Menachot 77

דלמא דאיקטר

Perhaps [they said so only where] there were knots [after each joint].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Where, however, there were no knots after each joint, a curtailed thread would render the whole invalid. Hence there is no proof that there must be a knot after each joint. rae');">¹</span> Raba also said, You can infer from this that the upper knot<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Here Rashi suggests, either the last knot (as above) that is furthest from the garment at the end of all the windings, or (v. Tosaf. s.v.) the first knot that is made as soon as the threads have been inserted in the corner of the garment.');">²</span> is an ordinance of the Torah;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., a law given to Moses at Sinai.');">³</span>

ואמר רבה שמע מינה קשר עליון דאורייתא דאי ס"ד דרבנן מאי איצטריך למישרי סדין בציצית פשיטא התוכף תכיפה אחת אינו חיבור אלא שמע מינה דאורייתא

for should you say it is a Rabbinic ordinance,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' But by Biblical law it is not necessary to tie the threads together, not even to the garment.');">⁴</span> then why was it necessary for the Torah to permit the insertion of [woollen] fringes in a [linen] garment?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This is established by the juxtaposition of the texts, viz., (Deut. XXII, 12) Thou shalt not wear a mingled stuff, wool and limen together, and');">⁵</span> One would have no doubt about it, for if one merely fastens together [two pieces] with one fastening<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., joining cloths of wool and of linen with a single stitch or knot.');">⁶</span>

אמר רבה בר רב אדא אמר רב אדא אמר רב אם נפסק החוט מעיקרו פסולה יתיב רב נחמן וקא אמר להא שמעתא איתיביה רבא לרב נחמן במה דברים אמורים בתחילתו אבל סופו שיריו וגרדומיו כל שהוא

no connection is thereby formed!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' So that by merely threading the woollen strands through the linen garment there is no infringement of the law of 'mixed stuffs'; hence there was no necessity for an express permission by Holy Writ.');">⁷</span> You can therefore infer from this that it is an ordinance of the Torah. Rabbah son of R'Adda said in the name of R'Adda who said it in the name of Rab, If a thread had snapped at the top,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Close to the garment; the entire thread had thus broken away.');">⁸</span>

מאי שיריו ומאי גרדומיו מאי לאו שיריו דאיפסיק מינייהו ואישתייר מינייהו גרדומיו דאיגרדום איגרדומי

it is invalid. R'Nahman was sitting and repeating the above rule when Raba raised the following objection against him: This<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That the fringes must be of a prescribed minimum length; cf. infra 41b.');">⁹</span> applies only at the outset,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., in the first instance when attaching the fringes to the garment.');">¹⁰</span>

לא חדא קתני שיורי גרדומיו כל שהוא ולימא גרדומיו שיריו למה לי הא קמ"ל דבעינן שיורא לגרדומיו כדי לענבן

but later on<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' l.e., if at one time the fringes had been of the prescribed length, but had later been reduced.');">¹¹</span> the remnants thereof and the curtailed threads thereof may be of any length whatsoever. Now what is meant by 'remnants' and what by 'curtailed threads'?

יתיב רבה וקאמר משמיה דרב חוט של כרך עולה מן המנין אמר ליה רב יוסף שמואל אמרה ולא רב איתמר נמי אמר רבה בר בר חנה סח לי רבי יאשיה דמן אושא חוט של כרך עולה לה מן המנין

Presumably 'remnant' means that a part [of the thread] had broken off and a part had remained, and 'curtailed' means that [the thread] had entirely broken away!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Thou shalt make thee twisted cords, intimating that the former prohibition is superseded by the precept of zizith.');">¹²</span> - No, both terms must be taken together thus, the remnants of the curtailed threads may be of any length whatsoever. Then it should have mentioned only 'the curtailed threads'; why does it add 'the remnants'? - It teaches us that there must be left a remnant of the curtailed threads sufficient to make a loop therewith.

