Verse: ואהבת את ה’ אלקיך בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך ובכל מאדך
Command: Love G-d
Devarim 6:5
Type: Positive
SMG Mitzva # 3
Cross-Ref: {link}
SMG
G‑d has admonished the Jewish people on three concepts [that are required] for his service: Fear, as it says[i] את ה’ אלקיך תירא אותו תעבד[α]; Receive recompense [for good deeds], as it says[ii] למען ייטב לך, and Love, as it says[iii] ואהבת את ה’ אלקיך.
These three (3) [concepts] differ from each other, since many people would do what the king commanded, not because they love the king, or want to be compensated, but because they fear the punishment of the king, who might harm them [for failing to follow the command]. Similarly, there are those who say one should serve G‑d [out of fear] lest he harm them in this world or judge them in hell after death. Certainly, it is a good attribute to fear G‑d, as commanded (in the next Mitzva), but this service [only] through fear, is not true service, since the person obeying the commands is actually self-serving in doing so, [since he does so to avoid punishment].
Also, we can find many gentiles working for Jewish [employers], who do not do so out of love [for the employer], but to collect their paycheck. Similarly, people who serve G‑d knowing that doing so will benefit them in this world, and the next, that is certainly a good attribute, because [it shows] that they believe in G‑d who will provide the recompense. But this [service for payment] is not true service, since the person obeying the commands is [also] actually self-serving in doing so, [since he does so to collect payment].
The good and best way to serve the creator is as written in conjunction with [the source verse for the Mitzva concerning] the unity of his name (in the previous Mitzva); to serve the creator through love not on condition of receiving a prize.
PUBLIC ADDRESS BY THE SMG IN THE YEAR 4,996 SINCE CREATION
One should contemplate all the good already done for us by G‑d, who has created us[1] from a putrid drop [β] and designed people wisely, creating for them orifices [as needed]. Externally, G‑d made for us eyes [γ] to perceive the world, and eyelids to shut one’s eyes to sleep, or prevent looking at bad things, as stated[iv] ועצם עיניו מראות ברע. He made for us ear canals to hear, and nasal passages to smell and drain excess fluid from the sinuses. He made for us a mouth to eat and speak, [θ] and teeth to masticate food. He made for us a tongue to knead the food in the mouth and enunciate speech. He made the throat and the esophagus to swallow food and drink. He made a windpipe to transport to and fro the air needed to live from the lungs to the nostrils and mouth [to breathe] and to form sound necessary for speech – produced by the symphony of the lungs and breath of life. He made the heart to be a receptacle for the living soul; to think thoughts. He made the upper digestive tract – the 10F10F[2]אצטומכה – to collect the food and drink and sustain the entire body from the nutrients therein. He made the liver on the right [side of the body] with the red bile and blood from the source of the liver to warm the upper digestive tract, and from the heat of the liver and the red bile and blood, the food and drink is digested in the upper digestive tract. He made the intestines to take the resulting processed food [partially digested and not quite waste product] and roll it slowly along a circuitous route until it reaches the place where waste is expelled. He made two kidneys, right and left, to warm the lower digestive tract, to strengthen the body and ensure that waste is expelled as is needed by humans. (Additionally, our sages stated[v], the heart understands, and the kidneys advise.) He made the spleen on the left side [of the body] with the black bile to provide temperature controls on the entire digestive system to ensure the food does not get too hot from the liver and blood and red bile. [κ] (Additionally, our sages stated in that Gemara [on the next page], the spleen grinds.) [ι] He made the spinal cord and the other bones to be the scaffolding of a strong body. He placed meat on the bones to warm up the cold bones. He made the pathways of the blood – the veins – to irrigate the body, and pass [the blood] from side to side, and from here to there. He made tendons to anchor the limbs to the bones. He made limbs, sockets, vertebrae, and knuckles – hand and foot, arms, shins legs and thighs, ankles and wrists, the cervical bones and shoulder blades so that a person could stretch, kneel, bow, straighten, stand, or sit. He stretched skin above the meat, bones, veins, tendons, and limbs, to cover the body, retain heat, and protect the liquids in the body and the inner organs. He made a skull for the head to be a king over the body [within which is] the brain that in there dwells the identity of the soul, and the wisdom. He made a membrane with cerebrospinal fluid to ensure the brain and eyes don’t dry out from the heat of the internal organs which is transported up to the head. He made hair on the head to keep the head warm since the head doesn’t have any [protective] meat between the skull and the scalp. He made a beard to provide a frame for the face, and make it handsome, and to provide a distinction between men and women. He made an umbilical cord to ensure the baby is able to be sustained in the womb until born, since a fetus can’t use its mouth to consume food as it is sealed until born.[vi] He made hands to touch and grab, grasp and grip, and work to produce a livelihood. He made feet to stand the body on, and to bring it from place to place. Once born, [the body] is grown by G‑d and G‑d helps him in many ways.
