Menachot 39

Sugya Map

The sugya on Menachot 39a delves into several interconnected halakhot concerning tzitzit, primarily focusing on the structure of the g'dil (windings) and anaf (loose strings), the permissibility of sha'atnez (wool and linen mixtures) for tzitzit, and the fabric requirements for the garment itself.

• Issue 1: The Nature of the Uppermost Knot:
  • Question: Is the knot securing the tzitzit to the garment d'Oraita or d'Rabanan?
  • Nafka Mina: If d'Oraita, mere insertion of strings is insufficient.
  • Primary Source: Rabba's derivation from the sha'atnez heter (Devarim 22:12)¹.
• Issue 2: Severed Strings (Girudim):
  • Question: What is the minimum length for tzitzit strings after being severed, and are completely severed strings (at the base) pasul?
  • Nafka Mina: Determines the validity of tzitzit where strings have frayed or snapped.
  • Primary Source: Rav's ruling on girudim at the base being pasul, and Rava's objection from a Baraita regarding "its remainder and its severed" strings². The Gemara's resolution requires a "remainder of its severed" long enough for a slipknot³.
• Issue 3: Gilul (Winding String) and Anaf (Loose Strings):
  • Question: Is the winding string counted in the quota of eight strings? What is the ideal proportion of windings to loose strings?
  • Nafka Mina: Affects the construction of the tzitzit and whether an additional string is needed for winding.
  • Primary Source: Rabba's statement in the name of Rav (or Shmuel) that the winding string counts⁴. Rav's ruling on rov gilul (majority wound) being kasher and the hiddur of one-third windings, two-thirds loose⁵.
• Issue 4: Number of Windings and Knots:
  • Question: What are the minimum and maximum number of sets of windings (chulyot)?
  • Nafka Mina: Aesthetic and halakhic structure of the tzitzit.
  • Primary Source: Baraita citing Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi: minimum of three windings per set, and overall 7-13 sets, corresponding to shivah r'ki'im and shishah avirim⁶.
• Issue 5: Material of Tzitzit and Garment (Kilayim and Sha'atnez):
  • Question: Can tzitzit made of one material exempt a garment of another (e.g., linen strings on a wool garment)? What fabrics are subject to tzitzit d'Oraita?
  • Nafka Mina: Practical application for various garments (wool, linen, silk).
  • Primary Source: Shmuel in the name of Levi regarding wool on linen⁷; Rav Yehuda in the name of Rahava on mutual exemption⁸; machloket Rav Nachman vs. Baraita on shira'in (silk) being d'Oraita or d'Rabanan⁹; machloket between Batei Midrashot of R' Yishmael on "garments" referring only to wool/linen¹⁰.

Text Snapshot

The sugya on Menachot 39a features a fascinating machloket between Rav and Rabba bar bar Chana regarding the aesthetic and halakhic validity of tzitzit composed entirely of windings (gilul) without loose strings (anaf).

"רב ורבה בר בר חנה הוו יתבי. חלף גברא חד לביש גלימא דכולה תכלתא, וציצית דכולה גדיל. אמר רב: גלימא שפירא, וציצית לא שפירא. רבה בר בר חנה אמר: גלימא שפירא, וציצית שפירא."¹¹

"Rav and Rabba bar bar Ḥana were sitting together. A certain man was passing by wearing a cloak that was made entirely of sky-blue wool, on which he had affixed sky-blue strings, and the ritual fringes were composed entirely of windings, without any portion of the strings hanging loose. Rav said: The cloak is beautiful, but the sky-blue strings are not beautiful. Rabba bar bar Ḥana said: The cloak is beautiful, and the sky-blue strings are also beautiful."

The nuanced phrasing here is critical. Rav deems the tzitzit "לא שפירא" – "not beautiful," rather than "פסול" – "unfit." This suggests an issue of hiddur (beautification) or l'chatchila (ideally) rather than outright invalidity. Rabba bar bar Chana, conversely, finds them "שפירא" – "beautiful," indicating complete approval.

The Gemara then explains their differing interpretations of the verses: "פתיל תכלת" (Numbers 15:38) and "גדילים תעשה לך" (Deuteronomy 22:12). Rabba bar bar Chana holds that "פתיל" (thread) and "גדילים" (twisted cords/windings) are mutually exclusive options; one can have tzitzit entirely of windings or entirely of loose strings. Rav, however, argues that "גדילים" implies four strings (two pairs of twisted cords), and the phrase "פתיל תכלת" combined with "גדילים" means: "Form twisted cords (g'dilim) with the four strings... and let the strings (p'til) hang loose from them."¹² Thus, for Rav, the g'dil (windings) and anaf (loose strings) are both essential components derived from the pesukim.

