## Menachot Daf 34b

###### Menachot 34b:1
[Menachot 34b:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Menachot/r/34b:1)

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: ״לְטֹטֶפֶת״ ״לְטֹטֶפֶת״ ״לְטוֹטָפוֹת״ – הֲרֵי כָּאן אַרְבַּע, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ **The Sages taught** in a *baraita*: With regard to the number of compartments in the phylacteries of the head, the verse states: “It shall be for a sign upon your hand, and **for *totafot*** between your eyes” (Exodus 13:16), with the word *totafot* spelled deficient, without a *vav* before the final letter, in a way that can be read as singular; and again: “They shall be **for *totafot*** between your eyes” (Deuteronomy 6:8), spelled as a singular word; and again: “They shall be **for *totafot*** between your eyes” (Deuteronomy 11:18), this time spelled plene, with a *vav* before the final letter, in a manner that must be plural. **There are four** mentions of *totafot* **here,** as the third one is written in the plural and therefore counts as two. Consequently, it is derived that the phylacteries of the head must have four compartments. This is **the statement of Rabbi Yishmael.**


###### Menachot 34b:2
[Menachot 34b:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Menachot/r/34b:2)

רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר: אֵינוֹ צָרִיךְ, ״טַט״ בְּכַתְפִּי שְׁתַּיִם, ״פַּת״ בְּאַפְרִיקִי שְׁתַּיִם.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rabbi Akiva says: There is no need** for this proof, as the requirement of four compartments can be derived from the word *totafot* itself: The word ***tot* in** the language of **Katfei** means **two,** and the word ***pat* in** the language of **Afriki** also means **two,** and therefore *totafot* can be understood as a compound word meaning four.


###### Menachot 34b:3
[Menachot 34b:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Menachot/r/34b:3)

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: יָכוֹל יִכְתְּבֵם עַל אַרְבָּעָה עוֹרוֹת, וְיַנִּיחֵם בְּאַרְבָּעָה בָּתִּים בְּאַרְבָּעָה עוֹרוֹת? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״וּלְזִכָּרוֹן בֵּין עֵינֶיךָ״, זִכָּרוֹן אֶחָד אָמַרְתִּי לָךְ, וְלֹא שְׁנַיִם וּשְׁלֹשָׁה זִכְרוֹנוֹת. הָא כֵּיצַד? כּוֹתְבָן עַל אַרְבָּעָה עוֹרוֹת וּמַנִּיחָן בְּאַרְבָּעָה בָּתִּים בְּעוֹר אֶחָד.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**The Sages taught** in a *baraita*: One **might** have thought that a scribe **should write** the passages of the phylacteries of the head **on four** separate **hides,** i.e., parchments, **and place them in four compartments of four hides,** one passage in each compartment. Therefore, **the verse states: “And for a memorial between your eyes”** (Exodus 13:9). This teaches: **I said to you** that the phylacteries are **one memorial, but not** that they are **two or three memorials,** i.e., the phylacteries themselves must be one unit. **How so?** One **writes** the passages **on four hides and places them in four compartments** fashioned **of one hide.**


###### Menachot 34b:4
[Menachot 34b:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Menachot/r/34b:4)

וְאִם כְּתָבָן בְּעוֹר אֶחָד, וְהִנִּיחָן בְּאַרְבָּעָה בָּתִּים – יָצָא, וְצָרִיךְ שֶׁיְּהֵא רֶיוַח בֵּינֵיהֶן, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים: אֵינוֹ צָרִיךְ. וְשָׁוִין, שֶׁנּוֹתֵן חוּט אוֹ מְשִׁיחָה בֵּין כׇּל אַחַת וְאַחַת. וְאִם אֵין חֲרִיצָן נִיכָּר – פְּסוּלוֹת.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**And if** a scribe **wrote** all four of **them on one hide and placed them in four compartments** by slitting the parchment between each of the passages, one who dons these phylacteries has **fulfilled** his obligation. **And** in such a case it is **necessary for there to be a space between** each of the passages, so that each can be placed in a separate compartment; this is **the statement of Rabbi** Yehuda HaNasi. **And the Rabbis say: It is not necessary** for there to be a space between them. **And** Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi and the Rabbis **agree that one places a string or** a thicker **band between each and every one** of the four compartments. The *baraita* adds: **And if their furrows,** i.e., the lines marking the separation between the compartments, **are not noticeable** from the outside, the phylacteries **are unfit.**