[Considering all this] how could a person, low and despised, perform a Mitzva that would be so important as to repay the good that G‑d has done from him already? Accordingly, our sages wrote[vii] do not be like servants who serve the master for the prize. As the Gemara[viii] explains in quoting the verse[ix] לאהבה את ה’ אלוקיך לשמוע בקולו ולדבקה בו a person shouldn’t decide to learn the Torah to be called a Rabbi, or the Mishna to be known as an elder[3] and be able to sit in the Yeshiva. Rather, he should study for the love [of the one whose wisdom he is studying] and let the end result of honor come as it may.
The שמע states: בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך, mentioning first the heart, because the main determinant of the actions of a person, whether for good or ill, depends on the intentions of the heart. [A slap on the back from a friend is an expression of love, while from an enemy is a grievance that must be avenged.] [the meaning of] בכל נפשך is as Rabbi Eliezer said[x] “even at the cost of one’s life, one must offer up oneself to sanctify and confirm the unity of G‑d’s name.”
And ובכל מאודך means even at the cost of all your money – since there are those people for whom their money is even more important than their physical welfare, the Torah adds the admonishment of ובכל מאודך. As our sages ruled[xi] [regarding people who love their money even more than their life – and as Rashi there comments, that the requirement to specify both terms individually is because there are some people who love their life and their money, but not equally all the time. Therefore, the double term is used regardless of which situation a person finds himself in. Furthermore, this is the Halaĉa as defined elsewhere in the Gemara[xii]].
And even in a case of coercion in private, it is appropriate to self-sacrifice. This would follow the opinion of the Rabbanan in the name of Rabbi Yishmael[xiii]. [the Gemara there offers an opinion contrary to the one listed above – which was Rabbi Eliezer’s opinion. According to Rabbi Yishmael, he learns that other than the three (3) cardinal sins (idolatry, forbidden sex[4], and murder) one should allow sacrifice himself [for any of the other Mitzvos] only in public, and not when forced to commit these sins in private. He derives this from two verses, one[xiv] that says the Mitzvos are given to prolong life[5], not shorten it – וחי בהם, while the other[xv] is a prohibition against the desecration of heaven in public – ולא תחללו את שם קדשי ונקדשתי. This does not follow the opinion of Rabbi Yishmael, who argues on this, as laid out[xvi] in Tosafos [wherein Tosafos elaborates on the various methods of applying the opinions of Rabbi Yishmael and the Rabbanan, and concludes that since it is possible here to be more stringent than the absolute requirement of Halaĉa, and since the rulings are dependent on circumstance, it is therefore possible that various sages ruled according to Rabbi Yishmael, or according to the Rabbanan – depending on the circumstances].
Because this Parsha [of שמע] is beloved to G‑d and is the key to our fear [of him], because within it is contained the unity of the creator and the admonition to love his name with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your power – and all of Torah is included within this, since one who loves the king, all his intentions are to do good and right by him. Therefore, G‑d commanded to recall this for him five (5) times daily: [δ]
- To read it before laying down at night,
- To read it upon arising in the morning,
- To have this Parsha written [and placed] opposite the heart in the Tefillin of the arm – which is placed opposite the heart as it says[xvii] ושמתם את דברי אלה על לבבכם, and our sages taught[xviii] that this means the Tefillin must be placed opposite the heart,
- To have this Parsha written [and placed] opposite the soul – that the Tefillin of the head be placed on the head parallel to the center between the eyes. The main lifeforce of the soul and the person’s identity is there, this is the meaning of והיו לטוטפת בין עניך, and
- To have this Parsha written [and placed] opposite one’s wealth – on the doorposts of your houses and your gates, as that is where a person’s wealth is.
Corresponding to the order laid out in the Torah; בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך ובכל מאודך, so has the Torah set the order of the Mitzvos in that Parsha:
- וקשרתם לאות על ידיך = בכל לבבך
- והיו לטוטפת בין עניך = בכל נפשך
- ובכל מאודך = וכתבתם על מזוזת בתיך ובשעריך
This[6] is what I expounded upon to the Jewish communities in exile to prove that every individual is obligated in Tefillin and Mezuzah.
I also lectured that from the six hundred and thirteen (613) Mitzvos commanded to the Jewish people, there are only three (3) of which are a sign and testimony that the Jewish people are G‑d’s servants. And according to the rules [in Halaĉa regarding valid testimony, the minimum requirement of which is] two witnesses [based on which testimony] matters are established. Accordingly, no Jew is [established by testimony as] a complete Jew unless established on the basis of two (2) of these witnesses.
