Menachos 41
Summary
- A sponsorship is given לעילוי נשמת מרס מימסה בת יעקב משה, and the sugya begins from תנו רבנן in מנחות דף מ״א with the halachos of a folded טלית, the nature of the חיוב ציצית as חובת טלית versus חובת גברא, and multiple practical cases about sewing, moving ציצית between garments, and materials and colors such as תכלת and קלא אילן. A story with רב הונא and רבה בר רב נחמן and a separate encounter between a מלאך and רב קטינא sharpen the debate and present accountability for avoiding ציצית. The daf then develops precise rules for torn corners, תעשה ולא מן העשוי, how many חוטים are used, the required distances and lengths, and the meaning of “אין לה שיעור” as having no maximum but having a minimum, concluding with the requirement that the strands be separated *ketzitzata d’arma’i*.
- A sponsorship is stated לעילוי נשמת מרס מימסה בת יעקב משה, and a blessing is expressed that her נשמה should have an עליה.
- A ברייתא states טלית כפולה חייבת בציצית, and the תנא קמא treats it as requiring placement so that two ציצית sit on the garment’s edges and two sit at the fold. Rabbi Shimon exempts it because it is expected to become undone and then two ציצית will be in the middle rather than on the corner, but both agree that if it is folded and then connected so it will not open, it is חייב. The Gemara explains the case is where it is held with pins or wide stitches, and even Rabbi Shimon agrees this counts as connected.
- Rav Huna visits the home of רבה בר רב נחמן and sees him wearing a doubled טלית with extra strings placed by the fold as per the תנא קמא. The garment opens and the strings end up by his head, placing them in the middle of the garment, and Rav Huna tells him לאו היינו כנפי דכתב רחמנא באורייתא. He throws it off and covers himself with another garment, and Rav Huna tells him the obligation is חובת טלית and instructs him to put ציצית on the garment that now stands as a four-cornered garment requiring ציצית.
- The Gemara proposes support from a ברייתא about חסידים הראשונים who would attach תכלת once three of the garment had been woven, implying attachment before wearability, and rejects it by saying the חסידים are different because they are מחמיר on themselves. The sugya then says this conflicts with what a מלאך says to Rav Ketina, who wears a linen garment in summer and a rounded-corner coat in winter, and the מלאך challenges him about when he will fulfill ציצית of תכלת, implying a demand on the person. Rav Ketina asks whether punishment applies for neglecting an עשה, and the מלאך answers that בזמן דאיכא ריתחא ענשינן, and the Gemara concludes the rebuke is about deliberately scheming to exempt oneself, stated as תצדקי למפטר נפשך מציצית.
- Shmuel, cited by Rav Tovy bar Kisna, says כלי קופסא חייבין בציצית, so folded garments stored in a box remain obligated. Shmuel agrees that a זקן who made a garment לכבודו, meaning תכריכין, is פטור because the Torah says אשר תכסה בה and these are not made to cover a living person. The text then says that at the time of death they do put ציצית on the shrouds because of לועג לרש חרף עושהו, while before that there is no obligation.
- Rav in the name of Rav Yehuda rules that if a טלית tore more than three fingerbreadths from the corner it may be sewn, but within three it should not be sewn due to concern that sewing thread will be incorporated into ציצית, creating תעשה ולא מן העשוי. A ברייתא supports this, presenting a dispute where Rabbi Meir says within three it may not be sewn and the חכמים say it may, and both agree one may not attach a pre-made corner section even as large as an אמה by an אמה with תכלת already present because that is also תעשה ולא מן העשוי. Both agree one may bring תכלת strings from elsewhere and hang them on, provided the strings are not cut, expressed as ובלבד שלא תהא מופסקת. The Gemara raises whether this implies moving ציצית from one garment to another is permitted and answers it may be limited to a case where the original garment wore out.
- A ברייתא rules that for a טלית שכולה תכלת all colors exempt except קלא אילן, so the non-תכלת strings may not be that indigo color. Another ברייתא says one should not bring קלא אילן but ואם הביא כשר, and Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak resolves that one source speaks of a garment with four strings while the other speaks of a garment with eight strings, allowing a *bedi’eved* outcome while still discouraging it because of confusion with true תכלת. The Gemara again suggests this might prove moving ציצית between garments is permitted and rejects it as possibly referring only to a case of if he did so rather than an upfront allowance.
- Rav rules אין מתירין מבגד לבגד while Shmuel rules מתירין מבגד לבגד. Rav rules אין מדליקין מנר לנר for Chanukah while Shmuel rules מדליקין מנר לנר, and Rav rules אין הלכה כרבי שמעון בגרירה while Shmuel rules הלכה כרבי שמעון בגרירה. Abaye states that his master generally rules like Rav in איסורים and that the halacha follows Rav in these matters, except for these three where he follows Shmuel, and he cites the ברייתא where Rabbi Shimon permits dragging a bed, chair, or bench on Shabbos provided one does not intend to make a furrow.
- Rabbi Yehuda gives his ציצית to a launderer and is not concerned the תכלת will snap and be replaced with פסול קלא אילן. Rav Chanina ties the ציצית into a ball to prevent tearing, and Ravina sews on a patch and tucks the ציצית into it so they will not be ruined.
- A ברייתא records that Beit Shammai require four strings and Beit Hillel require three, and they also dispute the hanging length as four versus three fingerbreadths. Rav Pappa defines a טפח דאורייתא as four thumb-breadths, six small-finger breadths, or five index-finger breadths. Rav Huna rules ד׳ בתוך ד׳ ומשולשת ד׳, Rav Yehuda rules ג׳ בתוך ג׳ ומשולשת ג׳, and Rav Pappa concludes the halacha is ד׳ בתוך ג׳ ומשולשת ד׳, meaning four strings, placed within three fingerbreadths of the corner, with a hanging length of four fingerbreadths.
- A מקור states ציצית means something that protrudes and that ציצית has no שיעור, and it reports that the elders of Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel said ציצית אין לה שיעור and similarly לולב אין בו שיעור. The Gemara explains this means there is no maximum measure but there is a minimum, just as the Mishnah requires a minimum size for לולב. A final ברייתא explains ציצית as ענף and quotes ויקחני בציצית ראשי, and Abaye rules that the strands must be separated *ketzitzata d’arma’i*.
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