Menachot 41

והגדול יוצא בה דרך עראי חייבת בציצית אין הקטן מתכסה בו ראשו ורובו אף על פי שהגדול יוצא בה עראי פטורה וכן לענין כלאים

and an adult goes out in public on occasion while wearing it, it is required to have ritual fringes. But if it is not large enough for a minor to cover his head and most of his body with it, then even if an adult goes out in public on occasion while wearing it, it is exempt from ritual fringes. And so too with regard to diverse kinds, i.e., the prohibition against wearing wool and linen together.

והוינן בה מאי וכן לענין כלאים אילימא וכן לענין איסורא דכלאים והא אנן תנן אין עראי בכלאים

And we discussed it: What is meant by: And so too with regard to diverse kinds? If we say that it means: And so too with regard to the prohibition of diverse kinds, that if a minor could not cover the majority of his head and body with it, the prohibition of diverse kinds does not apply, that is difficult: But didn’t we learn in a mishna (Kilayim 9:2): There is no exemption with regard to the prohibition of diverse kinds for clothing that an adult would not wear even occasionally in public?

ואמר רב נחמן בר יצחק וכן לענין סדין בציצית

And Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak says in explanation: Rather, the baraita means: And so too with regard to whether a linen cloak is required to have ritual fringes. If the cloak is large enough for a minor to cover his head and most of his body with it, then it requires ritual fringes, and wearing the garment with the ritual fringes is not a violation of the prohibition of diverse kinds. But if the garment is smaller than that, it is prohibited to place ritual fringes on it, due to the prohibition of diverse kinds. Therefore, one cannot explain Shmuel’s statement to mean that a cloak that is exempt from ritual fringes because it is too small is not subject to the prohibition of diverse kinds.

אלא מאי פטורה הטיל למוטלת

Rather, what is meant by the statement that a cloak that is exempt from ritual fringes is not subject to the prohibition of diverse kinds? It is referring to where one affixed ritual fringes to a garment that already had ritual fringes affixed to it. Even though the second set of ritual fringes is superfluous, nevertheless there is no violation of the prohibition of diverse kinds.

והא אמרה רבי זירא חדא זימנא חדא מכלל דחבירתה איתמר

The Gemara asks: But didn’t Rabbi Zeira already say this one time when he stated that if one attached ritual fringes to a garment that already had ritual fringes attached to it and he then removed the first set of strings, the garment is fit? The Gemara answers: One was stated from the other by inference, and Rabbi Zeira did not state both statements.

תנו רבנן טלית כפולה חייבת בציצית ורבי שמעון פוטר ושוין שאם כפלה ותפרה שחייבת

§ The Sages taught in a baraita: A very long cloak that is folded in half is required to have ritual fringes at the fold. And Rabbi Shimon deems it exempt it from ritual fringes at the fold because that is not where the corners of the garment are located. And Rabbi Shimon and the Rabbis agree that if he folded it and sewed it, it is required to have ritual fringes at the fold.

תפרה פשיטא לא צריכא דנקטה בסיכי

The Gemara challenges: If one sewed it, it is obvious that it is required to have ritual fringes at the fold. The Gemara explains: No, it is necessary to state this halakha because it is referring to a case where he fastened it with pins rather than sewing it in the conventional manner.

רבה בר הונא איקלע לבי רבא בר רב נחמן חזייה דהוה מיכסי טלית כפולה ורמי ליה חוטי עילוי כפילא איפשיטא ואתא חוטא וקם להדי רישיה

The Gemara relates that Rabba bar Huna arrived at the house of Rava bar Rav Naḥman, and he saw that Rava bar Rav Naḥman was wearing a cloak that was folded and that he had affixed strings to it on the corners of the fold. The cloak unfolded, and the string that had been on the corner of the fold now came and settled near his head, i.e., in the middle of the cloak, as the two sides of the cloak were in the front and back of Rava bar Rav Naḥman.

אמר ליה לאו היינו כנף דכתב רחמנא באורייתא אתא שדייה איכסי גלימא אחריתי

Rabba bar Huna said to Rava bar Rav Naḥman: This is not the corner of the garment that the Merciful One writes about in the Torah. Rava bar Rav Naḥman went and threw it off, and he covered himself with a different cloak.

אמר ליה מי סברת חובת גברא הוא חובת טלית הוא זיל רמי לה

Rabba bar Huna said to Rava bar Rav Naḥman: Do you hold that ritual fringes are an obligation incumbent upon the man? That is not so. Rather, it is an obligation that pertains to every cloak that one owns. Therefore, go and affix ritual fringes to it properly.