[Similarly, Rabbi Akiva said[xix] the Tefillin are called a אות as it says[xx] והיה לאות על ידיך and Shabbos itself is called a אות. Rashi quotes the verse[xxi] כי [7] אות היא as the source that Shabbos is a sign.
The Gemara goes at length into a discussion as to whether Tefillin is a Mitzva when donned at a time when not required, or when donned by someone to whom the Mitzva doesn’t apply (such as a woman[8]), or when donned without the proper constant concentrated intent.]
On Shabbos (and Yom Tov, which is called Shabbos), Shabbos is identified as a sign [and testimony], and thus Tefillin are not necessary since the person has the two (2) other ‘witnesses’, namely Shabbos and Bris Milah. However, during the weekday, everyone must don Tefillin in order that there be dual testimony [on his status as a Jew]; Tefillin and Bris Milah. Anyone who does not don Tefillin has only one (1) witness that he is Jewish, and based on the Gemara[xxii] such a person is excommunicated by heaven:
There are seven people whom heaven excommunicates[9] even though they are judgement proof in the earthly courts:
- a Jewish male who refuses to marry [even after finding an appropriate wife],
- a Jewish male who does marry, but has no children [because he refuses to engage in sex],
- one who has children, but refuses to raise them to learn Torah,
- one who does not have Tefillin on his head, and on his arm, and
- Tzitzis on his garments, and
- a Mezuzah on his doorpost, and
- one who refuses to wear shoes.
- And some add an eighth; one who refuses to participate in a gathering for a Mitzva.
(One might ask, since Tefillin is a sign and testimony just like Shabbos, why was it observed so weakly by the people? This can already be explained by what Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar stated[xxiii] that Mitzvos for which the Jewish people had not gone on self-sacrifice to fulfil during the times of persecution remain weak in our hands, like Tefillin.)
And since all three (3) of these Mitzvos [Tefillin, Bris Milah and Shabbos] are each weighted as much as the entire Torah, as Rabbi Yishmael said[xxiv] Bris Milah is greater as it has thirteen (13) covenants established upon it [Beraishis Chapter 17, there are thirteen (13) times the Torah terms Bris Milah as a covenant.] and in [giving the] Torah there are only three (3) times a covenant is made [as Rashi clarifies: the Torah was given to the Jews three (3) times 1) at Mt Sinai (Parshas Yisro Devarim 28:69), 2) on the plains of Moav from the Ohel Moed (Chumash Devarim 29:8) and 3) by Mt Gerizim (in Yehoshua[10]) – and at each point the Torah identifies this as a ברית that the Jews entered into:]. Tefillin and Shabbos are equalized [with the entire Torah] in many places, for example[xxv] ואת שבת קדשך הודעת להם… ותורה צוית להם and[xxvi] למען תהיה תורת ה’ בפיך.
Also, I lectured to them, about what the sages write[xxvii] in the name of Rabbi Yanai[11] that Tefillin require a clean body, like Elisha of the Wings[12], who did not sleep (fulfilling Rava’s requirement) or pass gas (fulfilling Abaya’s requirement) while wearing Tefillin; that applies to someone who dons Tefillin an entire day long – as is the proper performance of the Mitzva. [However, this is no longer a practice generally observed by the populace, who are concerned] lest they forget they are wearing Tefillin and come to engage in an activity that is inappropriate. Regardless, during prayer, there isn’t a Jew so low that he would not be worthy to don Tefillin. This can be learnt from a Sefer Torah which has a higher degree of sanctity, since it has all the Parshas written, unlike Tefillin which only have four (4) Parshas, and those are housed in leather: but the Sefer Torah everyone holds on to it during prayers, since everyone can act in a state of טהרה while davening.
I also brought the lesson taught by our sages[xxviii] why is the Parsha of והיה כי יביאך included in Tefillin? Tefillin is a personal obligation and is not dependent on residency in the land of Israel… The lesson is[13] that this Mitzva of Tefillin was given by which merit we deserve to inherit the land of Israel. [ε]
Also, our sages[xxix] warn that failure to don Tefillin daily is [comparable to] a violation of eight (8) Mitzvos since each of the Tefillin have four (4) Parshas and in each Parsha the Mitzva to don Tefillin is enumerated[14].
Also, Ulah said[xxx] that anyone who recites שמע without Tefillin is as if he is testifying falsely about himself.