Readings

Rashi: Girudim and the Nature of Knots

Rashi, ever the pashutan, clarifies the initial discussion regarding girudim (severed strings). The Gemara begins by questioning the sons of Rabbi Ḥiyya's ruling that girudim are kasher. The Gemara suggests: "דלמא דאיקטר" – "Perhaps [they were referring to a case] where one tied knots [between the sets of windings]."¹³ Rashi explains: "דלמא דאיקטר — כלומר ממאי דצריך להקשר בכל חוליא דלמא הא דאמרי דבי רבי חייא ה"ק אם קשר על כל חוליא וחוליא הוו גרדומין כשרין אבל ברוב ציציות לא קא מכשרי גרדומין דרוב ציציות אין נקשרים על כל חוליא וחוליא."¹⁴

Rashi's chiddush here is to explain why tying knots between chulyot (sets of windings) would make girudim kasher. He clarifies that the sons of Rabbi Ḥiyya only ruled girudim kasher if there was a knot after each chulia. This implies that each chulia with its knot stands as an independent unit. If a string were to sever mid-chulia, or if the chulyot were merely wound without intervening knots, then the girudim would not be kasher. This reading highlights the importance of the knot as a structural element that defines the validity and integrity of the tzitzit strings. It hints at the Gemara's later conclusion that a minimum length for tying a slipknot is required for severed strings, underscoring the functional necessity of the knot.

Tosafot: The Five Knots and Heavenly Symbolism

Tosafot engage deeply with the Baraita's statement on the minimum and maximum chulyot (7 and 13 respectively) corresponding to the shivah r'ki'im (seven firmaments) and shishah avirim (six air spaces between them).¹⁵ This immediately raises a kushya: we today use five knots, not seven or thirteen sets of windings. Tosafot on Menachot 39a s.v. "לא יפחות" addresses this discrepancy head-on.

Tosafot first notes that the symbolic connection to the r'ki'im is primarily relevant when techelet is present, as techelet resembles the sea, which resembles the sky. "ואנן דלית לן תכלת לא קפדינן בהא" – "And we, who do not have techelet, are not particular about this." This is a significant chiddush, suggesting that the symbolism and perhaps even the halakha of 7-13 chulyot are diminished in the absence of techelet.

However, Tosafot then delves into the prevalent practice of five knots. "ומה שאנו נוהגים חמשה קשרים פירש בקונטרס גבי ציצית שקולה כנגד כל המצות לפי שציצית עולה ת"ר וח' חוטין וחמשה קשרים עולה תרי"ג."¹⁶ The Kuntres (Rashi, according to many) explains the five knots symbolically: tzitzit (גימטריא 600) + 8 strings + 5 knots = 613 mitzvot. This is a powerful midrashic explanation, albeit one not explicitly found in the Gemara here.

Tosafot then offers an alternative interpretation for the five knots, connecting them to the Gemara's requirement of ending with white strings due to "מעלין בקדש ולא מורידין." R' Tam's practice is cited: "וכן נוהג רבינו תם לעשות אותן ה' קשרים ב' בסמוך לטלית וג' סמוך לפתיל משום מעלין בקדש ולא מורידין כדאמרינן שמסיים בלבן ועל כל קשר שני קשרים כדי שיהא קשר של קיימא."¹⁷ This suggests a specific arrangement of knots to achieve the hiddur of ma'alin b'kodesh.

Finally, Tosafot attempts to reconcile the five knots with the seven chulyot: "ויש לומר דהא דאמרינן צריך לקשור על כל חוליא וחוליא היינו אחת של לבן ואחת של תכלת שהן שתים והשתא כשאין פוחת משבע עושה ה' קשרים סמוך לטלית קשר אחד ואחר כך שתי חוליות אחת של תכלת ואחת של לבן קשר אחד עד שמסיים שש חוליות הרי ארבעה קשרים ואחר כך עושה חוליא שביעית של לבן כדי שיהא מסיים בלבן ואחר כך קושר אח' הרי ה' קשרים."¹⁸ This ingenious harmonization proposes that each of the seven chulyot in the Baraita might not necessarily correspond to a distinct knot, but rather the Gemara's mention of "tying on each chulia" refers to the two strings (white and techelet) being twisted around each other within a chulia. The five knots would then be the binding knots, structuring the seven windings. This shows Tosafot's commitment to reconciling the various layers of the sugya – halakha, aggadah, and minhag.