יתיב רבא וקא אמר משמיה דשמואל תכלת שכרך רובה כשרה אמר ליה רב יוסף רב אמרה ולא שמואל איתמר נמי אמר רב הונא בר יהודה אמר רב ששת אמר רב ירמיה בר אבא אמר רב תכלת שכרך רובה כשרה

Rabbah was sitting and reciting the following in the name of Rab: The thread that is used for winding is included in the number of threads.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' To make up the requisite number of eight threads.');">¹³</span> Whereupon R'Joseph said to him, It was Samuel who said it and not Rab. It has also been reported: Rabbah B'Bar Hanah said, R'Josiah of Usha told me that the thread used for winding is included in the number of threads.

רב חייא בריה דרב נתן מתני הכי אמר רב הונא אמר רב ששת אמר רב ירמיה בר אבא אמר רב תכלת שכרך רובה כשרה ואפילו לא כרך בה אלא חוליא אחת כשרה ונויי תכלת שליש גדיל ושני שלישי ענף

Rabbah again was sitting and reciting the following in the name of Samuel: If the greater part of the fringe<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'the blue'.');">¹⁴</span> was wound around,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Contrary to the prescribed requirement of two thirds hanging loose as locks, v. infra. thkuj');">¹⁵</span> it is still valid.

וכמה שיעור חוליא תניא רבי אומר כדי שיכרוך וישנה וישלש תאנא הפוחת לא יפחות משבע והמוסיף לא יוסיף על שלש עשרה

Whereupon R'Joseph said to him, It was Rab who said it and not Samuel. Indeed it has been reported: R'Huna B'Judah said in the name of R'Shesheth who said it in the name of R'Jeremiah B'Abba who in turn said it in the name of Rab, If the greater part of the fringe was wound around, it is still valid. R'Hiyya the son of R'Nathan reports it as follows: R'Huna said in the name of R'Shesheth who said it in the name of R'Jeremiah B'Abba who said it in the name of Rab, If the greater part of the fringe was wound around, it is still valid.

הפוחת לא יפחות משבע כנגד שבעה רקיעים והמוסיף לא יוסיף על שלש עשרה כנגד שבעה רקיעין וששה אוירין שביניהם

And even if only one joint<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' , a section of the fringe around which a thread has been wound several times, and bounded at each end by a knot. khsd');">¹⁶</span> was made, it is valid. It is most becoming, however, for the fringe to be wound around<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This part is termed . ;bg');">¹⁷</span>

תנא כשהוא מתחיל מתחיל בלבן הכנף מין כנף וכשהוא מסיים מסיים בלבן מעלין בקודש ולא מורידין

for a third [of its length] and the remaining two thirds [to hang loose] as locks.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'a branch' .');">¹⁸</span> What is the minimum length of a joint? - It was taught: Rabbi says, [In a joint] the thread must be wound once, twice and a third time. It was taught: If a man wishes to make few,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Sc. joints; so Rashi and Maim. According to Nimukke Joseph the reference is to the number of windings in each joint.');">¹⁹</span>

רב ורבה בר בר חנה הוו יתבי הוה קא חליף ואזיל ההוא גברא דמיכסי גלימא דכולה תכלתא ורמי ליה תכלתא

he should not make less than seven, and if many, he should not make more than thirteen. If few, he should not make less than seven, to correspond to the seven heavens;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' v. Hag. 12b. For the connection between the heavens and the zizith v. infra 43b.');">²⁰</span> and if many, he should not make more than thirteen, to correspond to the seven heavens plus the six intervening spaces. A Tanna taught: At the start one begins to wind with the white thread, since Holy Writ says 'the corner' [signifying that the thread] of the same [colour] as the corner [must be used first], and at the end one finishe the winding with a white thread, since what is holy we may raise [to a higher degree of sanctity] but not bring down.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The white thread is deemed to be of a higher degree of sanctity since it is mentioned first in the text. The middle joint is wound round with the blue thread.');">²¹</span> Once Rab and Rabbah B'Bar Hanah were sitting together when a man passed by wearing a garment entirely blue, to which were attached fringes