Menachot 87

זיל טפי

is more contemptible.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Or, 'nevertheless go on (including the blessing concerning the slave) ', so as to make up the three blessings.');">¹</span> Our Rabbis taught: The hillazon resembles the sea in its colour,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Or 'its essence', i.e. its blood. V. Lewysohn, op. cit. p. 282.');">²</span>

ת"ר חלזון זהו גופו דומה לים וברייתו דומה לדג ועולה אחד לשבעים שנה ובדמו צובעין תכלת לפיכך דמיו יקרים

and in shape it resembles a fish; it appears<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'comes up', i.e., from the sea; so Rashi in San. ');">³</span> once in seventy years, and with its blood one dyes the blue thread; and therefore it is so expensive.

תניא א"ר נתן אין לך כל מצוה קלה שכתובה בתורה שאין מתן שכרה בעה"ז ולעה"ב איני יודע כמה צא ולמד ממצות ציצית

It was taught: R'Nathan said, There is not a single precept in the Torah, even the lightest, whose reward i not enjoyed in this world; and as to its reward in the future world I know not how great it is. Go and learn this from the precept of zizith.

מעשה באדם אחד שהיה זהיר במצות ציצית שמע שיש זונה בכרכי הים שנוטלת ד' מאות זהובים בשכרה שיגר לה ארבע מאות זהובים וקבע לה זמן כשהגיע זמנו בא וישב על הפתח

Once a man, who was very scrupulous about the precept of zizith, heard of a certain harlot in one of the towns by the sea who accepted four hundred gold [denars] for her hire. He sent her four hundred gold [denars] and appointed a day with her.

נכנסה שפחתה ואמרה לה אותו אדם ששיגר ליך ד' מאות זהובים בא וישב על הפתח אמרה היא יכנס נכנס הציעה לו ז' מטות שש של כסף ואחת של זהב ובין כל אחת ואחת סולם של כסף ועליונה של זהב

When the day arrived he came and waited at her door, and her maid came and told her, 'That man who sent you four hundred gold [denars] is here and waiting at the door'; to which she replied 'Let him come in'. When he came in she prepared for him seven beds, six of silver and one of gold; and between one bed and the other there were steps of silver, but the last were of gold.

עלתה וישבה על גבי עליונה כשהיא ערומה ואף הוא עלה לישב ערום כנגדה באו ד' ציציותיו וטפחו לו על פניו נשמט וישב לו ע"ג קרקע ואף היא נשמטה וישבה ע"ג קרקע אמרה לו גפה של רומי שאיני מניחתך עד שתאמר לי מה מום ראית בי

She then went up to the top bed and lay down upon it naked. He too went up after her in his desire to sit naked with her, when all of a sudden the four fringes [of his garment] struck him across the face; whereupon he slipped off and sat upon the ground.

אמר לה העבודה שלא ראיתי אשה יפה כמותך אלא מצוה אחת ציונו ה' אלהינו וציצית שמה וכתיב בה (במדבר טו, מא) אני ה' אלהיכם שתי פעמים אני הוא שעתיד ליפרע ואני הוא שעתיד לשלם שכר עכשיו נדמו עלי כד' עדים

She also slipped off and sat upon the ground and said, 'By the Roman Capitol,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A form of oath. According to Rashi: By the head of Rome (referring to the Emperor) .');">⁴</span> I will not leave you alone until you tell me what blemish you saw in me.'

אמרה לו איני מניחך עד שתאמר לי מה שמך ומה שם עירך ומה שם רבך ומה שם מדרשך שאתה למד בו תורה כתב ונתן בידה

By the Temple',<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'the service' (of the Temple) .');">⁵</span> he replied, 'never have I seen a woman as beautiful as you are; but there is one precept which the Lord our God has commanded us, it is called zizith, and with regard to it the expression 'I am the Lord your God' is twice written,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Num. XV, 41. The expression is repeated in this verse.');">⁶</span>

עמדה וחילקה כל נכסיה שליש למלכות ושליש לעניים ושליש נטלה בידה חוץ מאותן מצעות

signifying, I am He who will exact punishment in the future, and I am He who will give reward in the future. Now [the zizith] appeared to me as four witnesses [testifying against me]'.

ובאת לבית מדרשו של ר' חייא אמרה לו רבי צוה עלי ויעשוני גיורת אמר לה בתי שמא עיניך נתת באחד מן התלמידים הוציאה כתב מידה ונתנה לו אמר לה לכי זכי במקחך

She said, 'I will not leave you until you tell me your name, the name of your town, the name of your teacher, the name of your school in which you study the Torah'. He wrote all this down and handed it to her.