Friction

The Knotty Problem of Girudim

A strong kushya arises from the Gemara's initial discussion regarding girudim (severed strings). Rav states unequivocally: "If a string was severed at its base, the ritual fringes are unfit."¹⁹ This seems clear enough. However, Rava immediately objects from a Baraita: "In what case is this statement said... only when the strings are initially affixed... But in the end... its remainder and its severed strings are fit at any length."²⁰

The Gemara then attempts to understand the Baraita: "What, is it not that when the Baraita mentions its remainder it is referring to a case where parts of the strings were severed and parts of them remain, and when the Baraita mentions its severed strings it is referring to a case where the strings were completely severed, and nevertheless the strings are fit for the mitzva?"²¹ If this interpretation is correct, the Baraita directly contradicts Rav's ruling. How can "completely severed" strings be kasher "at any length" if Rav says severance at the base renders them pasul? This is a fundamental tension regarding the integrity of the tzitzit strings.

The terutz offered by the Gemara is a classic deḥiya (rejection) of the initial interpretation of the Baraita and a re-reading of its syntax: "No, the Tanna of the Baraita is teaching one halakha, and the Baraita should be understood as follows: The remainder of its severed strings are fit at any length."²² This re-punctuates the Baraita, removing the notion of "completely severed" strings being valid. The Gemara then asks, "If so, let the Baraita simply say: Its severed strings are fit at any length; why do I need the mention of its remainder?" The answer provides the crucial terutz: "This teaches us that we require a remainder of its severed strings long enough to wrap them around the other strings and tie them in a slipknot."²³

This terutz elegantly resolves the contradiction. Rav's ruling that strings severed at the base are pasul remains intact, as the Baraita is no longer interpreted as permitting completely severed strings. Instead, the Baraita is understood to refer only to strings that have some remaining length attached to the garment. The "remainder of its severed strings" must be long enough for a k'shar klipa (slipknot). This means that while a minimal length is required, it is not "any length" in the absolute sense, but rather "any length" sufficient for a knot. The underlying principle is that the tzitzit must remain attached to the garment by a functional knot. If the string is severed at its base (i.e., the point of attachment), it effectively ceases to be connected in a halakhically meaningful way. The Gemara's resolution therefore upholds Rav's stringency while clarifying the Baraita's leniency for partially severed strings that still retain enough length for re-knotting.

Intertext

1. Sha'atnez and the Heter of Tzitzit

The sugya repeatedly highlights the unique heter of sha'atnez (wool and linen mixture) for tzitzit. Rabba's argument for the uppermost knot being d'Oraita hinges on this: "For what reason was it necessary for the Torah to permit placing wool ritual fringes on a linen cloak? It is obvious that it is permitted, since if one attaches a swatch of wool and a swatch of linen with a single connection, it is not considered a connection with regard to the prohibition against wearing a garment that includes both wool and linen."²⁴

This directly references Devarim 22:11-12: "לֹא תִלְבַּשׁ שַׁעַטְנֵז צֶמֶר וּפִשְׁתִּים יַחְדָּו: גְּדִלִים תַּעֲשֶׂה לָּךְ עַל אַרְבַּע כַּנְפוֹת כְּסוּתְךָ אֲשֶׁר תְּכַסֶּה בָּהּ." The juxtaposition of the prohibition of sha'atnez and the commandment of tzitzit implies a specific exemption. The Gemara here analyzes why this juxtaposition is necessary. If a single connection doesn't constitute sha'atnez, then the exemption for tzitzit would be superfluous. This leads Rabba to conclude that the knot itself is a d'Oraita requirement, as it forms a more significant connection than a mere insertion, thus necessitating the Torah's explicit heter. This is a prime example of smichut parshiyot (juxtaposition of verses) being used for halakhic derivation. The Gemara later uses this same juxtaposition to argue that tzitzit strings can always be made of wool or linen, regardless of the garment's material.²⁵

2. Ma'alin b'Kodesh v'Ein Moridin and Tzitzit Structure

The principle of "מעלין בקדש ולא מורידין" – "one elevates in matters of sanctity and does not downgrade" – is invoked regarding the conclusion of the tzitzit windings. The Baraita teaches: "When one begins to form the windings, he begins winding with a white string... And when he concludes the windings, he concludes with a white string, in accordance with the principle: One elevates in matters of sanctity and does not downgrade."²⁶

This principle is widely applied throughout Halakha. For example, in Megillah 29b, it dictates that one may convert a synagogue into a Beit Midrash (a higher level of sanctity) but not vice-versa. In Bava Kama 99a, it forbids using a mitzvah object for a mundane purpose after it has been used for a more sacred one. In the context of tzitzit, the white string is seen as representing the "corner of the garment" (כנף), which the Gemara interprets as the original material. The techelet is a distinct, additional element. To conclude with techelet would be a "downgrade" from the original, simpler form of the mitzvah to one adorned with an additional, albeit sacred, component. Concluding with white ensures the ma'alin b'kodesh principle is upheld, symbolizing a return to the garment's fundamental state, albeit enhanced by the mitzvah.