Also, Rav identifies[xxxi] a sinner amongst the Jews as a skull (Karkafta) that has never donned Tefillin. [Such a person] is judged in Gehinom for twelve (12) months. [Concerning this definition, we find a difference of opinion between two Rishonim] Rabeinu Yaakov [aka Rabeinu Tam] clarifies[15] that statement [of Rav about a Karkafta] as applying to someone who abstained from Tefillin because of a rebellious intent and disdain for the Mitzva as the Gemara elsewhere[xxxii] identifies ‘sinners’ as those who deliberately rebel[16]. Rav Alfas explained in Gemara Rosh Hashana, that this refers to someone who never once donned Tefillin. Since these commentaries, Rabeinu Yaakov and Rav Alfas are not compatible, [ζ] one should not depend on the explanation of the other [meaning, do not assume that according to Rav Alfas just because once one has put on Tefillin, the Gemara does not refer to such a person as a ‘sinner’. Rather Rabeinu Yaakov’s approach is correct, and the deliberate refusal to don Tefillin is what categorizes him as a ‘sinner’. And vice versa, one who never had the opportunity to put on Tefillin should not assume to follow Rabeinu Yaakov and hope that since he never deliberately rebelled, he is not termed a ‘sinner’. Rather Rav Alfas is correct, and he must make every effort to don Tefillin.]
Also, I lectured that G‑d wants [even] a sinner to don Tefillin even more than [he wants] the righteous [to do so]. The whole point of Tefillin is the Mitzva to the wicked to recall [the right path] and to straighten them to follow the good path. And the wicked need that remembrance and strengthening even more than those who grew up righteous in fear of heaven all their days. A great proof for this I brought from that fact that in each of the Parshas the word טוטפת [17] is brought to describe the Tefillin, except for one parsha in which the word זיכרון is used[18]. This teaches that the main obligation of Tefillin falls on those who need it most.
Also, Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov said[xxxiii] anyone who has Tefillin on his head and arm, Tzitzis on his garments, and a Mezuzah on his doorpost, has an assumption of not coming to sin, as it says[xxxiv] והחוט המשלש לא במהרה ינתק,[19] and[xxxv] חונה מלאך ה’ סביב ליראיו ויחלצם the meaning of which is that the angel, who is the Mitzva of G‑d, are those who dwell around him (the one performing the Mitzvos) and remind him concerning the service of the Creator. As the story was told regarding one who was prevented from a sin by means of seeing his Tzitzis and remembering[20]. Also, as Reish Lakish stated there, one who dons Tefillin will have long life as it says אד’ עליהם יחיו. [as Rashi explains the verse by inserting a comma between אד’ עליהם and יחיו; ‘those who have the name of Hashem on them, shall live’]
And it was, in the year 4,995 of the creation of the world, there was a happenstance from heaven that required a debate and in 4,996[21], I was in Spain to admonish the people there, and G‑d strengthened my arms to fight the Jewish and non-Jewish dreamers [η] and the astrologers. G‑d turned to me with his kindness, and the earth trembled[22] causing fear and G‑dly zealousness. Vast multitudes did Teshuva and thousands, tens of thousands, accepted upon themselves the Mitzvos of Tefillin, Mezuzah, and Tzitzis – and so followed in other lands, I was there as well, and my words were accepted everywhere. They requested that I write the explanation of the Mitzvos in short. I ask for assistance from the G‑d of the exiled Jews – and his desire will be successful in my hands.
[1] Not being a medical professional, I do my best to translate the words of the SMG.
[2] The SMG in positive Mitzvos 59-62 quotes Rashi [Vayikra 11:3] who defines this as the sections of the stomach used to regurgitate the cud. However, I have not found that Rashi yet.
[3] Actually, the quote from the Gemara is not quite in those terms. Rather: “that a person should not say, ‘I will study scripture to be called wise, and learn Mishna to be called Rabbi and I shall sit in Yeshiva’” (the Bach corrects the scrivener’s error and replaces the word Rabbi with Elder). However, as noted in the section regarding the Laws of the Study of Torah, there is a difference between elderly and Elder. Accordingly, if the second term is Elder – as the Bach stated – then it would be superfluous to also state wise, which is synonymous with Elder. Rather, the SMG learns that the Gemara uses the terms Rabbi and Elder. One is a leader, and one is a wise.
Also, perhaps the SMG is inserting a joke between the lines of his speech, that Rabbi and Elder are not synonymous.
[4] Including the prohibition against rape – as clearly stated in the verse כי כאשר יקום איש על רעהו ורצחו נפש כן הדבר הזה. The verse equates murder with rape, but in actuality, murder is self-understood based on the logical argument of ‘why is your blood more red than his’, and therefore, the equation in the verse is there to imply the reverse – that rape is akin to murder.
The שאילתות expounds on this with an astonishing story from Rabbi Yehuda in the name of Rav – there was a story of a man who desired to have sex with a woman. He sent her gifts of gold and silver, and she refused. His obsessive desire consumed him, and he fell ill from it for many days. The doctors prescribed that the only way for him to be healed would be to have sex with her.