לימא מסייע ליה חסידים הראשונים כיון שארגו בה שלש היו מטילין בה תכלת שאני חסידים דמחמרי אנפשייהו

The Gemara suggests: Let us say that a baraita supports the opinion of Rabba bar Huna: It is told of the early generations of pious men that once they weaved three fingerbreadths of the length of the garment, they would affix the white and sky-blue strings to the first two corners, even though the garment was not yet ready to be worn. This seems to prove that there is an obligation to affix ritual fringes to all the cloaks in one’s possession, even if he is not currently wearing them. The Gemara rejects this proof: The pious men were different, as they would act stringently with themselves. Therefore, one cannot adduce the actual requirement from their behavior.

ופליגא דמלאכא דמלאכא אשכחיה לרב קטינא דמיכסי סדינא אמר ליה קטינא קטינא סדינא בקייטא וסרבלא בסיתוא ציצית של תכלת מה תהא עליה

The Gemara notes that this disagrees with what an angel said. As an angel found Rav Ketina when he was wearing a linen cloak, which is exempt from ritual fringes. The angel said to him: Ketina, Ketina, if you wear a linen cloak in the summer and a coat [sarbela], which has only two corners and is therefore also exempt from ritual fringes, in the winter, what will become of the ritual fringes of sky-blue wool? As a result, you will never fulfill the mitzva.

אמר ליה ענשיתו אעשה אמר ליה בזמן דאיכא ריתחא ענשינן

Rav Ketina said to him: Do you punish us even for failing to fulfill a positive mitzva? The angel said to him: At a time when there is divine anger and judgment, we punish even for the failure to fulfill a positive mitzva.

אי אמרת בשלמא חובת גברא הוא היינו דמחייב דלא קא רמי אלא אי אמרת חובת טלית הוא הא לא מיחייבא

The Gemara attempts to draw conclusions from the statement of the angel: Granted, if you say that the mitzva of ritual fringes is an obligation incumbent upon the man, that is why Rav Ketina would be deemed liable at a time of divine anger, as he did not affix ritual fringes to his cloak and thereby neglected the obligation incumbent upon him. But if you say that it is an obligation to attach them to every cloak that one owns, since Rav Ketina’s cloaks were not required to have ritual fringes, he was not obligated to attach ritual fringes to them. Why should he be punished in a time of divine anger?

אלא מאי חובת גברא הוא נהי דחייביה רחמנא כי מיכסי טלית דבת חיובא כי מיכסי טלית דלאו בת חיובא היא מי חייביה רחמנא

The Gemara responds: Rather, what should one assume, that it is an obligation incumbent upon the man? Even so, granted that the Merciful One rendered him obligated when he is wearing a cloak that has four corners and is therefore subject to the obligation of ritual fringes, but when he is wearing a cloak that is not subject to the obligation of ritual fringes, did the Merciful One deem him obligated?

אלא הכי קאמר ליה טצדקי למיפטר נפשך מציצית

Rather, this is what the angel is saying to Rav Ketina: Are you seeking ploys [tatzdeki] to exempt yourself from performing the mitzva of ritual fringes?

אמר רב טובי בר קיסנא אמר שמואל כלי קופסא חייבין בציצית ומודה שמואל בזקן שעשאה לכבודו שפטורה מאי טעמא אשר תכסה בה אמר רחמנא האי לאו לאיכסויי עבידא

Rav Tovi bar Kisna says that Shmuel says: Garments that are not being worn but are stored in a box are required to have ritual fringes, because the mitzva pertains to the garment, not the man. But Shmuel concedes in the case of an old man, where the garment was made as a shroud in his honor, that the shroud is exempt. What is the reason for this? The Merciful One states in the Torah that one must place ritual fringes on the corners of garments “with which you cover yourself” (Deuteronomy 22:12). This shroud is not made for the purpose of covering oneself.

בההיא שעתא ודאי רמינן ליה משום לעג לרש חרף עשהו

The Gemara comments: At that time, i.e., a person’s burial, we certainly affix ritual fringes to the shroud, because otherwise it would be a violation of: “Whoever mocks the poor blasphemes his Maker” (Proverbs 17:5). If we did not place them, it would be mocking the deceased, as if to taunt him that now he is no longer obligated in mitzvot.

אמר רחבה אמר רבי יהודה טלית שנקרעה חוץ לשלש יתפור תוך שלש לא יתפור

§ Raḥava says that Rabbi Yehuda says: In the case of a cloak that became torn at one of its corners, if it was torn beyond three fingerbreadths from the edge of the garment, one may sew it. But if it was torn within three fingerbreadths of the edge of the garment, then one may not sew it. There is a concern that he might use the thread with which he sewed the garment for the ritual fringes, in which case the strings would be unfit due to the principle: Prepare it, and not from what has already been prepared.

