Menachot 31b — the Talmud in English

For

who said

Rab Hanina, “the

halakha in our Mishna

is in accordance with him,” which implies specifically in the Mishna the halakha is in accordance with him, but not in a

beraita—yet he

said, “Every place where Rabbi Shimon Shezuri taught, the halakha is in accordance with him,”

and if so, this halakha too is included in this general rule?

and if so, this halakha is also included in that general rule!

Rav Zeira said that Rav Hananel said that Rav: A tear,

which tore a sheet of a Torah scroll from top to bottom or from bottom to top,

extending over two lines

within the writing [and in such a manner that the writing was not torn, such as between the letters],

he shall sew

the tear, and the Torah scroll is fit.

But if the tear entered

three

lines,

he shall not sew

the tear; rather, he shall remove the entire sheet. [Because sewing is not aesthetically suitable. Rivash, responsum no. 30]. 72.

Rabba Zutra said to Rav Ashi: This is what Rabbi Yirmeya of Difti said in the name of Rava. That which we say

that if the tear entered

three lines, he shall not sew it—we said this only with regard to an old one

on old parchment, on which the sewing is ugly.

But with regard to a new one,

new parchment—

we have no concern!

And this that we say “old” and “new”:

not “old”

meaning

truly old, and not “new”

meaning

truly new; rather, this

is considered like a new sheet, in a manner

that it was not treated with gallnuts,

that the parchment was not prepared with gallnuts, even though it is old; and

this

which is considered like an old one concerns even new parchment

that was treated with gallnuts,

when the parchment was prepared with gallnuts, for then the parchment is black and appears old. 74.

And these words

that one sews in a Torah scroll

with sinews

of an animal, for it is possible to sew only with them;

but with threads,

weaving threads,

not

shall he sew!

Rav Yehuda bar Abba raised a question:

A Torah scroll in which there was a tear in the margin that

was between one page and another

and the tear reached opposite the writing, and the length of the tear was equivalent to more than three written lines, or the tear was

between one line and another ,

what

is its remedy? Does it have a remedy through sewing, or not?

And we conclude:

teiku!

Rav Zeiri said that Rav Hananel said that Rav: A mezuzah that one wrote

in short lines, writing

two and two

words in each line,

is fit!

They raised a question:

If in the first line he wrote

two

words, and in the second line he wrote

three

words, and in the third line he wrote only

one

word,

what is the law?

Rav Naḥman said: All the more so

that it is fit, because

he made it like

the writing of

a song!

For it resembles the form of writing of the Song at the Sea, in which one initially writes one long line and beneath it one line shorter than it, which is not as long as the line opposite it above!

He raised an objection: If he made it

[the Gemara now understands that the subject is a mezuzah]

like

the form of writing of

a song,

or if he wrote in a Torah scroll

the song in its form [that he wrote the song like the other ordinary writings], behold, it is writing

[meaning that he wrote the song in the ordinary form of writing], it is a

disqualified?!

And we answer:

When that was taught, it was in a Torah scroll

and not in a mezuzah: he wrote the other Torah passages in the form of a brick upon a base, for writing in such a manner is fit only for writing the song and not for writing other passages. 81.

It was also stated: Rabba bar bar Ḥana said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said—and some say that Rav Aḥa bar bar Ḥana said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: A mezuzah that he made

by writing in it three lines, and in those three lines he wrote in the first

two

words, and in the second line he wrote

three

words, and beneath it, in the third line, he wrote only

one

word, behold it is

fit,

provided that he does not make it like a hut,

like a tent that is wide below and narrow above [that is, one word, two, and three].

And provided that he does not make it like a tail [that is, three, two, one].

that is, three, two, and one].

Rav Ḥisda said:

One who writes mezuzot must write the two last words of the mezuzah, which are

“upon the earth,”

by themselves

in the last line

of the mezuzah!

Some say

that one writes “upon the earth”

at the end of the line,

and this is the form of the writing: “to give them as the days of the heavens upon the earth” .

And some say

that one writes them

at the beginning of the line,

and this is the form: “to give them as the days of the heavens upon the earth.” 83.

The one who says

that one writes them

at the end of the line

holds that, because it is said in Psalms,

“As the heavens are high above the earth,

His kindness has prevailed over those who fear Him,” therefore the words “as the days of the heavens” must be written above the words “upon the earth,” implying that just as the heavens are high above the earth, so shall your days be lengthened.

And the one who says

that one writes them

at the beginning of the line [and the days of the heavens are not written above “the earth”] holds that the earth must be distanced from the heavens, for this is the meaning of the verse:

“Just as the heavens are distanced from the earth,

so shall your days be lengthened!”

Rabbi Ḥelbo said: I saw Rav Huna rolling it

the mezuzah

from “one” toward “Shema.”

He would fold the mezuzah from the word “one,” which is on the left, toward the word “Shema,” which is on the right. At the beginning of the first line of the mezuzah the word “Shema” is written, and at the end of the line the word “one” is written. When he came to roll the mezuzah in order to place it in the doorway, he would begin the folding at the word “one” until he reached the word “Shema.” 84.

In the Torah there are two types of sections: an open section and a closed section. An open section is a new section that is not connected to the preceding one, whereas a closed section is a continuation of the section before it . A “open” section begins its writing at the beginning of the line. A “closed” section begins its writing in the middle of the line. 86.

And

Rav Huna

would make

its sections

of the mezuzah

closed!

That is, he completed the first section after the beginning of the line, left a space in the middle of the line, and began the second section at the end of that same line.

In the hide of an animal there are three parts upon which one writes phylacteries, mezuzot, and a Torah scroll. They are: gevil, parchment, and dukhsustos. Gevil is hide from which nothing has been removed. Dukhsustos is hide that is divided into two, and the part facing the flesh is called dukhsustos. Parchment is the part facing the hair [and some have written the opposite].

He raised an objection: Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar said: Rabbi Meir would write it on dukhsustos, in the form of a page,

that is, like a long and narrow column.