sign un thee upon thy hand<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ex. XIII, 9.');">¹²</span> and as outside it is one sign, so inside, too, it must be one sign. This is the opinion o R'Judah. But R'Jose says, This is not necessary.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Sc. to join the pieces of parchment into one.');">¹³</span>

Moreover, said R'Jose, R'Judah Berabbi<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' 'The eminent scholar' (Rashi) . V. Nazir (Sonc. ed.) p. 64, n. 1.');">¹⁴</span> concedes to me that if a man has no hand-tefillah but has two head-tefillahs, he may cover up one of them with a skin and place it [on his arm].' Concede', [you say,] but that is the very issue between them!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' R. Judah maintaining that the hand-tefillah must be one inside as it is outside. hsa');">¹⁵</span> - Raba answered, R'Jose's statement proves that R'Judah withdrew his opinion.

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?');">¹⁶</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.');">¹⁷</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.');">¹⁸</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.');">¹⁹</span>

[we must say that the owner] had made a reservation with regard to it from the very outset.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Namely, that if he should require it for use as a hand-tefillah he will convert it to that use.');">²⁰</span> Our Rabbis taught: What is the order [of the four Scriptural portions in the head-tefillah]? 'Sanctify unto Me'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ex. XIII, 1-10.');">²¹</span> and 'And it shall be when the Lord shall bring thee'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. 11-16.');">²²</span> are on the right, while 'Hear'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. VI, 4-9.');">²³</span>

and 'And it shall come to pass if ye shall hearken diligently'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. XI, 13-21.');">²⁴</span> are on the left. But there has been taught just the reverse? - Abaye said, This is no contradiction, for in the one case<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In the first Baraitha.');">²⁵</span> the reference is to the right of the reader,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the person facing the one that wears the tefillin.');">²⁶</span>

whereas in the other it is to the right of the one that wears them; the reader thus reads them<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' When reading the portions from right to left (Rashi) .');">²⁷</span> according to their order.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Sc. as they are found in the Torah, and that is, the order as given in the first Baraitha (Rashi) . According to R. Tam's interpretation of the first Baraitha, which states the order from the reader's point of view, the sections occupy the following places: 'Sanctify' is on the extreme right, to the left of it is 'And it shall be when the Lord shall bring thee', next to it is 'And it shall come to pass if ye shall hearken diligently', and on the extreme left is 'Hear'.');">²⁸</span> R'Hananel said in the name of Rab, If a man reversed the order of the Scriptural portions, it is invalid. Abaye said, This is so