###### Menachot 34b:5
[Menachot 34b:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Menachot/r/34b:5)

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: כֵּיצַד כּוֹתְבָן? תְּפִלָּה שֶׁל יָד כּוֹתְבָהּ עַל עוֹר אֶחָד, וְאִם כְּתָבָהּ בְּאַרְבַּע עוֹרוֹת וְהִנִּיחָה בְּבַיִת אֶחָד – יָצָא. וְצָרִיךְ לְדַבֵּק, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְהָיָה לְךָ לְאוֹת עַל יָדְךָ״, כְּשֵׁם שֶׁאוֹת אַחַת מִבַּחוּץ – כָּךְ אוֹת אַחַת מִבִּפְנִים, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי יְהוּדָה. רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר: אֵינוֹ צָרִיךְ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**The Sages taught** in a *baraita*: **How does** a scribe **write them?** With regard to **the phylacteries of the arm, he writes it on one hide. But if he wrote it on four** separate **hides and placed it in one compartment,** one who wears it has **fulfilled** his obligation. **And** in such a case **it is necessary to attach** the four parchments, **as it is stated: “And it shall be for a sign for you upon your arm”** (Exodus 13:9). This teaches that **just as** the phylacteries of the arm are **one sign on the outside,** as the compartment is fashioned from a single hide, **so too,** they must be **one sign on the inside,** i.e., the four passages must be on a single parchment. This is **the statement of Rabbi Yehuda. Rabbi Yosei says: It is not necessary** to attach the passages.


###### Menachot 34b:6
[Menachot 34b:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Menachot/r/34b:6)

אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי: וּמוֹדֶה לִי רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בְּרִיבִּי, שֶׁאִם אֵין לוֹ תְּפִילִּין שֶׁל יָד וְיֵשׁ לוֹ שְׁתֵּי תְּפִילִּין שֶׁל רֹאשׁ, שֶׁטּוֹלֶה עוֹר עַל אַחַת מֵהֶן וּמַנִּיחָהּ. מוֹדֶה? הַיְינוּ פְּלוּגְתַּיְיהוּ! אָמַר רָבָא: מִדְּבָרָיו שֶׁל רַבִּי יוֹסֵי חָזַר בּוֹ רַבִּי יְהוּדָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rabbi Yosei says: And Rabbi Yehuda the Distinguished [*Beribbi*] concedes to me that if one does not have phylacteries of the arm but has two phylacteries of the head, that he covers one of them with patches of hide,** to render it like one compartment, **and places it** on his arm. The Gemara asks: How can Rabbi Yosei say that Rabbi Yehuda **concedes** to him in this case? **This is** the very situation in which **their dispute** applies, as they disagree over whether or not the passages of the phylacteries of the arm may be written on separate parchments. **Rava said: From Rabbi Yosei’s statement** one can infer that **Rabbi Yehuda retracted** his opinion and accepted Rabbi Yosei’s ruling.


