Lecture 21: Daf 6a-b - God?s Tefillin and Ours
Ein Yaakov
- The World of Talmudic Aggada
By Dr.
Moshe Simon-Shoshan
Lecture
21: Daf 6a-b
Gods
Tefillin and Ours
The Gemara
now presents one of the most famous and striking images of God in rabbinic
literature: the depiction of God wearing tefillin. This discussion illuminates both the
meaning of the commandment to wear tefillin, and the nature of God
Himself and His relationship with His people.
The passage
begins as follows:
R. Abin son
of R. Ada in the name of R. Yitzchak says [further]:
How do you
know that the Holy One, blessed be He, puts on tefillin?
For it is
said:
The Lord
hath sworn by His right hand,
and by the
arm of His strength (Yishayahu 62:8).
'By His right
hand': this is the Torah;
for it is
said:
At His right
hand was a fiery law unto them (Devarim 33:2).
'And by the
arm of his strength': this is the tefillin;
as it is
said:
The Lord
will give strength unto His people (Tehillim 29:11).
And how do
you know that the tefillin are a strength to Israel?
For it is
written:
And all the
peoples of the earth shall see
that the name
of the Lord is called upon thee,
and they
shall be afraid of thee, (Devarim 28:10)
and it has
been taught:
R. Eliezer
the Great says:
This refers
to the tefillin of the head.
In the
previous discussion about the Divine presence in the synagogue, the Gemara cited
a statement of R. Abin son of R. Ada in the name of R. Yitzchak. The Gemara now
goes on to present and discuss a series of other statements transmitted by the
same rabbis. The first of these is
this rather intricate and unusual proof from Scripture that God wears
tefillin. The central verse in
this proof, from the end of the book of Yishayahu, is part of a famous
messianic prophecy which is read as the haftara for Parashat Nitzavim:
The Lord hath sworn by His right hand, and by the arm of His strength
The
simple meaning of the verse does not suggest anything about tefillin. God swearing by his right hand
reflects the common biblical practice of raising ones hand to heaven while
taking an oath (still done in American court rooms). Alternatively, it may refer to an
oath along the lines of may my right hand be forgotten."
How then does
this verse refer to Gods tefillin? Before proceeding to the Gemaras
more intricate explanation, I would like to note that Steinsaltz suggests a more
straightforward explanation that may underlie the Gemaras elaborate one. The laws of oaths include the concept
of taking an oath be-nikatat chefetz, while holding a holy object such as
a Torah scroll or tefillin.
(Once again, this concept has its parallel in the contemporary American practice
of swearing on a Bible.) I dont
think that the biblical practice of raising ones arm in an oath was common in
the rabbinic period. Hence, it would
make sense that when the rabbis saw a reference to someone swearing by his
arm, they would understand this as swearing by that which is on his arm, namely
his tefillin. Thus they would
have interpreted this verse as referring to tefillin.
However,
another factor may be involved here.
Another verse in this very passage from Yishayahu seems to refer to God
wearing tefillin. Just five
verses previously in 62:3, the prophet declares to Zion,
You shall be
a glorious crown
In the hand
of the Lord,
And a royal
diadem
In the palm
of your God.
This verse
actually refers to God having a glorious piece of jewelry on His arm which is
associated with Israel. Furthermore,
the terms atarah, crown,
and tznif, diadem, both generally refer to adornments worn on the
head. It would thus be very logical
to interpret this verse as referring to Gods tefillin, both of the hand
and the head, which symbolize Gods relationship with Israel, just as Israels
tefillin symbolize their relationship with Him. Furthermore, this entire passage is
full of images comparing Gods relationship with Israel to that between a
husband and wife, a theme that will reappear later on in the Gemaras
discussion. I do not really know
what to do with these verses, which are so suggestive yet are never actually
cited in the Gemara.
The Gemara
offers a more intricate interpretation which requires a string of biblical
citations and interpretations. The
Gemara identifies the words right hand as referring to the Torah, and the term
zeroah uzo as referring to the tefillin. Zeroah uzo is generally
translated as arm of His strength, but here I think the rabbis understand it
as strength of His arm, referring not to the arm itself, but to something
associated with it, namely tefillin.
One of the results of explaining the right hand in the first clause of
the verse as referring to Torah, is that the arm of the second half of the
verse, related to tefillin, can now be understood as the left arm. The left arm is the most appropriate
because this is where God (presuming He is right-handed) places his tefillin.
