Eruvin 97a — the Talmud in English

Whether new or old, these are the words of Rabbi Meir.

Rabbi Judah prohibits with regard to new ones and permits with regard to old ones.

It is evident, master,

Rabbi Judah

holds: A person takes the trouble

to make an amulet resembling phylacteries, and therefore he prohibits with regard to new ones.

And

Rabbi Meir

holds: A person does not take the trouble. Therefore, even new ones are permitted, for certainly they are phylacteries and not merely an amulet.

And therefore this is not difficult for Rabbi Elazar, for he holds like Rabbi Meir.

(

(The mnemonic is: Shatzi Atzvi.)

Shatzi atzavi—an mnemonic):

And now, since the father of Shmuel bar Rav Yitzhak taught: These are old ones: Any that have straps and are tied,

for the known knot of phylacteries has been made in them.

And

new ones,

that is, those that

have straps,

but

are not tied.

And the reason that he prohibits with regard to new ones is not because of the concern lest they be an amulet, but because it is prohibited to make the knot of phylacteries on Shabbat, for it is a permanent knot. And putting on phylacteries that are not tied is not the manner of wearing them.

If so, it is possible to say

that

for

everyone, a person does not take the trouble,

and [the halakha is] like Rabbi Elazar.

And we raise an objection against Shmuel bar Rav Yitzhak: Granted that he cannot tie the phylacteries on Shabbat; nevertheless—

let him tie them with a bow!

Let him make a bow in them, which is permitted on Shabbat, and bring them into the city in this manner?

And we answer:

Rav Ḥisda said: That is to say: A bow is invalid for phylacteries!

For specifically an actual knot is required. And since phylacteries are not valid with a bow, if he makes a bow, this will not be the manner of wearing them.

Abaye said: Rabbi Judah

who prohibits with regard to new ones—follows

his reasoning, for he said: A bow is a proper tying

and one is liable for it on Shabbat; therefore, he cannot make even a bow in the phylacteries.

And we raise an objection to Abaye:

The reason

that it is prohibited with a bow is because

a bow is a proper tying. But

if this were not so—

it would be possible to

make a bow in them.

But Rav Judah, son of Rav Shmuel bar Sheilat, said in the name of Rav: The knot of phylacteries is a halakha given to Moses from Sinai.

The precise form of the knot was stated to Moses at Sinai. [

In the head phylacteries, the knot is made in the form of the letter dalet, and in the box itself the form of a shin protrudes. In the arm phylacteries, the knot is made in the form of the letter yod, and together they form the name “Shaddai.” ]

And Rav Naḥman said: And their ornamental letters—

outward!

So that all those letters should face outward and should not be between the compartments of the phylacteries, in order that they be visible.

And since the form of the knot was stated to Moses from Sinai, it is impossible to make a bow in phylacteries. If so, how did Abaye say that it is possible to make a bow in them, and that only according to Rabbi Judah is it prohibited to make a bow on Shabbat!?

And we resolve:

That he makes a bow in them—

resembling their tying.

He makes the form of the letters with a bow, as in the knot, and it is valid in this manner. He could have brought them into the city in this form. Therefore, Abaye had to explain that Rabbi Judah follows his reasoning, which prohibits a bow on Shabbat.

Rav Ḥisda said in the name of Rav: One who purchases

many pairs of

phylacteries from one who is not an expert,

in order to sell them—

examines two

phylacteries

of the arm, and

one

phylactery of the head. Or two

phylacteries

of the head

and

one

phylactery of the arm.

And that is sufficient.

For if three valid phylacteries are found in his possession, this seller is established as an expert, and it is permitted to take phylacteries from him without examining them.

And we examine this matter:

What is your reasoning?

If he purchased from one man,

if this person who purchased many phylacteries purchased all the phylacteries from one man, and the seller likewise purchased them from one man—

let him examine three

phylacteries

of the arm or three

phylacteries

of the head,

and he will be established through three phylacteries; why must he examine both those of the arm and those of the head?

And

if he purchased from two or three men,

who purchased them from several sellers, what benefit is there in examining three of them? For

each and every one

phylactery separately

should require examination,

lest it come from another seller.

And we answer:

Actually, he purchased from one man.

And it is not difficult that he can be established by examining three of the arm or three of the head, for

we require that he be expert

and be established as an expert also

with regard to those of the arm, and

also

with regard to those of the head.

And we raise an objection:

Is that so? But Rabba bar Shmuel taught: With regard to phylacteries—

he examines three of the arm and of the head.