The story was presented to the sages who ruled he should be allowed to perish rather than have the lady have sex with him. The doctors offered alternative ‘solutions’:
- she should stand before him naked, to which the sages said, ‘let him die’.
- she should talk to him from behind a partition, to which the sages said, ‘let him die’.
In discussing this story, two opinions emerged concerning the lady in question. Rabbi Yaakov bar Idi and Rabbi Shmuel bar Naĉmani argued: one said she was married (which explains the sage’s refusal as adultery is forbidden to the point of death) and the other said she was unattached.
Concerning the opinion that said the story was about an unmarried lady, Rav Pappa and Rav Adda brey d’Rav Ika differed. Rav Pappa held that the sages’ concern was about the reputation of potential offspring, while Rav Adda said it was because the sages did not want to set a precedent that would imply Jewish girls are free for the taking.
The Gemara asks, why not have the man marry her? The Gemara answers by quoting Rabbi Yitzĉok who stated that once the Base Hamikdash was destroyed, the pleasure of sex was given to those who act illicitly. Stolen waters are sweetest.
[5] Actually, Rashi provides the simple meaning of the verse is that the life referred to is that of the world-to-come. Not this world. See Discussion on positive Mitzva 5
[6] It is unclear where the start of the lecture begins in the work of the SMG.
[7] Actually, it repeats the word אות twice in that chapter in reference to Shabbos, the first time, our verse 13 ends with לדעת כי אני ה’ מקדשכם, while the second time, in verse 17, the verse continues כי ששת ימים עשה. Rashi in explaining the Gemara includes the prefix to the word אות to ensure that the reference is to verse 13 vs verse 17 for the following reason:
Shabbos is actually a sign for two (2) things, 1) that Hashem chose the Jewish people and separated them as his chosen people from the other nations, and 2) that Hashem made the heavens and earth in six (6) days and rested on the 7th. We find this distinction in the formulation of Shacharis Tefilla vs the others, and in the formulation of the Nusaĉ of Kiddush. Either we say “זכר למעשה בראשית” or “זכר ליציאת מצרים”. Similarly, the verse 13 and 17 provide different reasonings for why Shabbos is called a sign, verse 13) לדעת כי אני ה’ מקדשכם – that we were chosen, and verse 17) כי ששת ימים עשה – that G‑d created the world.
Rashi on verse 13, expounds that the sign of Shabbos is a sign of greatness. Tefillin have a similar association with greatness, like the verse וראו כל עמי הארץ כי שם ה’ נקרא עליך ויראו ממך and unfortunately the reverse as well with regards to Tisha b ’Av אפר תחת פאר.
[8] Actually, this Gemara also provides us with an additional not oft quoted reason as to why women are not obligated in Tefillin; since the Tefillin are testimony, and women are not obligated in testifying. See positive Mitzva 108.
[9] The SMG does expound on how the listing from the Gemara of these seven (7) people reinforces the idea that Tefillin are a witness, and that lack of that witness during the week [leaving only the witness of Bris Milah] is what causes the excommunication. However, when reviewing the Gemara’s discussion that led up to this, the Gemara provides an interesting story that does shed light on how the listing reinforces this idea:
There are three [people] that G‑d loves: 1) one who does not get angry, 2) one who does not get drunk, and 3) one who is forgiving. There are three [people] that G‑d hates: 1) one whose mouth and heart are not aligned [the dishonest], 2) one who knows testimony but refuses to testify on behalf of another, and 3) one who sees another engaged in forbidden sex, and he testifies [since the testimony of one (1) person provides the court with no basis to act, all he has accomplished with bringing what he saw to the courts attention is to smear the perpetrator’s good name – assuming he was telling the truth about what he witnessed].
The Gemara provides a story to illustrate this point: Tuvya sinned, and Zigud came to Rav Pappa to testify about him [Tuvya]. Rav Pappa commanded that Zigud be lashed [for being the only witness], who complained “Tuvya sinned, and Zigud is being lashed?!” to which Rav Pappa replied from the verse in Devarim 19:15לא יקום עד אחד באיש” [which is taken to mean that one (1) witness is insufficient, but can be literally translated as a prohibition for a single witness to give testimony when there are no other witnesses.]
Based on that, it is understandable why heaven would excommunicate someone who does not don Tefillin, because he in fact is only providing heaven with one (1) witness [Bris Milah] instead of two (2) [Bris Milah and Tefillin] that he is a kosher Jew.
[10] Rashi here does not provide a quote. In Gemara Sota 37a, Rashi states the entire procedure at Mt Gerizim was a covenant, and therefore no specific verse is required to identify it as such. The Bach provides other opinions.