תניא נמי הכי טלית שנקרעה חוץ לשלש יתפור תוך שלש רבי מאיר אומר לא יתפור וחכמים אומרים יתפור

The Gemara comments: This halakha is also taught in a baraita: In the case of a cloak that became torn at one of its corners, if it was torn beyond three fingerbreadths from the edge of the garment, one may sew it. But if it was torn within three fingerbreadths of the edge of the garment, Rabbi Meir says: One may not sew it. And the Rabbis say: One may sew it.

ושוין שלא יביא אפילו אמה על אמה ממקום אחר ובה תכלת ותולה בה ושוין שמביא תכלת ממקום אחר ותולה בה

And Rabbi Meir and the Rabbis agree that one may not bring a piece of cloth, even if it is a square cubit in size, from elsewhere, containing white and sky-blue strings, and attach it to a cloak. This is because one must attach the ritual fringes directly to the corner of the garment, rather than attaching them to a piece of cloth and then attaching that cloth to the garment. And Rabbi Meir and the Rabbis also agree that one may bring white or sky-blue strings from elsewhere and attach them to the garment, i.e., one may remove strings from one garment in order to attach them to another garment.

ובלבד שלא תהא מופסקת שמעת מינה מתירין מבגד לבגד דילמא דאי בלאי

This is permitted provided that the strings are not broken. The Gemara asks: Should one conclude from this baraita that it is always permitted to untie ritual fringes from one garment in order to affix them to another garment? The Gemara rejects this inference: Perhaps the ruling of this baraita applies only if the first garment was worn out and no longer wearable.

תנו רבנן טלית שכולה תכלת כל מיני צבעונין פוטרין בה חוץ מקלא אילן

The Sages taught in a baraita: In the case of a cloak that is made entirely of sky-blue wool, strings of every type of color exempt it, i.e., the ritual fringes that are not tekhelet may be any color except for indigo, a color that is indistinguishable from tekhelet. This indicates that if one attached strings dyed with indigo alongside the strings dyed with tekhelet, the ritual fringes are unfit.

מיתיבי טלית אין פוטר בה אלא מינה טלית שכולה תכלת מביא תכלת ודבר אחר ותולה בה וקלא אילן לא יביא ואם הביא כשר

The Gemara raises an objection from a baraita: A cloak is exempted only by strings of its own type. In the case of a cloak that is made entirely of sky-blue wool, one brings sky-blue [tekhelet] strings and something else, i.e., strings of a different color, and attaches them to the cloak. And he may not bring strings dyed with indigo along with the strings dyed with tekhelet. But if he brought strings dyed with indigo together with the strings dyed with tekhelet, the ritual fringes are fit.

אמר רב נחמן בר יצחק לא קשיא כאן בטלית בת ארבעה חוטין כאן בטלית בת שמונה חוטין

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: This is not difficult, because here, in the baraita that holds that the ritual fringes are fit after the fact, it is referring to a cloak that has only four strings, two of tekhelet and two of indigo. There, in the baraita that holds that the ritual fringes are unfit after the fact, it is referring to a cloak that has eight strings, four of tekhelet and four of indigo. In this case, the Sages were concerned that one would take the four indigo strings from this garment and use them in another garment, thinking that they were tekhelet.

שמעת מינה מתירין מבגד לבגד דלמא דאי עבד

The Gemara asks: Should you conclude from the fact that the Sages were concerned lest one take the indigo strings from this garment for use in another garment that in general one may untie ritual fringes from one garment in order to affix them to another garment? The Gemara responds: Perhaps their concern was that if one did transfer the strings, he might mistake indigo for tekhelet, but it is not permitted to transfer the strings ab initio.

איתמר רב אמר אין מתירין מבגד לבגד ושמואל אמר מתירין מבגד לבגד

It was stated that there is a dispute between amora’im with regard to this halakha. Rav says: One may not untie ritual fringes from one garment in order to affix them to another garment. And Shmuel says: One may untie them from one garment and affix them to another garment.

רב אמר אין מדליקין מנר לנר ושמואל אמר מדליקין מנר לנר

The Gemara cites additional disputes between Rav and Shmuel: Rav says: One may not light from one Hanukkah lamp to another Hanukkah lamp. And Shmuel says: One may light from one Hanukkah lamp to another Hanukkah lamp.

