Siman - Eruvin Daf 96
- Wearing tefillin on Shabbos
The Gemara tries to determine who the Tanna is who holds that שבת זמן תפילין – one is obligated to put on tefillin on Shabbos and suggests that is Rebbe Akiva. This is rejected based on a Baraisa that taught, Rebbe Akiva says, יכול יניח אדם תפילין בשבתות וימים טובים – One might think that a person must put on tefillin on Shabbosim and Yomim Tovim, תלמוד לומר "והיה לך לאות על ידך" - and it shall be a sign to you upon your arm. מי שצריכין אות - On those days that need a sign, tefillin must be worn, יצאו אלו שהן גופן אות – but excluded are those days which themselves are a sign. Shabbos is called an אות, and since Yom Tov is called a Shabbos, it is likewise considered an אות.
- Women wearing tefillin
A Baraisa states. מיכל בת כושי היתה מנחת תפילין ולא מיחו בה חכמים – Michal, the daughter of Kushi, who Rashi explains is Shaul, would wear tefillin, and the Sages did not protest. The Gemara infers from here that since women are only obligated in מצות עשה שלא הזמן גרמא – positive mitzvos that are not time bound, and are not obligated in positive mitzvos which are time bound, by the fact that Michal wore tefillin and the Chachamim did not protest, which Rashi explains to mean that they did not see this as if she is adding a mitzvah to the Torah, we see that the mitzvah of tefillin applies at all times. This means that the Tanna of this Baraisa holds that the mitzvah of tefillin also applies at night and on Shabbos, as otherwise it would be a mitzvah with a set time. The Gemara concludes that there is no proof for this, because there is a Tanna, Rebbe Yose, who holds that although women are not obligated to do time-bound mitzvos, they are also not prohibited from doing them. So it may be that the Tanna of this Baraisa holds that tefillin are not worn at night or on Shabbos, and it is therefore a time-bound mitzvah, however Michal was still permitted to wear tefillin if she so chose.
- Finding Techeilis
Rebbe Elazar said, המוצא תכלת מן השוק – if one finds techeilis in a marketplace, לשונות פסולות חוטין כשרין – if the techeilis he finds are strips of wool which is combed and colored, it is passul, and if it is just strings then it is kosher. Rashi explains that the reason that coloured wool is passul is because we are concerned that לא צבע לשם ציצית – it was not colored with the intention of it being for tzitzis, and the lack of this intention makes the tzitzis passul. The Gemara asks that in the case where he finds wool strings they too should be passul being that maybe the strings were spun with the intention to make them into clothing. The Gemara concludes that Rabbi Elazar was discussing a case of strings that wereשזורין – twined and במופסקין – cut into pieces. People would never go to the bother of reattaching short threads and then weave them onto the border of a garment.