[11] Rabeinu Ĉananel notes that the rule of Rabbi Yanai that Tefillin can only be worn on a clean body (according to Abaye that means no passing gas while wearing Tefillin. Rava says it means no sleeping while wearing Tefillin) applies only when Jews are being persecuted. I do not understand – does this mean when they are not being persecuted, a clean body is not required? Perhaps, the meaning is that even when persecution is extreme, a clean body must be maintained for Tefillin – notwithstanding that he might have no other opportunity.
[12] Elisha of the Wings earned his appellation from the following story (Gemara Shabbos 49a): Rome issued a decree that anyone caught wearing Tefillin would have his brain gouged out. Elisha nevertheless continued to wear them and even went out to the market in public wearing them. A minister [police officer] spotted him wearing Tefillin and chased after Elisha who ran away. Seeing that he was about to be caught, Elisha removed the Tefillin from his head, and cupped them in his hands. When interrogated, Elisha stated he was only holding doves’ wings, and he opened his hands to show what he was holding. Lo and behold a miracle occurred, doves wings were what he held in his hands. (The Gemara does not continue with whether this was a temporary transformation, or a permanent one requiring him to go purchase new Tefillin.)
The Gemara concludes that the Tefillin were changed to doves’ wings because the Jews are compared to doves (Tehillim 68:14), and the wings of the dove protect it – just as Tefillin protect the Jews.
It’s interesting that the Gemara chooses this verse to compare the Jews to doves, since the thrust of the verses [as explained by Rashi] is that the Almighty has provided his Torah, as explained by the Torah scholars, and if only the Jews [doves] would yearn for it, the Torah would protect them.
[13] The Gemara provides a fascinating dispute between Rabbi Yoĉanan and Reish Lakish as to whether the Jews observed the Mitzva of sanctifying the first born throughout their time in the wilderness. Reish Lakish says that they did not do so continuously until entering Eretz Yisroel, since the Mitzva was given by starting with the caveat והיה כי יביאך. While Rabbi Yoĉanan disagrees and says that throughout their time in the wilderness, this Mitzva was observed. As for Rabbi Yoĉanan’s source, Rabbi Elazar (presumably Rabbi Elazar ben Pedat who succeeded Reish Lakish and Rabbi Yoĉanan in Teverya) states he ‘saw Rabbi Yoĉanan in a dream [who apparently appeared to Rabbi Elazar after passing away to provide the following approbation], and Rabbi Yoĉanan’s source is the words לי יהיו meaning that once sanctified during the plague of the first born, thereafter the first born remained sanctified.’
[14] Rashi there actually provides two other possible calculations: i) that the four (4) Parshas each contain a reference to both the head and hand Tefillin, and ii) within the Parshas, there are eight (8) times in which the Torah identifies Tefillin as a sign or Mitzva.
[15] In Tosefos קרקפתא on Gemara Rosh Hashana 17a, Rabeinu Tam does not include rebellion in his caveat. He does state that Rav’s statement only applies to one who holds the straps of the Tefillin surrounding his head in contempt.
[16] The Gemara derives the connotation of rebellion as being associated with a sinner, since one of the main terms of a sinner – a פושע – is also used to describe a rebel, as in Melaĉim II 3:7 מלך מואב פשע בי.
[17] Rashi in Devarim 6:9 notes that the word טטפת is in reference to the Tefillin worn on the head [which have four (4) distinct compartments]. This follows the opinion of Rabbi Akiva from Gemara Sanhedrin 4b, who notes that the word טטפת is a conjunction word of 2 words in other languages that both mean 2; טט in Coptic means 2, and פת in Afrikaans means 2. Together the word means 4 (2+2=4). It should be noted that Rabbi Yishmael disagrees with this and derives the number 4 from the three (3) times the word טטפת is mentioned, one of which contains an extra letter ו, implying it is plural.
Some commentators feel that טטפת is derived from the Aramaic in which it means strips or ornaments. I believe they are mistaken, and that this is a case where the Aramaic term was derived from the Chumash, not vice versa.
A quick review of Google Translate though brings up no such sounds in correlation with either Coptic Egyptian, or various African dialects. Therefore, I believe the following is what Rabbi Akiva meant. In hieroglyphic script (the basis for Coptic), to represent a number, the symbol is simply repeated the number of times being represented. Therefore, in Egyptian Coptic hieroglyphic script, the double letter ט automatically means ‘two of’.
Furthermore, a variant spelling of the word פת is found in Vayikra 2:6 which says פתות אותה פתים, which is translated as ‘break it (or fold it) into multiple pieces’. See Rashi on Gemara Menachos 75b, where Rashi notes that the word פתות means to break into two, and the Mincha offering had to be broken in multiple two’s – i.e., four (4) pieces. No one suggests the word פת means the Hebrew word for bread, especially as the verse is using it as a verb – implying that a different language is being used. Presumably, a lost African dialect.
