A free account is required to play audio and download files.
No community start suggestion yet.
Are tefillin straps tashmishei kedusha or tashmishei mitzvah (מצוה)? The shiur analyzes why the Gemara (גמרא) classifies retzuos as tashmishei kedusha despite serving the mitzvah of hanachas tefillin. Rabbi Zweig develops a fundamental distinction: the mitzvah of wearing tefillin all day is to keep Shem Hashem (ה׳) on oneself, making the straps tashmishei kedusha, while the act of tying is tashmishei mitzvah.
This shiur on Megillah 26b analyzes the Gemara (גמרא)'s classification of various items as tashmishei kedusha, with particular focus on the kesher shel tefillin—the knot of tefillin. The shiur begins by completing a discussion from the previous day regarding the Sfas Emes' question on Rashi (רש"י), clarifying that when there is a mapa (covering) between a sefer Torah (תורה) and the table, it becomes tashmishei tashmish (accessory to the accessory) because it involves kriyat haTorah—the mitzvah (מצוה) is being performed, making it tashmishei mitzvah rather than tashmishei kedusha itself. The Gemara lists items that are tashmishei kedusha: containers of sifrei Torah, tefillin and mezuzahs, the tik (case) of a sefer Torah, the nar tik (smaller case) of tefillin, and the retzuos (straps) of tefillin. Rabbi Zweig raises a fundamental question about the organization of this list: why separate containers from cases, and why insert tefillin and mezuzahs themselves between different types of containers? The shiur explores whether the Gemara is referring to the parchments themselves or their casings.
Looking for the full summary?
Full access is available to members of the TUF Alumni Association or the Yam Hagadol Foundation.
Already a member? Let the admin know!
Megillah 26b
Looking for the full transcript?
Full access is available to members of the TUF Alumni Association or the Yam Hagadol Foundation.
Already a member? Let the admin know!
Dedicate a Shiur in Gemara
L'ilui nishmas a loved one. In honor of a simcha or yahrzeit. As a zechus for a refuah sheleimah. Your dedication helps carry Rabbi Zweig's Torah to learners around the world.
When an animal damages crops, the Torah prescribes a unique payment formula based on multiplying the damaged area by sixty. Does this formula redefine the actual loss, or does it merely create a payment mechanism that still acknowledges the full damage sustained? The Gemara explores whether someone who ate in doubt should pay the higher-quality amount, examining how the principle of motzi me-chaveiro alav haraya applies when payments fall within the range of actual loss.
What makes testimony valid when different witnesses testify to different parts of the same event? The Gemara debates whether the principle of "davar v'lo chatzi davar" (complete testimony, not partial) disqualifies witnesses who testify separately to theft and slaughter. Rashi's approach reveals that the issue is not merely combining elements, but whether each witness's statement is independently meaningful.
Why is a ganav who sells a stolen animal on Shabbos exempt from the fourfold/fivefold payment? The shiur analyzes whether this exemption stems from kam lei b'derabbah or from the absence of a valid mechira. The Rashba's principle that matana resembles mechira when it is "nishtarish b'chet" is explored, along with the Rambam's position on hekdesh and the distinction between giving to bedek habayis versus mizbe'ach.
When a ganav shechts a stolen animal l'avodah zarah, why isn't he patur from payment since it's already isur hana'ah? The shiur explores the fundamental machloket Rashi-Tosafot on whether the isur derives from the act of shechita or from the din shechita itself. The Gemara's application of davar garem be'mamon ke'mamon domi extends the analysis to when borrowed animals become niskal.