Is it not so

that this is what he is saying:

Either three of the arm or three of the head?

Thus, he need not become expert in both, and this is difficult for Rav Ḥisda in the name of Rav!?

And we answer:

No,

he did not say this. Rather, this is what he is saying: He examines

three

phylacteries, some

of them of the arm

and some

of them of the head.

And we raise an objection to Rav Ḥisda in the name of Rav, who said that one must examine three phylacteries:

But Rav Kahana taught: With regard to phylacteries, he examines two, of the arm and of the head.

Thus, examining only two is sufficient?

And we resolve:

Who is the author of this

beraita?

It is Rabbi,

who said

with regard to all presumptions in the Torah that

a presumption is established after two occurrences.

And we raise an objection:

If it is Rabbi,

then

say in its latter clause

of that beraita:

And likewise with the second bundle and likewise with the third bundle.

And we had assumed that this is what it means: If he had many bundles [piles of phylacteries tied together], he examines two phylacteries from the first bundle, and through this the entire bundle is established as valid.

And likewise,

he examines two phylacteries

in the second bundle

and it too is established,

and likewise in the third bundle,

and from then on all the bundles are established as valid.

And if it is Rabbi, examination of the

bundle

third—

does he hold of it? And yet, according to him, after the second bundle all the bundles have already been established as valid. For a presumption is established after two occurrences, is it not?

And we resolve:

Rabbi concedes with regard to bundles

that are separate, that the presumption of one of them does not help for the other, because the usual manner is

that he purchases from two or three men,

each bundle from a different man; therefore, each bundle must be examined separately.

And we raise an objection:

If so,

that they purchase the bundles from different men—

even

the

bundle

fourth also, and even

the

bundle

fifth also will require examination.

And why does he teach only, “And likewise with the third bundle”?

And we resolve:

Indeed, so too—

he must examine them all.

And this that he teaches “third”—

is to exclude it from his presumption [

from his presumption], to inform us that from bundle to bundle a presumption is of no benefit at all; since Rabbi taught us that he must examine the third bundle even though after two occurrences there is already a presumption, it necessarily follows that a presumption is not effective here.

Rather,

actually, even

the

fourth and fifth also

must be examined.

We learned in the Mishna:

If he found bundles or wrapped groups.

And we explain:

What are “bundles,” and what are “wrapped groups”?

Rav Judah said in the name of Rav: They are bundles and they are wrapped groups,

meaning piles upon piles of phylacteries.

And the difference between them is:

Bundles

means

pairs upon pairs,

many pairs of arm and head phylacteries tied together in each pile.

Whereas

wrapped groups

means

that many are wrapped,

for the pairs of arm and head are not tied together, but all the phylacteries are tied together in each pile.

We learned in the Mishna: If he found bundles or wrapped groups,

he waits with them until dark and brings them.

And we examine this matter:

And why?

Let him bring them pair by pair,

until he finishes bringing them all?

And we answer:

Rav Yitzhak, son of Rav Judah, said: To me, it was explained by my father: Anything such that, if he brings them pair by pair, they will be finished before sunset

on Shabbat, so that he can manage to bring all of them in before sunset—

he brings them pair by pair.

And if not,

if he cannot manage to bring all of them in before sunset—

he waits with them until dark and brings them.

Since he will have to trouble himself with them until after the conclusion of Shabbat, it is preferable for him to wait with all of them until then and take them together.

We learned in the Mishna:

And in a time of danger, he covers them and proceeds

with them.

And we examine this matter:

But it was taught: And in

a time of

danger—

he carries them less than four cubits at a time,

for each time he comes close to four cubits, he stops briefly and continues, so that he does not carry four cubits at once?

Rav said: This is not difficult.

This [the Mishna] concerns danger from a gentile.

The Mishna is speaking of a case in which the gentiles decreed that phylacteries may not be worn, so he covers them so that they will not lie in disgrace, and goes away without moving them from their place. For if he takes them in his hand, perhaps the matter will become known to the authorities and they will kill him.

This [the beraita] concerns danger from bandits.

The beraita is speaking of one who fears gentile bandits. And it refers to the latter clause of the Mishna, which says that if he found bundles or wrapped groups, he waits with them until dark and brings them. Concerning this the beraita says that if he fears remaining there until evening because he is afraid that bandits will attack him, he carries all of them together less than four cubits at a time, and does not leave them there even covered, so that the bandits will not treat them disgracefully.