Menachot 43b — the Talmud in English

And we object:

But according to the Rabbis,

who disagree with Rabbi Shimon and hold that night too is a time for tzitzit, and that it is a positive commandment not determined by time, and women are obligated,

this

verse

“which you cover with,”

from which Rabbi Shimon expounded to include the garment of a blind person,

what do they do with it?

For they do not need an exposition to include the garment of a blind person, since, as the Rabbis obligate even a nighttime garment in tzitzit, all the more so a blind person’s garment, which is visible to others, is obligated in tzitzit?

And we answer: The Rabbis

need it

to expound this verse

in accordance with that which was taught:

It is written concerning tzitzit: “

You shall make twisted threads for yourself

on the four corners of your garment,”

and we expound: “

four

corners,”

but not three,

for a tallit having three corners is exempt from tzitzit.

You say

to expound so as to exclude

four and not three, or perhaps it does not

come to exclude

anything but four and not five,

so that a tallit having five corners is exempt from tzitzit?

When it says

later in the verse

“which you cover with,”

it comes to include a five-cornered tallit, which is obligated in tzitzit. If so,

the five-cornered one has been stated,

and necessarily

what do I establish

as the exclusion from

“on the four corners”? —

Garments having

four

corners are obligated in tzitzit,

but not

a garment having

three

corners.

And we object:

What have you seen to include a five-cornered garment

as obligated in tzitzit

and to exclude a three-cornered garment

to exempt it from tzitzit? Let us expound in the opposite manner: the verse “which you cover with” includes a three-cornered garment, and the verse “on the four” excludes a five-cornered garment?

And we answer:

I include a five-cornered garment

to obligate it in tzitzit, and not a three-cornered garment, because

four is included within five,

whereas I exclude a three-cornered garment, for four is not included within three.

And we object:

But Rabbi Shimon,

who expounds the verse “which you cover with” to include the garment of a blind person, from where did he expound that a five-cornered garment is obligated in tzitzit? And we answer:

Rabbi Shimon derives it from

the word

“which”

stated in the verse “which you cover with,”

he derives it,

and from the words “you cover with” he learns the garment of a blind person.

But the Rabbis,

who expounded the obligation of a five-cornered garment from “which you cover with,” and did not expound it from the word “which,” because the word

“which” does not appear to them

to have come for an exposition.

And we object:

But according to the Rabbis, this “and you shall see it”

which Rabbi Shimon expounded to exclude a nighttime garment,

what do they do with it,

for they hold that night is a time for tzitzit, and women are obligated in tzitzit?

And we answer:

They need it in accordance with that which was taught: “And you shall see it and remember

all the commandments of the Lord.”

See this mitzva and remember

through it

another mitzva dependent upon it—and which is that? This is the recitation of the Shema,

for the time of reciting the Shema is from the time when there is sufficient light to distinguish between the shades of the tzitzit.

As we learned

in Berakhot:

From when does one recite the Shema in the morning? —

From when he can distinguish between the tekhelet

in the tzitzit

and the white

in it.

And another [teaching] was taught: “And you shall see it and remember.” See this mitzva

of tzitzit

and remember

through it

another mitzva adjacent to it

in the Torah,

and which is that? This is the mitzva of kilayim, as it is written: “You shall not wear shatnez, wool and linen together.”

And adjacent to it is

“You shall make twisted threads for yourself.”

Another [teaching] was taught: “And you shall see it and remember all the commandments of the Lord.” Once a person has become obligated in this mitzva

when the day has become light,

he has become obligated in all the mitzvot,

since most mitzvot are practiced during the day.

And this beraita is in accordance with Rabbi Shimon,

who says

that tzitzit

is a positive commandment determined by time,

and its obligation is only during the day; whereas according to the Rabbis, the time for tzitzit does not begin when the day becomes light, since its time is also at night.

Another [teaching] was taught: “And you shall see it and remember all the commandments of the Lord.” This mitzva is equivalent to all the mitzvot,

as it is written, “all the commandments of the Lord.” And likewise, this mitzva has the numerical value of 613, corresponding to all the mitzvot: for tzitzit has the numerical value of 600; add to them the five knots in the tzitzit and the eight threads, and there are 613 here.

And another [teaching] was taught: “And you shall see it and remember… and perform.” Seeing

of the tzitzit

leads to remembrance

of all the mitzvot.

And remembrance leads to performance.

And Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai says: Whoever is diligent in this mitzva merits and receives the Divine Presence.

For

it is written here

concerning tzitzit,

“and you shall see it,” and it is written there, “You shall fear the Lord your God, and Him you shall serve”;

just as there, where it is written “Him,” the reference is to the Divine Presence, so too concerning tzitzit, where it says “and you shall see it,” this means seeing the face of the Divine Presence.