רב אמר אין הלכה כרבי שמעון בגרירה ושמואל אמר הלכה כרבי שמעון בגרירה

Rabbi Shimon rules that it is permitted to drag items on Shabbat despite the possibility that one might thereby create a furrow in the ground. Creating a furrow is a labor prohibited on Shabbat, but since he does not intend to create the furrow, and it is not certain that a furrow will be created, dragging the item is permitted. Rav says: The halakha is not in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Shimon with regard to dragging items on Shabbat. And Shmuel says that the halakha is in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Shimon with regard to dragging items on Shabbat.

אמר אביי כל מילי דמר עביד כרב לבר מהני תלת דעביד כשמואל מתירין מבגד לבגד ומדליקין מנר לנר והלכה כרבי שמעון בגרירה

Abaye said: In all halakhic matters of the Master, Rabba, he conducted himself in accordance with the opinion of Rav, except these three where he conducted himself in accordance with the opinion of Shmuel. He ruled that one may untie ritual fringes from one garment in order to affix them to another garment, and one may light from one Hanukkah lamp to another Hanukkah lamp, and the halakha is in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Shimon with regard to dragging items on Shabbat.

דתניא רבי שמעון אומר גורר אדם מטה כסא וספסל ובלבד שלא יתכוין לעשות חריץ

As it is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Shimon says: A person may drag a bed, chair, or bench on the ground on Shabbat, provided that he does not intend to make a furrow in the ground. Even if a furrow is formed inadvertently, one does not need to be concerned.

רב יהודה מסר ליה לקצרא רב חנינא עביד לה סיסא רבינא חייט להו מיחט

The Gemara relates that Rav Yehuda would give his garments containing ritual fringes to a laundryman and was not concerned that the strings dyed with tekhelet might become detached and that the laundryman would replace them with strings dyed with indigo. Rav Ḥanina would form a bundle with his ritual fringes so that they would not become detached while they were being laundered. Ravina would tuck them into a pocket he formed on the garment and sew the cover of the pocket in order to protect the ritual fringes.

תנו רבנן כמה חוטין הוא נותן בית שמאי אומרים ארבעה ובית הלל אומרים שלשה

§ The Sages taught in a baraita: How many strings does one place on a garment? Beit Shammai say: Four strings are inserted into the hole in the garment, so that there are eight strings hanging down altogether, and Beit Hillel say: Three strings are inserted into the garment.

וכמה תהא משולשת בית שמאי אומרים ארבע ובית הלל אומרים שלש ושלש שבית הלל אומרים אחת מארבע בטפח של כל אדם אמר רב פפא טפח דאורייתא ארבע בגודל שית בקטנה חמש בתילתא

And how much should be hanging [meshulleshet] beyond the knots and windings? Beit Shammai say: Four fingerbreadths, and Beit Hillel say: Three fingerbreadths. And the three fingerbreadths that Beit Hillel say should be hanging are each one-fourth of a handbreadth [tefaḥ] of any average person. The Gemara notes that Rav Pappa said: The handbreadth of the Torah is four fingerbreadths if measured by the thumb; six fingerbreadths if measured by the smallest finger; and five if measured by the third, i.e., the middle, finger.

אמר רב הונא ארבעה בתוך ארבע ומשולשת ארבע ורב יהודה אמר שלשה בתוך שלש משולשת שלש

Rav Huna says that the halakha is: One must attach four strings within four fingerbreadths of the edge of the garment, and they should hang down four fingerbreadths beyond the knots and windings. And Rav Yehuda says: One must attach three strings within three fingerbreadths of the edge of the garment, and they should hang down three fingerbreadths beyond the knots and windings.

אמר רב פפא הלכתא ארבעה בתוך שלש משולשת ארבע

Rav Pappa says that the halakha is that one must attach four strings within three fingerbreadths of the edge of the garment, and they should hang down four fingerbreadths beyond the knots and windings.

למימרא דאית להו שיעורא ורמינהו ציצית אין ציצית אלא יוצא ואין ציצית אלא משהו וכבר עלו זקני בית שמאי וזקני בית הלל לעליית יוחנן בן בתירא ואמרו ציצית אין לה שיעור כיוצא בו לולב אין בו שיעור

The Gemara asks: Is this to say that ritual fringes have a required measure? And the Gemara raises a contradiction to this from a baraita: The verse states: “That they prepare for themselves strings” (Numbers 15:38). Strings are nothing other than what emerges from the corner of the garment, and the term strings indicates only that there must be strings of any length. And it already occurred that the elders of Beit Shammai and the elders of Beit Hillel ascended to the attic of Yoḥanan ben Beteira, and they discussed the matter and said: Ritual fringes have no measure. Similarly, a lulav has no measure.

מאי לאו אין לה שיעור כלל לא

What, does this not mean that ritual fringes have no required measure at all? The Gemara answers: No,