אותן מצעות שהציעה לו באיסור הציעה לו בהיתר זה מתן שכרו בעה"ז ולעה"ב איני יודע כמה

Thereupon she arose and divided her estate into three parts; one third for the government,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' So that they should not hinder her in her purpose of being converted to Judaism.');">⁷</span> one third to be distributed among the poor, and one third she took with her in her hand; the bed clothes, however, she retained.

אמר רב יהודה טלית שאולה כל שלשים יום פטורה מן הציצית מיכן ואילך חייבת

She then came to the Beth Hamidrash of R'Hiyya, and said to him, 'Master, give instructions about me that they make me a proselyte'.' My daughter', he replied; 'perhaps you have set your eyes on one of the disciples? ' She thereupon took out the script and handed it to him.'

תניא נמי הכי הדר בפונדקי בא"י והשוכר בית בח"ל כל שלשים יום פטור מן המזוזה מיכן ואילך חייב אבל השוכר בית בא"י עושה מזוזה לאלתר משום יישוב דא"י:

Go', said he 'and enjoy your acquisition'. Those very bed-clothes which she had spread for him for an illicit purpose she now spread out for him lawfully.

תפלה של יד אינה מעכבת: אמר רב חסדא לא שנו אלא שיש לו אבל אין לו מעכבת

This is the reward [of the precept] in this world; and as for its reward in the future world I know not how great it is. Rab Judah said, A borrowed garment is exempt from zizith for the first thirty days, thereafter it i subject to it.

אמרו לו אמרת אמר להו לא אלא מאן דלית ליה תרי מצות חד מצוה נמי לא ליעביד ומעיקרא מאי סבר גזירה שמא יפשע

So, too, it was taught in a Baraitha: He who stays at an inn in the Land of Israel or who rents a house outside the Land [of Israel] is, for the first thirty days, exempt from mezuzah, thereafter he is subject to it. But he who rents a house within the Land of Israel is bound to affix a mezuzah forthwith, in order to maintain the settlement in the Land of Israel.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The rule that the tenant must fix the mezuzah will deter him from leaving the premises since he would not be permitted to remove it on leaving; v. B.M. 102a. Furthermore, even if he were to leave the premises the house would soon be let again because of the advantage of its having mezuzoth affixed.');">⁸</span>

אמר רב ששת כל שאינו מניח תפילין עובר בשמונה עשה

THE [ABSENCE OF THE] HAND-TEFILLAH DOES NOT INVALIDATE THE HEAD-TEFILLAH. R'Hisda said, This was taught only when he has [both],<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., he possesses both tefillin; in that case the wearing of one is not dependent upon the other.');">⁹</span>

וכל שאין לו ציצית בבגדו עובר בחמשה עשה

but if he has not [both, the absence of one will certainly] invalidate the other. They asked him, 'Do you still say this? ' 'No', he replied; 'for can it be said that one wh has not the wherewithal to perform two precepts should not even perform one? ' What was his opinion before? - It was only a precaution lest he become negligent [in the precept].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And he will acquire only one tefillah since the use of one is itself a precept.');">¹⁰</span>

וכל כהן שאינו עולה לדוכן עובר בג' עשה

R'Shesheth said, Whosoever does not put on the tefillin transgresses eight precepts;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For in each of the four Scriptural texts of the tefillin there is a twofold injunction, namely, to place the tefillin upon the hand and upon the head; hence the non-observance of this law involves the transgression of these eight commands. V. Rashi.');">¹¹</span> and whosoever has not zizith attached to his garment transgresses five precepts;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The four precepts stated in Num. XV, 38 and 39, and the fifth in Deut. XXII, 12.');">¹²</span>

כל שאין לו מזוזה בפתחו עובר בשני עשה וכתבתם וכתבתם

and every priest who does not go up to the platform<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' To pronounce the priestly benediction.');">¹³</span> transgresses three precepts;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Cf. Num. VI, 23: On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel; ye shall say to them, which contains two precepts, and the third in v. 27: So shall they put My name upon the children of Israel.');">¹⁴</span>

ואמר ר"ל כל המניח תפילין מאריך ימים שנאמר

and whosoever has not a mezuzah on his door transgresses two precepts, namely, And thou shalt write them,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. VI, 9.');">¹⁵</span> And thou shalt write them.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. XI, 20.');">¹⁶</span> Resh Lakish said, He who puts on the tefillin will live long, for it is written,