Pisqa’ 36¹

1

“And inscribe them (ketavtam)” (Dt.6:9)—

with perfectly-formed letters (ktav shalem).²

On this basis they taught:

If the copyist of a Torah-scroll

wrote alephs as ayins or ayins as alephs;

or bets as kaphs or kaphs as bets;

or gimmels as tzaddis or tzaddis as gimmels;

or dalets as reshes or reshes as dalets;

or hehs as khets or khets as hehs;

or vavs as yods or yods as vavs;

or zayins as nuns or nuns as zayins;

or tets as pehs or pehs as tets;

or bent letters as straight letters or straight as bent;

or mems as samekhs or samekhs as mems;

or closed letters as open letters, or open as closed—

if he wrote a closed paragraph as an open paragraph,³

or an open paragraph as a closed paragraph;⁴

or if he wrote without using black ink,

or if he inscribed the Song [at the Sea (Ex.15)]

like the surrounding [prosaic] verses;

or if [contrary to scribal conventions,]

he inscribed the Divine Epithets⁵ with gold—

indeed, any scroll so inscribed should be hidden away.

2

“And inscribe them on the doorposts of your house” (Dt.6:9).

Shall I infer that

the inscription may be carved in stone?

Look–you can reason:

Here it is stated :

“inscribe” (Dt.6:9),

and elsewhere it is stated:

“and inscribe on those stones all the words of this Torah” (Dt.27:8).

Just as there, inscribe implies carving in stone,

so here, as well,

inscribe implies carving in stone!

Or, let’s try this approach

[yielding the opposite conclusion]:

Here it is stated:

“inscribe” (Dt.6:9),

and elsewhere it is stated:

“He shall inscribe . . . this curse” (Nu.5:23).

Just as there inscribe implies writing on a scroll with ink,

so too here, inscribe means writing on a scroll with ink.⁶

You can reason in this fashion,

but I follow the reasoning of the original disputant:⁷

namely, here it is stated:

inscribe (Dt.6:9),

and elsewhere it is stated:

inscribe (Dt.27:8).

Just as there, inscribe implies carving in stone,

so too here, inscribe implies carving in stone.⁸

So you insist on drawing distinctions?

Then I insist that we

derive rulings from analogous cases,

and draw inferences from similar facts!

I would derive a matter

which is a custom for the generations

[like writing the Torah in a scroll]—

from another matter

which has been a custom for the generations.

But I would not derive a matter

which has been a custom for the generations

from a matter,

[like carving the Torah in stone],

which is only a temporary arrangement.

[Accordingly, I derive matters as follows:]

Here it is stated:

inscribe (Dt.6:9),

and elsewhere it is stated:

inscribe (Nu.5:23).

Just as there, inscribe means on a scroll with ink,

so too here, inscribe means on a scroll with ink!⁹

Even though there is no proof for the matter,

there is a hint of it:

“From his mouth he recited to me all these words,

and I wrote them on a document with ink” (Jer.36:18).

3

“On the doorposts” (Dt.6:9)—

shall I infer [from the plural, doorposts,]

that inscriptions should be affixed to two doorposts?

In a second reference,

the Teaching also states:

on the doorposts (Dt.11:20)—

an inclusionary clause [such as a plural noun,]

followed by

another inclusionary clause

[such as a plural noun] implies a restriction to a single doorpost]:

words of R. Ishmael.¹⁰

R. Isaac says:

There’s no need [for this exegesis]!

Look! He says:

“Take from the blood and place it on the two doorposts and the lintel” (Ex.12:7).

This creates an interpretive family of similar verses—

wherever doorposts are mentioned,

we assume the reference is to one

unless Scripture specifies two doorposts.

4

“Your house” (Dt.6:9)—

at the right of the entrance.

You say, at the right of the entrance!

Or, perhaps, it means to the right of the exit?

The Teaching states:

“On the doorposts of your house” (beitechah)—

upon your arrival (bi’ateichah),¹¹

at the right of the entrance.

“And on your gates” (Dt.6:9)—

shall I infer reference as well to the gates

of houses, roosts, cattle sheds,

haystacks, cattle pens, silos,

wood sheds, wine cellars,

grain bins, and oil reservoirs?

The Teaching states:

“Your house” (Dt.6:9)—

just as your house is a residence

[requiring a doorpost inscription],

so too your gates require an inscription

when they serve a residence.

Shall I infer reference as well to the gates of

civic buildings, public halls, and bath houses?

The Teaching states:

“Your house” (Dt.6:9)—

just as your house is a

place of honor and a residence,

so too your gates [require an inscription only when]

they open access to a place of honor, and serve a residence.

Shall I infer reference even to the gates of the Holy Shrine?

The Teaching states:

“Your house” (Dt.6:9)—

just as your house is a common space

[that requires an inscription],

the Holy Shrine too contains common space

[requiring a doorpost inscription].

On this basis they taught:

The chambers that opened out to the sanctified space,

were [themselves considered] sanctified,

those that opened to common space,

were [themselves considered] common.¹²

[and inscriptions were affixed only to

the doorposts of those common spaces].

5

Beloved is Israel!

For Scripture has surrounded them with commandments—

the prayer-amulets on their heads and arms [are two],

the doorpost-inscriptions on their entrances [count as one],

the fringes on their garments [count as four].

And of them, said David:

“Seven times a day do I praise You for your righteous laws” (Ps.119:164).

When he entered the bath house,

he saw himself naked and said:

Woe is me! For I am naked of commandments!

Contemplating his circumcision,

he began to arrange hymns of praise for it,

as it is said [regarding the day of circumcision]:

“To the Leader: for the eighth, a song of David” (Ps.12:1)

There is an analogy—

a king of flesh and blood once said to his wife:

dress up in all your finery,

so that you shall become desirable to me!

Thus said the Holy One to Israel:

My children!

Adorn yourselves with the commandments,

so that you shall become desirable to me!

And so He says:

“You are lovely, My Love, as Tirzah!” (Song 6:4)—

you are lovely when you are desirable (retzuyah) to me!

1. H:67-69; JN1:101-104
2. The exegsis is achieved by dividing uchtavtam (“and write them”) into two words, ktav tam (“with perfect letters” or ktav shalem). Word plays of this type, dependant more on the ear than the eye, are the stock-in-trade of rabbinic midrash. This particular derivation from uchtavtam appears throughout the post-tannaitic, amoraic and Geonic sources. See F:65, l.9-66, ls.2-3.
3. Thus leaving too large a gap between two paragraphs.
4. Thus leaving too small a gap between two paragraphs.
5. These are the various names and titles of God found in the ‘scriptures, e.g., ‘elohim, HASHEM, ‘el.
6. Cf, M. Sotah2:4; Sifre Nu 16.
7. The anonymous tanna at 36.2
8. These are the stone tablets, coated with lime, that Israelites erected after crossing the Jordan, containing “all the words of this Torah” (Dt.27:3).
9. As at M. Sotah 2:5, Sifre Nu 16.
10. //Sifre Nu 124.
11. Note the exegetical paronomasia based upon the assonane of beitecha (“your house”) and bi’atechah (“your arrival”).
12. //M. Maaser Sheni 3:8; cf. Sifra, tzaw, par. 2:11.