The Gemara
then goes on to show that just as Gods tefillin are referred to as
oz, strength, so too, tefillin are referred to as the strength of
Israel. The Gemara cites the verse
in Devarim,
And all the
peoples of the earth shall see
that the name
of the Lord is called upon thee,
and they
shall be afraid of thee, (Devarim 28:10)
The general
gist of this proof is clear when followed by R. Eliezers gloss on it,
interpreting the verse as referring to the
tefillin worn on the head (tefillin shel rosh). This verse, understood in light of R.
Eliezer, describes the tefillin as symbolic or as an embodiment of Divine
strength, which shall cause Israels enemies to run in fear when they see them. However, it is interesting to note
that this verse does not actually contain the term in question, oz,
strength." This absence is most
unusual, considering the literal and linguistic nature of rabbinic
interpretation. It is important to
note, however, that R. Eliezers interpretation of this verse appears no less
than six times in the Talmud and is probably the most often sighted homiletical
interpretation regarding tefillin.
The Gemara here may well have wanted to work it into this sugya as
well, because of its fame and centrality, and may have done so even at the
expense of creating an un-orthodox midrashic proof.
R, Eliezers
interpretation adds something particular to our conversation here. The first verse cited, from
Yishayahu, talking about Gods arm, appears to refer only to tefillin
of the arm, tefillin shel yad.
In R. Eliezers interpretation, the verse from Devarim refers
specifically to the tefillin shel rosh.
By bringing these verses together into a single argument, the Gemara
here is able to show that God wears both types of tefillin.
This section
as a whole takes a specific approach to the nature of tefillin, both
human and Divine. We naturally take
human tefillin as a given and the possibility of Divine tefillin
as a new idea, introduced explicitly only in this Gemara. We may sum up this view as: Just as
we wear tefillin, so too does God.
This passage, however, identifies tefillin with Divine might, with
the strength associated with His arm and with His Name. The primary tefillin, as it
were, are Gods. He is the source of
strength. The chiddush, or
innovation, is the idea that Israel too can wear tefillin, that God may
impart some of His strength to His people.
We can sum up this view as: Just as God wears tefillin, so too do
we. We can compare this to a kings
royal guard, who wear the insignia of the crown on their uniforms and helmets,
signaling that they represent the king and they are backed up by all of his
resources.
Having
established that God wears tefillin, the Gemara assumes that His
tefillin resemble our own and are similarly repositories of biblical verses. An obvious question follows from this
assumption:
R. Nachman b.
Yitzchak said to R. Chiyya b. Abin:
What is
written in the tefillin of the Lord of the Universe?
He replied to
him:
And who is
like Thy people Israel,
a nation one
in the earth. (I Divrei Ha-yamim 17:21)
Does, then,
the Holy One, blessed be He, sing the praises of Israel?
Yes, for it
is written:
Thou hast
affirmed the Lord this day
and the Lord
hath affirmed thee this day. (Devarim 26:17,18)
The Holy One,
blessed be He, said to Israel:
You have made
me a unique entity in the world,
and I shall
make you a unique entity in the world.
'You have
made me a unique entity in the world,
as it is
said:
Hear, O
Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. (Devarim 6:4)
'And I shall
make you a unique entity in the world,
as it is
said:
And who is
like Thy people Israel, a nation one in the earth.
The Gemaras
original statement about God wearing tefillin is presented by R. Abin, a
Babylonian amora of the third generation, in the name of R. Yitzchak, a
second generation amora of the Land of Israel. This initial tradition states that
God wears tefillin, but it does not
give any details about what they look like.
As we have seen, one may interpret this statement as saying that Gods
Tefillin is simply a metaphorical way of talking about Gods might and
does not refer to anything that looks like our tefillin.
Now, we have
two later amoraim of the fourth generation, having a discussion about
this tradition which assumes that there must be real similarities between the
Divine and human tefillin. As
our sugya progresses, increasingly later amoraim will demand an
increasingly direct correlation between Divine and human tefillin.
At this
point, R. Nachman merely suggests that Gods tefillin must contain some
biblical verse, akin to mortal tefillin.
The verse chosen is: And who is like Thy people Israel, a nation one in
the earth, familiar to us from the Shabbat afternoon Shemoneh Esrei. As becomes apparent in the course
of the above quoted passage, the key word in this verse is one." Just as Israel declares that God is
One in the Shema, the most prominent verse found in our tefillin,
so too God declares that Israel is one, unique among the nations, in His
tefillin.