The Sages taught: Beloved are Israel, for the Holy One, blessed be He, surrounded them

with mitzvot.

He commanded them to place

phylacteries on their heads, and phylacteries on their arms, and tzitzit on their garments [

the four tzitzit are four mitzvot],

and mezuzot on their doorways.

And concerning them,

concerning these seven mitzvot that surround a person,

David said

the king in Psalms:

“Seven times a day I praise You for Your righteous judgments.”

And when David entered the bathhouse,

and saw himself standing naked, he said: Woe is me, that I should stand naked without a mitzva!

And once he remembered the circumcision in his flesh,

his mind was settled.

After he emerged, he recited a song concerning it,

concerning this mitzva,

as it is stated: “For the leader, concerning the eighth, a psalm of David,”

and this means: a psalm of David

concerning

the

circumcision that was given on the eighth day.

Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov says: Whoever has tefillin on his head, and tefillin on his arm, and tzitzit on his garment, and a mezuzah on his doorway, is entirely fortified.

He stands in complete fortification

so that he will not sin. As it is stated: “And the threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

And “the threefold cord”—that is tefillin, tzitzit, and mezuzah.

And it says: “An angel of

the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, [

]

and rescues them,”

from sin.

It was taught: Rabbi Meir would say: What is different about the

color of the

tekhelet

that the Holy One, blessed is He, designated for the mitzva of tzitzit, more

than

the other

kinds of colors? Because tekhelet resembles the sea, [

]

and the sea resembles the firmament, and the firmament

resembles

the Throne of Glory,

and through the tekhelet on his garment, whose color is like the Throne of Glory, he recognizes and remembers Him who sits upon the throne.

And there is an additional reason for the color of tekhelet: it is pleasing to Israel that the likeness of His throne should be upon them.

And that the firmament resembles the Throne of Glory, we learned from the verse,

as it is stated, “

and they saw the God of Israel

and beneath His feet was like the work of a pavement of sapphire and like the very heavens for purity.”

And we learned that the waters resemble sapphire, and sapphire is the appearance of the Throne of Glory. For

it is written: “Like the appearance of a sapphire stone was the likeness of a throne,”

so, the appearance of the firmament is like the appearance of the Throne of Glory. [Tekhelet resembles the sea and the sea resembles the firmament; this is something visible to the eyes].

It was taught: Rabbi Meir would say: Greater is the punishment of

one who does not place threads of

white

on the corner of his garment

than the punishment of

one who does not place a thread of

tekhelet,

because it is not readily available.

To what may this be compared? To a mortal king who said to two of his slaves

]]to bring him seals [their practice was to make a seal for an animal and for a slave when they purchased them, as a sign of servitude],

to one he said, “Bring me a seal of clay,” and to the other he said, “Bring me a seal of gold,” and both were negligent and did not bring them. Which of them has the greater punishment? You must say:

the one to whom

the king

said, “Bring me a seal of clay,”

because it is readily available

and he did not bring it,

his punishment is greater. Therefore, the punishment of one who does not place white threads is greater, since white threads are readily available.

It was taught: Rabbi Meir would say:

A person is obligated to recite one hundred

blessings every day, as it is stated: “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you,”

and we read in it: “One hundred He asks of you”!

Rav Hiyya, the son of Rav Avya, on Shabbat and on festivals [

[on Shabbatot and festivals, when they do not recite eighteen blessings, but only seven],

took pains and filled them

to the count of one hundred blessings

with aromatic substances,

with spices that require a blessing over fragrance,

and with delicacies,

kinds of delicacies that require a blessing; and by increasing the blessings over enjoyment, he completed his blessings to the count of one hundred blessings.

It was taught: Rabbi Yehuda would say: A person is obligated to recite three blessings

every day, and these are they:

1.

“Who made me an Israelite,” [

[and some have the version: “Who did not make me a gentile”].

2.

“Who did not make me a woman.”

3.

“Who did not make me an ignoramus” [

[an unlearned person]].

Rav Aha bar Yaakov heard his son reciting [

[he heard his son reciting the blessing]

“Who did not make me an ignoramus.” He said to him: Is it also all this

that you add to bless and praise yourself that you are not an unlearned person!? Certainly, one should not recite this blessing at all.

His son

said to him:

But if so,

if he does not recite this blessing,

what does he recite

to complete the three blessings that Rabbi Meir said a person is obligated to say every day?

Rabbi Hiyya answered him: He recites

“Who did not make me a slave.”

And we raise an objection: Why is it necessary to recite, “Who did not make me a slave”? After all, a slave

is the same as a woman,

since a woman is obligated in mitzvot like a slave, and concerning this he already recites, “Who did not make me a woman”; so why are two blessings necessary concerning this matter?