Menachot 39a — the Talmud in English

Perhaps

what the sons of Rabbi Hiyya deemed valid regarding the gardumin was speaking of a case in which it happened

that it was tied,

and he tied knots in several coils!?

And Rabba said: Infer from this

from the fact that the Torah needed to permit kilayim in tzitzit by the principle that a positive commandment overrides a prohibition, that the tying of

the upper knot

(which is the lower knot at the end of the braided section , which maintains the braided section above the loose threads) is an obligation

by Torah law.

That is, by Torah law one must make at least one knot in tzitzit, and it must be made at the end of the braided section, above the loose threads.

If it enters your mind

that by Torah law it is not necessary to tie, but it is sufficient that he wind the tzitzit threads and make them into a braided section without tying them, and this braided section will remain intact for a day or two, and the entire obligation of tying is only

rabbinic,

then

why was it necessary to permit a linen sheet

of linen

with tzitzit

of wool and to permit the prohibition of kilayim (for tekhelet is wool dyed with the color tekhelet)? It is possible to avoid tying, and he can suffice with a loop, and then he will again not transgress the prohibition of kilayim. If so,

it is obvious

that it is permitted in such a manner, in which he does not tie, for inserting wool threads into a linen garment is not considered kilayim, since

one who makes a single stitch

of a wool thread into a linen garment

is not

considered

an attachment

with regard to the prohibition of kilayim, and here the insertion of the threads into the garment is only one stitch!?

Rather, infer from this that

it is not sufficient to make a braided section that can exist temporarily; rather, it must be tied at its end. And it is proven from here that the upper knot in tzitzit

by Torah law

is required.

Rabba bar Rav Adda said, Rav Adda said that Rav said: If the head

of the

thread

attached to the tallit

is severed from its root,

the tzitzit is

invalid.

Rav Nahman was sitting and stating this teaching.

Rava raised an objection to Rav Nahman:

We learned in a beraita below, concerning the measure of the tzitzit:

When are these words said—

that a measure is required for tzitzit—

at its beginning,

at the time the tzitzit is made,

but at its end

, after the tzitzit had already been made on the garment and part of its threads were torn,

its remnants and its gardumin

(as will be explained below) are

of any amount.

And we inquire into it:

What are its remnants, and what are its gardumin?

What, is it not that “its remnants” means

that some of them were severed—

some threads of the tzitzit—

and some of them remained

a little?

“Its gardumin” means

that it was severed in severings—the thread entirely, up to its attachment to the main part of the garment. And this is difficult for the one who says that if the thread is severed from its root, it is invalid!? And we answer:

And we answer:

No.

The beraita is not presenting two different cases, “its remnants” and “its gardumin,” with the latter meaning that the thread was severed from its root. Rather,

it teaches one thing

in the beraita:

the remnants of its gardumin are

of any amount.

That is, specifically when something remains from the thread; but if the thread was severed from its root, it is invalid.

And we object: If so,

let him say, “its gardumin

are of any amount”! For the meaning of the word gardumin is remnants, and what need is there for the tannai to add

“its remnants”—

why do I need it?

And we answer:

This teaches us that a remnant is required for its gardumin,

and any amount is not sufficient. And what is the measure that must remain?

Enough to make a loop,

and if it was severed entirely, it is invalid. The wording of the beraita, “of any amount,” means enough to make a loop; and the repetition of the terms “its remnants” and “its gardumin” teaches you that the remnant must have significance, that it must be at least enough to make a loop.

Rabba was sitting and stating in the name of Rav: The winding thread,

with which he winds the threads in the braided section,

counts toward the number

of the eight threads.

Rav Yosef said to Rabba:

Regarding

Shmuel,

it is he

who said it—this law, and not Rav!

It was also stated: Rabba bar bar Hana said: Rabbi Yoshiyya of Usha related to me: The winding thread counts for it

as tzitzit

toward the number

of the eight threads.

Rava was sitting and stating in the name of Shmuel:

The tekhelet

(this is what the tzitzit is called)

of which the majority was wound,

and he made two-thirds braided section and one-third loose threads—

is valid,

even though ideally its commandment is that it be made one-third braided section and two-thirds loose threads.

Rav Yosef said to him: Rav said it,

this law,

and not Shmuel

said it!

It was also stated—

Rav Huna bar Yehuda said that Rav Sheshet said that Rav Yirmeya bar Abba said that Rav said: Tekhelet of which the majority was wound is valid.

Rav Hiyya son of Rav Natan taught it this way: Rav Huna said that Rav Sheshet said that Rav Yirmeya bar

Abba said that Rav said: Tekhelet of which the majority was wound—

is valid.

And likewise, to the contrary:

Even if he did not wind with it,

in the braided section,

but only one coil,

where he encircled the threads of the braided section with the winding thread only three times, it is

valid.

And the beauty of tekhelet

— that is, the primary form of the commandment of tzitzit ideally—is to make it

one-third braided section and two-thirds fringe

of separate loose threads.

And how much

is

the measure of a link,

how many windings must one make in order to obtain one “link”? [And the number of links will be explained below]

It was taught: Rabbi says:

the measure of a link is

so that he winds, repeats, and trebles.

It was taught: One who decreases

in making the links,

shall not decrease below seven

links.

And one who adds shall not add beyond thirteen

thirteen

links.

And we explain:

“One who decreases shall not decrease below seven”—

corresponding to the seven firmaments,

Almighty, through the resemblance of tekhelet to the sea, and of the sea to the heavens].

And one who adds shall not add beyond thirteen, corresponding to the seven firmaments and the six airs between them.

It was taught: When he

comes to begin making the tzitzit, and he

begins

to wind the braid,

he begins winding

with a long winding thread

in white,

because it is said: “And they shall place on the tzitzit

of the corner,”

and we expound that first he must place a thread that is

of the kind of the corner,

and most corners of garments are made of white linen.

And when he finishes

the winding of the braid, he

finishes

again

in white, because one raises in holiness and does not lower.

That is, the white thread which we learned from the verse “of the kind of the corner” is the first, and it is more important than the thread of tekhelet. Therefore, if he first placed a white thread and afterward a thread of tekhelet, it appears that the completion of the winding is in tekhelet, which is lesser in importance, and it is found that the completion is a lowering in holiness; and the law is that one raises in holiness and does not lower. Therefore, he must return and wind with a white thread, so that the end of the winding will be with a raising in holiness.

Rav and Rabbah bar bar Hannah were sitting. A certain man wearing a cloak that was entirely

made

of tekhelet, and he attached tekhelet to it ![](pamud.bmp "

exact column location") [tzitzit]

and the braid was braided,

and that tzitzit was made entirely as a braid, and he did not make for it a fringe of separate threads.