- Accordingly, according to Rabbi Akiva, the word טטפת would mean a double (טט) of two (2) pieces (פת) – four (4) compartments.
If correct, there’s only one final point that needs to be explained according to this interpretation; presumably, any letter could have been doubled to indicate the number two in Egyptian Coptic. Why was the letter ט specifically used? From the simple way of looking at things, one could say that the letter ט is both shaped like a basket and has the meaning of the word basket (container) when spelled out. It is thus eminently suitable for describing the containers of the Parshas of Tefillin.
[18] This parsha is in reference to the firstborns being redeemed, who lost their birthright for sinning with the golden calf, which is why they are being redeemed. These sinners need to remember the right path by means of Tefillin…
[19] Rashi explains the three (3) strings as a reference to Torah, Mitzvos and Good Deeds.
[20] See Footnote cviii on Mitzva ‘Wear Tzitzis & recall the Mitzvos – ועשו להם ציצת על כנפי בגדיהם’
[21] Year 1,236 in the common era. To put this into perspective, this address occurred during the time of the crusades, when the mass murder of the Jewish people throughout Europe were state sponsored events, and entire communities were butchered en masse.
[22] Presumably a reference to the 6.0 magnitude earthquake in the Jaen Andalusia region in southern Spain. It would have been felt by the Andalusian Jewish refugees who fled to the North when the muslims invaded Spain and killed all those who refused to convert. It is possible that this debate either directly or indirectly led to the reopening of the Jewish quarter shortly thereafter, where the Jews remained for a couple hundred years until being expelled yet again by the christians.
[i] Devarim 10:20
[ii] Devarim 22:7
[iii] Devarim 6:5
[iv] Yeshaya 33:15
[v] Gem. Beraĉos 61a
[vi] Gem. Yevamos 71b and Gem. Nida 30b
[vii] Mishna Pirkay Avos 1:3
[viii] Gem. Nedarim 62a
[ix] Devarim 30:20
[x] Gem. Beraĉos 61b
[xi] Gem. Pesaĉim 25a
[xii] Gem. Yoma 82a
[xiii] Gem. Sanhedrin 74a, and also שאילתות דרב אחאי גאון Parshas וארא Chapter 42
[xiv] Vayikra 18:5
[xv] Vayikra 22:32
[xvi] Tosephos יכול אפילו בפרהסיא in Gem. Avoda Zara 27b
[xvii] Devarim 11:18
[xviii] Gem. Beraĉos 13b
[xix] Gem. Menaĉos 36b and Gem. Eiruvin 96a
[xx] Shemos 13:16
[xxi] Shemos 31:13
[xxii] Gem. Pesaĉim 113b
[xxiii] Tosephos כאלישע בעל כנפים in Gem. Shabbos 49a
[xxiv] Mishna in Gem. Nedarim 31b and Gem. Beraĉos 49a
[xxv] Nechemya 9:14
[xxvi] Shemos 13:9
[xxvii] Gem. Shabbos 130a
[xxviii] Gem. Beĉoros 5a: the SMG adds an additional reference that I was unable to locate; Rashi למה Gem. Kiddushin 36b
[xxix] Gem. Menaĉos 44a
[xxx] Gem. Beraĉos 14b
[xxxi] Gem. Rosh Hashana 17a
[xxxii] Gem. Yoma 36b
[xxxiii] Gem. Menaĉos 43b
[xxxiv] Koheless 4:12
[xxxv] Tehillim 34:8
AMUDAY SHLOMO
[α] First listed is fear, and then recompense, since that is the natural order of things. First one is fearful, and then one looks for the reward, and then love. Like a child who doesn’t know anything and has never been punished [; at first is taught what not to do by means of fear of the slap on the hand, and then the children are offered rewards to do and accomplish specific things, and only then can the child truly appreciate the love the parents have for him in bringing him up well and reciprocate from love] …
Also, love [which is the final of the three concepts required for service,] is closer to anticipating reward than to fear of punishment. Love is [placed] far from the fear of punishment since those two mentalities are on complete opposite sides.
[β] It’s a little difficult to understand what the benefits of [being created from a putrid drop is]. Instead, the tone of the paragraph implies ‘notwithstanding’. Notwithstanding being created from a putrid drop, He has done all these kindnesses to us… etc.
[γ] The kindness here is in the doubling of limbs – two (2) eyes, two (2) ears etc. A minimum of one limb is needed for functionality, but the second limb is provided out of the kindness of the Creator.
[δ] There are deliberately five (5) because the fifth (5th) is the one out of love: two (2) are remembrances to fear repercussions in this world and the world to come, two (2) are affirmations of rewards for positive behavior in this world and the next, but the fifth – that is extra and only given out of love.
