Menachot 84

מפשרניא ספר תורה תפילין ומזוזות שכתבן צדוקי כותי עובד כוכבים עבד אשה וקטן מומר פסולין שנאמר וקשרתם וכתבתם כל שישנו בקשירה ישנו בכתיבה כל שאינו בקשירה אינו בכתיבה

of Pashrunia taught: A scroll of the Law, tefillin and mezuzoth written by a min,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Heb. , a sectarian, or heretic. Idolatrous priests, whether Jews or gentiles (Rashi) ; v. Glos. rnun');">¹</span> a Cuthean, a gentile, a slave, a woman, a minor, or an apostate Jew,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Heb. , 'a changed (Israelite) '; a Jew who neglects the practices without discarding the beliefs of Judaism.');">²</span> are invalid, since it says, And thou shalt bind them.

ובישראל א"צ לברך דשלח רב חייא בריה דרב הונא משמיה דר' יוחנן על תפילין של יד אומר ברוך אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו להניח תפילין על תפילין של ראש אומר ברוך אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו על מצות תפילין ואילו לעשות תפילין לא מברך

and thou shalt write them,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. VI, 8, 9.');">³</span> which indicates that those who 'bind' may 'write', but those who do not 'bind' may not 'write'. And yet when made by an Israelite no blessing is pronounced; for R'Hiyya the son of R'Huna sent the following decision in the name of R'Johanan: Over the hand-tefillah one must say, 'Blessed.

אלא לאו היינו טעמא כל מצוה דעשייתה גמר מצוה כגון מילה אע"ג דכשירה בעובד כוכבים בישראל צריך לברך וכל מצוה דעשייתה לאו גמר מצוה כגון תפילין אע"ג דפסולות בעובד כוכבים בישראל אינו צריך לברך

who hast sanctified us by thy commandments and hast commanded us to put on the tefillin'. Over the head-tefillah one must say, 'Blessed. who hast sanctified us by thy commandments and hast given us command concerning the precept of the tefillin'.

ובציצית בהא קמיפלגי מר סבר חובת טלית הוא ומר סבר חובת גברא הוא

But one never says, '[Blessed. and hast commanded us] to make the tefillin!' - Indeed this is the true principle: Wherever a precept is completed by a single act,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'comes to an end by the doing thereof'.');">⁴</span> e.g. , circumcision, although it may be performed by a gentile, when an Israelite performs it he must pronounce a blessing; and wherever a precept is not completed by a single act, e.g. , the tefillin,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For the performance of the precept of tefillin is not completed by the making but by the wearing of them.');">⁵</span>

א"ל רב מרדכי לרב אשי אתון הכי מתניתו לה

although it may be made by a gentile, when an Israelite makes it he does not pronounce a blessing. And as regards the zizith they differ<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' R. Nahman and R. Hisda as to whether one must pronounce a blessing when making the fringes.');">⁶</span> in this: One holds that [the law of zizith] is an obligation resting upon the garment,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This is R. Hisda's view, and therefore as soon as the fringes are inserted in the garment that is the completion of the precept, so that it is necessary to make a blessing at the time.');">⁷</span>

אנן הכי מתנינן לה א"ר יהודה אמר רב מנין לציצית בעובד כוכבים שכשירה שנאמר (במדבר טו, ב) דבר אל בני ישראל ועשו להם ציצית יעשו להם אחרים

whilst the other holds that it is an obligation incumbent upon the person.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' R. Nahman holds that the precept is performed only when the garment is worn, and therefore no blessing is pronounced when inserting the fringes.');">⁸</span> R'Mordecai said to R'Ashi, You have had it reported so;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That fringes made by a gentile are invalid.');">⁹</span> but we had it reported thus: Rab Judah said in the name of Rab, Whence do we know that the zizith made by a gentile is valid?

אמר רב יהודה אמר רב עשאן מן הקוצים ומן הנימין ומן הגרדין פסולה מן הסיסין כשירה

Because it is said, Speak unto the children of Israel and bid them that they make them fringes;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Num. XV, 38. 'They' is taken impersonally, not necessarily the children of Israel.');">¹⁰</span> others may make [the fringes] for them. Rab Judah said in the name of Rab, If a man made [the zizith] from the fringes<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The fringes or tufts of the woven cloth were twisted into zizith, but were not attached to the cloth for this purpose.');">¹¹</span>

כי אמריתה קמיה דשמואל אמר אף מן הסיסין פסולה בעינן טוייה לשמה

of the cloth, or from sewing threads,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That were used in the sewing of the garment and the ends of which were left hanging from the garment.');">¹²</span> or from tufts<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The fringes or tufts of the woven cloth were twisted into zizith, but were not attached to the cloth for this purpose.');">¹¹</span> of the cloth, they are invalid;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since they were not attached to the garment as zizith.');">¹³</span>

כתנאי ציפן זהב או שטלה עליהן עור בהמה טמאה פסולות עור בהמה טהורה כשירות ואע"פ שלא עיבדן לשמן רבן שמעון בן גמליאל אומר אף עור בהמה טהורה פסולות עד שיעבדן לשמן

but if he made them from a ball of thread they are valid.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Even though the thread was not woven specifically for zizith.');">¹⁴</span> When I repeated this before Samuel he said that even if he made them from a ball of thread they are invalid, because it is necessary that the weaving of the thread be done for this purpose. This, however, is a matter of dispute between Tannaim, for it has been taught:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Git. 45b; Sanh. 48b.');">¹⁵</span>