Psak/Practice

The sugya on Menachot 39a has several direct ramifications for halakha l'ma'aseh:

1. The Uppermost Knot: Rabba's conclusion that the uppermost knot is d'Oraita is universally accepted. The Shulchan Aruch rules that the tzitzit must be tied to the garment, not merely inserted.²⁷ This ensures the strings are securely fastened, fulfilling the Torah's intent.
2. Severed Strings (Girudim): The Gemara's final terutz regarding "remainder of its severed strings" is the basis for Halakha. If a string severs, it is pasul if it's severed at the base. If it severs mid-length, it must have enough remaining length to tie a slipknot (k'shar klipa or k'shar hachana). The Shulchan Aruch specifies this, requiring enough length to tie the string to its fellow.²⁸
3. Proportion of Windings (Gilul) to Loose Strings (Anaf): While Rav's opinion that "majority wound" is kasher is accepted (meaning the tzitzit are valid even if most of the string is wound), the Gemara notes that the hiddur (beautification) is "one-third windings and two-thirds loose hanging strings."²⁹ This hiddur is followed by most poskim, though variations exist. The Shulchan Aruch presents the 1/3:2/3 ratio as the hiddur.³⁰
4. Number of Windings/Knots: The Baraita's 7-13 sets of windings, linked to the r'ki'im, is a hiddur that is not widely practiced in its literal form today. As Tosafot noted, the absence of techelet might diminish its contemporary relevance. The common practice, based on the Zohar and kabbalistic traditions, is five double knots, with windings between them. The symbolic gematria of 613 mitzvot (tzitzit 600 + 8 strings + 5 knots) is the prevailing minhag.³¹
5. Material of Tzitzit and Garment: The Halakha largely follows Raḥava in the name of Rav Yehuda: wool strings exempt linen garments, linen strings exempt wool garments, and wool/linen strings exempt all garments, even silk. The debate over shira'in being d'Oraita or d'Rabanan for tzitzit is resolved l'chumra by many, requiring tzitzit on silk garments, at least d'Rabanan. The Shulchan Aruch rules that tzitzit may be made from the same material as the garment, or from wool or linen for any garment.³² However, the minhag today is to always use wool tzitzit strings.

Takeaway

Menachot 39a provides a foundational blueprint for tzitzit construction, revealing how pesukim, derashot, and cosmic symbolism intertwine to define both the essential halakha and its hiddurim. The sugya underscores the dynamism of Torah Sheb'al Peh, where textual contradictions are harmonized, and abstract principles like ma'alin b'kodesh are concretized in ritual practice.

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¹ Menachot 39a. ² Menachot 39a. ³ Menachot 39a. ⁴ Menachot 39a. ⁵ Menachot 39a. ⁶ Menachot 39a; Steinsaltz on Menachot 39a:10. ⁷ Menachot 39a. ⁸ Menachot 39a. ⁹ Menachot 39a. ¹⁰ Menachot 39a. ¹¹ Menachot 39a. ¹² Menachot 39a. ¹³ Menachot 39a. ¹⁴ Rashi on Menachot 39a s.v. "דלמא דאיקטר". ¹⁵ Menachot 39a; Steinsaltz on Menachot 39a:10. ¹⁶ Tosafot on Menachot 39a s.v. "לא יפחות משבע". See also Piskei Tosafot on Menachot 137:1. ¹⁷ Tosafot on Menachot 39a s.v. "לא יפחות משבע". ¹⁸ Tosafot on Menachot 39a s.v. "לא יפחות משבע". ¹⁹ Menachot 39a. ²⁰ Menachot 39a. ²¹ Menachot 39a. ²² Menachot 39a. ²³ Menachot 39a. ²⁴ Menachot 39a. ²⁵ Menachot 39a. ²⁶ Menachot 39a; Rif Halakhot Ketanot (Menachot) 13a:1. ²⁷ Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 11:13. ²⁸ Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 13:1-2. ²⁹ Menachot 39a; Rif Halakhot Ketanot (Menachot) 12b:5. ³⁰ Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 11:14. ³¹ Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 11:14, and Magen Avraham ad loc. ³² Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 9:1-2.