###### Menachot 34b:7
[Menachot 34b:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Menachot/r/34b:7)

אִינִי? וְהָא שְׁלַח רַב חֲנַנְיָה מִשְּׁמֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: תְּפִלָּה שֶׁל יָד עוֹשִׂין אוֹתָהּ שֶׁל רֹאשׁ, וְשֶׁל רֹאשׁ אֵין עוֹשִׂין אוֹתָהּ שֶׁל יָד, לְפִי שֶׁאֵין מוֹרִידִין מִקְּדוּשָּׁה חֲמוּרָה לִקְדוּשָּׁה קַלָּה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
Rabbi Yosei said that all agree that one can convert phylacteries of the head into phylacteries of the arm. The Gemara asks: **Is that so? But Rav Ḥananya sent** the following ruling **in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan:** If one has **phylacteries of the arm,** he **can convert it to** phylacteries **of the head, but** if one has phylacteries **of the head,** he **cannot convert it to** phylacteries **of the arm, because one does not reduce** the sanctity of an item **from** a level of **greater sanctity** of phylacteries of the head **to** a level of **lesser sanctity** of phylacteries of the arm.


###### Menachot 34b:8
[Menachot 34b:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Menachot/r/34b:8)

לָא קַשְׁיָא, הָא בְּעַתִּיקָתָא, הָא בְּחַדְתָּתָא. וּלְמַאן דְּאָמַר הַזְמָנָה מִילְּתָא הִיא, דְּאַתְנִי עֲלַיְיהוּ מֵעִיקָּרָא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara answers: This is **not difficult,** as **this** ruling is stated **with regard to old** phylacteries, which have already been worn on one’s head and therefore have a greater level of sanctity, whereas **that** ruling is stated **with regard to new** phylacteries, which have not yet been used. The Gemara adds: **And according to the one who says** that **designation is significant,** i.e., once one designates an item for use in fulfilling a particular mitzva, it assumes the sanctity of an item used for mitzvot, this ruling is stated with regard to a case **where he stipulated with regard to them from the outset** that he may convert it from phylacteries of the head to phylacteries of the arm, and only in this circumstance it is permitted to convert them.


###### Menachot 34b:9
[Menachot 34b:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Menachot/r/34b:9)

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: כֵּיצַד סִדְרָן? ״קַדֶּשׁ לִי״ ״וְהָיָה כִּי יְבִיאֲךָ״ מִיָּמִין, ״שְׁמַע״ ״וְהָיָה אִם שָׁמוֹעַ״ מִשְּׂמֹאל.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ **The Sages taught** in a *baraita*: **How does one arrange** the four passages inside the phylacteries? The passage of: **“Sanctify unto Me”** (Exodus 13:1–10), and the passage of: **“And it shall be when He shall bring you”** (Exodus 13:11–16), are placed **on the right;** the passage of: **“Listen,** O Israel” (Deuteronomy 6:4–9), and the passage of: **“And it shall come to pass, if you shall hearken diligently”** (Deuteronomy 11:13–21), are placed **on the left.**


###### Menachot 34b:10
[Menachot 34b:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Menachot/r/34b:10)

וְהָתַנְיָא אִיפְּכָא? אָמַר אַבָּיֵי: לָא קַשְׁיָא, כָּאן מִימִינוֹ שֶׁל קוֹרֵא, כָּאן מִימִינוֹ שֶׁל מַנִּיחַ, וְהַקּוֹרֵא קוֹרֵא כְּסִדְרָן.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **But isn’t it taught** in a *baraita* that one places them in the **opposite** manner, with the first two passages on the left and the latter two on the right? **Abaye said** that it is **not difficult: Here** it means **to the right of** the **reader,** i.e., one who is standing opposite the one donning the phylacteries, whereas **there** it means **to the right of** the **one who is donning** the phylacteries. **And** in this manner **the reader reads** the passages **in their order,** as they appear in the Torah, starting with Exodus 13:1–10 to his right.


###### Menachot 34b:11
[Menachot 34b:11](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Menachot/r/34b:11)

אָמַר רַב חֲנַנְאֵל אָמַר רַב: הֶחְלִיף פָּרָשִׁיּוֹתֶיהָ פְּסוּלוֹת. אָמַר אַבָּיֵי: לָא אֲמַרַן

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rav Ḥananel says** that **Rav says:** If **one exchanged its passages,** i.e., placed them in a different order within the compartment, the phylacteries **are unfit. Abaye said: We did not say** this