אמר ליה אביי לרב שמואל בר רב יהודה הא תכילתא היכי צבעיתו לה אמר ליה מייתינן דם חלזון וסמנין ורמינן להו ביורה [ומרתחינן ליה] ושקלינא פורתא בביעתא וטעמינן להו באודרא ושדינן ליה לההוא ביעתא וקלינן ליה לאודרא

If a man overlaid [the tefillin] with gold or covered them with the skin of an unclean animal, they are invalid;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Cf. Shab. 108a: That the law of the Lord may be in thy mouth (Ex. XIII, 9) , the tefillin should be made from that which is permissible for food.');">¹⁶</span> if with the skin of a clean animal, they are valid, even though he did not prepare it for this specific purpose. Rabban Simeon B'Gamaliel says, Even if he covered them with the skin of a clean animal they are invalid, unless it had been prepared for this specific purpose.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Similarly the first Tanna and Rabban Simeon b. Gamaliel would differ as to the necessity for weaving the threads specifically for the purpose of zizith. iuzkj');">¹⁷</span>

שמע מינה תלת שמע מינה טעימה פסולה ושמע מינה דבעינן צביעה לשמה ושמע מינה טעימה פסלה

Abaye enquired of R'Samuel B'Rab Judah, How do you dye the blue thread? He replied, We take the blood of hillazon<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Heb. , a species of mollusc. V. Lewysohn, Zoologie des Talmuds, 280-285.');">¹⁸</span> together with other ingredients and put them all in a pot and boil them together.

היינו טעימה פסולה היינו צביעה לשמה אמר רב אשי מה טעם קאמר מה טעם טעימה פסולה משום דבעינן צביעה לשמה

Then we take out a little in an egg-shell and test it on a piece of wool; and we throw away what remains in the egg-shell and burn the wool. One can infer three things from this: [i] that the dye used for testing is unfit;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For dyeing, and the wool dipped in it must be burnt, since it was not dyed for the purpose of the zizith.');">¹⁹</span> [ii] that the dyeing must be for the specific purpose [of the precept]; and [iii] that the dye used for testing renders the rest unfit.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If it is poured back into the vessel with the dye.');">²⁰</span>

כתנאי טעימה פסולה משום שנאמר (שמות כח, לא) כליל תכלת דברי ר' חנינא בן גמליאל

Are not the rules that the test quantity is itself unfit and that the dyeing must be fo the specific purpose [of the precept] identical in meaning? - R'Ashi answered, One states the reason for the other, as much as to say: Why is the test quantity itself unfit? Because the dyeing must be for the specific purpose [of the precept]. This, however, is a matter of dispute between Tannaim, for it has been taught: The test quantity is itself unfit, for it says, All of blue.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ex. XXVIII, 31. The dyeing of the blue thread for the zizith should be the first use of the dye, i.e. nothing should have been dyed with this dye previously. Hence the quantity of dye used in testing is not valid for the zizith.');">²¹</span>

רבי יוחנן בן דהבאי אומר אפילו מראה שני שבה כשר משום שנאמר (ויקרא יד, ד) ושני תולעת

So R'Hanina B'Gamaliel. But R'Johanan B'Dahabai says, Even the second dyeing<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., even though something else has already been dyed with this dye. ,gku, hba ,gku, hba');">²²</span> is valid, for it says, And scarlet.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev. XIV, 4. Heb. is interpreted as 'the second use of the scarlet dye'. And so it is too with the blue dye.');">²³</span>

ת"ר תכלת אין לה בדיקה ואין נקחית אלא מן המומחה תפילין יש להם בדיקה ואין ניקחין אלא מן המומחה ספרים ומזוזות יש להן בדיקה וניקחין מכל אדם

Our Rabbis taught: There is no manner of testing the blue thread;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' To ascertain whether it has been dyed with genuine or imitation blue.');">²⁴</span> it should therefore be bought only from an expert.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' One who knows that vegetable blue or any other imitation blue is unfit for the purpose.');">²⁵</span> The tefillin can be tested,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' To ascertain whether they have been made according to prescribed law and whether the Scriptural portions therein have been correctly written.');">²⁶</span>

ותכלת אין לה בדיקה והא רב יצחק בריה דרב יהודה בדיק ליה (סי' בגשם) מייתי מגביא גילא ומיא דשבלילתא ומימי רגלים

nevertheless they should only be bought from an expert.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' One who knows that it is essential to prepare the leather specifically for the tefillin.');">²⁷</span> Scrolls of the Law and mezuzoth can be tested, and may be bought from anyone.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since it is not necessary that the parchment upon which they are written be prepared specially for the purpose. oad d tkhd a ackhk,t n');">²⁸</span> Is there then no manner of testing the blue thread? But R'Isaac the son of R'Judah used to test it (mnemonic sign: with Ge Shem)<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' being the initial letters of the ingredients used in the mixture for testing: for (alum) , for (fenugreek) and for ohkdr hn');">²⁹</span> thus: He used to mix together liquid alum, juice of fenugreek, and urine