[ε] [Similarly, there are other associations to the Parshas written in the Tefillin, by which merit the Jews inherited the land of Israel. For example] תורת ה’ בפיך that [Tefillin must be written] from that which is permissible to consume [in the mouth. Hides or quills from non-kosher animals or birds may not be used to write Tefillin.] And וראו כל עמי הארץ כי שם ה’ נקרא עליך this refers to the Tefillin in the head. (See Lubavitcher Rebbe’s prophecies regarding the recent Israeli 6-day war and the preemptive Tefillin campaign.)
[ζ] [Maharshal comments on the unusual language ערבות employed by the SMG and determines that the implication from the SMG is that regardless of which is the stricter opinion, neither] of those who choose to be lenient according to either opinion, or strict according to the other, is following either Rav Alfas or Rabeinu Tam. [Meaning the opinions are not differing but complementary – one must always endeavor to have those who have never put on Tefillin to do so at least once, like Rav Alfas and those who have deliberately decided not to, should also be encouraged to return and put on Tefillin once again, like Rabeinu Yaakov.]
[η] Play on words in comparison to Yosef the dream interpreter who had no equal.
[θ] G‑d created a single organ to eat and communicate instead of a separate organ for speech different from an organ to eat, to teach one to be prudent [about one’s intellectual consumption] and utilize the speaking spirit for the study of Torah.
[ι] [The terminology in the Gemara is] טחול שוחק, which can mean the ‘spleen makes happy’ in that people become happy [when food is being digested]. Alternatively, it can mean grinding in that it processes the food.
[κ] We don’t actually find two (2) types of bile [red and black]. Rather the meaning is that the left side has a type of bile-like liquid.
RASHI
Rashi on the verse seems to follow this opinion, as he quotes the Sifri and says: עשה דבריו מאהבה. However, in the very next verse, on והיו הדברים האלה Rashi clarifies his previous statement as to “and what is the love mentioned [previously] – והיו הדברים האלה” that by having these Mitzvos on your heart you will come to recognize G‑d and cling to his ways.
Discussion by SMS
It would therefore seem that the statement in the previous verse telling us to love G‑d is more of a prediction as to what will occur should you maintain these Mitzvos. And yet previously Rashi indicated it is better to follow G‑d from love than because one is required to. So, is it a prediction or a requirement?
The SMG takes a definitive approach, and after pointing out that every physical component of the body is created to serve a Mitzva purpose, he quotes the Mishna and Gemara which illustrate the altruistic nature one should employ when performing a Mitzva.
The Gemara[i] provides a law that when those who gather figs have put aside most of their machetes (or other tools) which were used to harvest the produce, the remaining figs are deemed ownerless, and one can eat them without permission and without setting aside the required tithes.
To support this ruling, the Gemara tells three stories, the final being about Rabbi Tarfon who was caught by a watchman eating figs in a field in which the majority of the workers had set aside their harvest implements. Not knowing who the trespasser was, the watchman placed Rabbi Tarfon in a sack, lifted him and carried him to a river to throw him in. Rabbi Tarfon called out and said, “Woe to Tarfon who is being killed” When the watchman heard that, he realized who he had caught, dropped Rabbi Tarfon [on dry land] and ran away.
In relating this story, Rabbi Avahu said in the name of Rabbi Ĉananya ben Gamliel that Rabbi Tarfon remained distressed to the end of his days that he’d used his reputation as a Torah scholar for personal benefit. Obviously, the watchman had been suffering from a rash of thefts and assumed Rabbi Tarfon was the thief, even though he had been eating ownerless produce. Rabbi Tarfon of course was entitled to save himself, however, being a wealthy person, he should have bribed the watchman to spare him rather than use his reputation as a Torah scholar for personal gain.
The Gemara then quotes[ii] לאהבה את ה’ אלוקיך לשמע בקולו ולדבקה בו and concludes based on that verse that one should have no ulterior motive in studying Torah but should study out of love of G‑d.
It would seem from the Gemara that the love of G‑d is interchangeable with the love of Torah and the performance of the Mitzvos, and furthermore is an ideal to aspire to, not a basic Mitzva.
This would follow Rashi’s interpretation, providing guidance on the best way of performing the Mitzvos, but is not an absolute requirement. Indeed, Rashi comments on the verse[iii] אורך ימים בימינה ובשמאלה עושר וכבוד those who engage in Torah for the right[1] reasons will have a long, good life, while those who do not will still have riches and honor.
[1] A play on the meaning of ימינה – which is both right (vs left) and right (vs wrong).
[i] Gem. Nedarim 62a
[ii] Devarim 30:20
[iii] Mishley 3:16