Eruvin 96b

עירובין צ״ו ע״ב

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Topic

Is תפילין time-bound (proven through women's obligation)? Plus found תכלת, and whether people go to the trouble of imitating מצוה objects

Overview

The amud continues the search for a תנא who holds that תפילין is not time-bound, which would mean women are obligated and שבת is a time for תפילין. First the גמרא rejects the proof from מיכל בת כושי: maybe that תנא follows רבי יוסי, who lets women do מצוות voluntarily, as the story of יונה's wife going up for the רגל shows. The גמרא then brings the ברייתא of someone who finds תפילין. There both רבי מאיר and רבי יהודה let a woman bring them in. When the גמרא asks whether that too might be only optional, it proves that neither רבי מאיר (from a סתם משנה about שופר) nor רבי יהודה (from a סתם ספרא about סמיכה) holds like רבי יוסי. A new topic follows: רבי אלעזר rules that found תכלת strips are unfit, but threads are fit. After several challenges, the threads are narrowed to twisted ones cut to length, because people do not go to that much trouble. רבא challenges this using the משנה that worries new תפילין may be amulets, and he concludes that whether people go to such trouble is a dispute between תנאים. He begins quoting a ברייתא to show this dispute, and the quote continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (20)

1. RejectionMaybe the case of מיכל follows רבי יוסי: women may choose to do it
2. ProofSupport for the rejection: יונה's wife went up for the festival
3. ProofA new source: the ברייתא about finding תפילין
4. ConclusionBoth תנאים agree about a woman, so תפילין is not time-bound
5. ChallengeMaybe this תנא lets women do it only as an option
6. ResolutionNeither רבי מאיר nor רבי יהודה holds like רבי יוסי
7. ProofProof for רבי מאיר from the שופר משנה
8. ProofProof for רבי יהודה from the ספרא on סמיכה
9. ConclusionThe unnamed ספרא is רבי יהודה, so the proof is complete
10. StatementFound sky-blue wool: strips are unfit, threads are fit
11. ChallengeWhy not worry the threads were spun for a cloak too?
12. ResolutionThe case is twisted threads
13. ChallengeMaybe twisted threads were made for a cloak's hem
14. ResolutionTwisted threads already cut to fringe length
15. Challengeרבא: people do go to such trouble, like amulets shaped as תפילין
16. ProofThe משנה: only old תפילין must be brought in, not new ones
17. Proofרבי זירא's teaching about found תכלת supports the idea that people do not bother
18. Rejectionרבא says אהבה's teaching is not decisive because of the משנה about new תפילין
19. Resolutionרבא concludes it is a dispute among the תנאים
20. ProofThe ברייתא about found תפילין begins: bring them in pair by pair