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Menachos 43b

מנחות מ״ג ע״ב

Menachot 43b

Learn Menachos 43b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

How the רבנן and רבי שמעון read the ציצית פסוקים, followed by praises of ציצית and the other מצוות, and רבי מאיר's teachings on daily ברכות.

Overview

The גמרא first asks what the רבנן learn from ״אשר תכסה בה״. They use it to include a five-cornered garment in ציצית, while ״על ארבע״ leaves out a three-cornered one, since five contains four but three does not. רבי שמעון learns the five-cornered rule from the single word ״אשר״ instead. Next the גמרא asks what the רבנן learn from ״וּרְאִיתֶם אֹתוֹ״. A series of ברייתות read it as a reminder of קריאת שמע and of כלאים, as making ציצית equal to all the מצוות, and as a chain of seeing, remembering and doing. רבי שמעון בר יוחאי adds that being careful with ציצית brings a person to greet the שכינה. The גמרא then praises the מצוות that surround a Jew: תפילין, ציצית, מזוזה, and דוד's comfort in his מילה. רבי מאיר explains why תכלת was chosen and why leaving out white strings is punished more. He also teaches 100 daily ברכות and three daily ברכות. The amud ends as רב אחא בר יעקב starts to answer his son about which third ברכה to say, and his answer continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

הַאי ״אֲשֶׁר תְּכַסֶּה בָּהּ״

This phrase, 'with which you cover yourself'

מַאי עָבְדִי לֵיהּ?

what do they do with it?

מִיבְּעֵי לְהוּ לְכִדְתַנְיָא:

They need it for that which was taught in a ברייתא:

״עַל אַרְבַּע כַּנְפוֹת כְּסוּתְךָ״ –

'On the four corners of your garment' —

The steps (25)

  1. QuestionWhat do the רבנן learn from 'With which you cover yourself'?
  2. ResponseFour corners, not three
  3. StatementFive corners are included by 'with which you cover yourself'
  4. QuestionWhy include five and exclude three?
  5. ResponseFive contains four; three does not
  6. Responseרבי שמעון learns five corners from the word 'which'
  7. ResponseThe רבנן do not learn from 'which'
  8. QuestionWhat do the רבנן learn from 'and you shall see it'?
  9. ResponseSeeing ציצית reminds us of קריאת שמע
  10. StatementSeeing ציצית reminds us of כלאים
  11. StatementWhoever is obligated in ציצית is obligated in all מצוות
  12. Statementציצית is equal to all the מצוות
  13. StatementSeeing leads to remembering, and remembering leads to doing
  14. StatementWhoever is careful with ציצית merits greeting the שכינה
  15. StatementIsrael is beloved, surrounded by מצוות
  16. Statementדוד in the bathhouse finds comfort in his מילה
  17. StatementThe מצוות guard a person from sin
  18. StatementWhy תכלת: its color leads the mind to the כסא הכבוד
  19. StatementSkipping the easy white strings is punished more
  20. StatementA person must say one hundred blessings every day
  21. StatementFilling up the hundred ברכות on שבת and יום טוב
  22. Statementרבי מאיר's three daily blessings
  23. Challengeרב אחא questions his son's blessing about not being an ignoramus
  24. ChallengeThe son asks what to say instead, since 'not a slave' equals 'not a woman'
  25. Resolutionרב אחא begins his answer: a slave