R. Nachmans
statement suggests a very different paradigm for the relationship between the
Divine and the human tefillin.
Rather than suggest that human tefilin are mere reflections of the
Divine tefillin, this model sees the Divine and the human as
complementary. Gods tefilin
are mirror images of ours. This is
emphasized by the citation of the parallel verses from Devarim, in which
Israel and God each affirm the other.
(The exact meaning here of the verb heemir, translated as
affirm, is unclear. It is clear, however, that it refers to declarations of
mutual commitment between God and Israel).
This image of mutual commitment is taken even farther in R. Chiyyas
explanation of the verses. In the
Soncino translation, R. Chiyyas explanation is rendered as saying that God and
Israel each make the other, a unique entity in the world. However, Jastrow
translates the key term here, hativah, not as entity but as object of
love." In this understanding, the
verses in Devarim are declarations of love between God and Israel,
reminiscent of the rabbis interpretation of Song of Songs. In this view, tefillin might
be seen as similar to rings or other jewelry exchanged by a couple as a symbol
of their commitment to each other.
Next, still
later amoraim, both of the sixth generation, demand even more exact
correlation between Gods tefillin and
ours.
R. Acha b.
Raba said to R. Ashi:
This accounts
for one section,
what about
the other section?
He replied to him:
[They contain
the following verses]:
For what
great nation is there, etc. (Devarim 4:7)
And what
great nation is there, etc.; (idem. V. 8)
Happy art
thou, O Israel, etc.; (ibid.
33:29)
Or hath God
assayed, etc.; (ibid. 4:34)
and To make
thee high above all nations (ibid.
26:19).
R. Acha
assumes that not only do Gods tefillin
contain biblical citations, but that Gods tefillin shel rosh, like ours,
contain multiple compartments and hence must have more than one scriptural
passage inside. What are these other
passages? R. Acha demands to know.
R. Ashi responds by listing five different verses from the book of Devarim,
each of which emphasizes Gods special relationship with Israel. It is not a coincidence that all of
these verses come from Devarim, as do the first two paragraphs of the
Shema (5:4-9 & 1:13-22) which are included in our
tefillin, and the verse cited at the beginning of our passage in order
to link tefillin with the concept of Divine power. The central theme of the book of
Devarim, as expressed in all of these verses, is the covenant (brit)
between God and the people of Israel.
Each one has obligations to the other.
Israel must do the mitzvoth, and God must protect Israel in their
Land. Underlying these obligations
is a deep-seeded mutual commitment to one another. On several occasions, this commitment
is described using the word love (ahav).
In Devarim itself, this word means loyalty between vassal and
patron more than erotic love between a man and a woman. However, the prophets, as we saw in
the Yishayahu verses cited above, and the rabbis, as we saw in their
interpretations of Shir Ha-shirim, and in their understanding of
tefillin above, consistently recast this Deuteronomic love in terms of
erotic love. In citing these verses
from Devarim, the Gemara places tefillin into the larger
theological context of the Divine covenant described in Devarim, and, at
the same time, re-interprets this covenant in terms of human love between a man
and woman.
Finally, the
Gemara presents one final effort to correlate the structure of Gods
tefillin with that of our own.
If so, there
would be too many cases?
Hence [you
must say]:
For what
great nation is there, and
And what
great nation is there,
which are
similar,
are in one
case;
Happy art
thou, O Israel,
and Who is
like Thy people,
in one case;
Or hath God
assayed,
in one case;
and To make
thee high,
in one case.
And all these
verses are written on [the tefillin of] His arm.
This next
question is not attributed to any particular rabbi; it is stated by the stam,
the anonymous voice of the Talmud.
Contemporary scholars tend to assume that the stam was composed by rabbis
who lived after R. Ashi and the period of the amoraim. This passage in the Gemara presents a
series of discussions involving different generations of rabbis about Gods
tefillin. They are arranged in
chronological order, with each succeeding generation demanding that Gods
tefillin resemble ours in a more and more exact manner.
In this final
discussion, the rabbis insist that Gods tefillin not only contain
multiple compartments with different scriptural passages contained in them, but
that His tefillin contain exactly four compartments, like our tefillin. The problem is that R. Ashi listed
five verses from Devarim, in addition to the verse from Divrei
Ha-yamim cited previously, all of which are supposed to go into Gods
tefillin. How can they all fit
into four compartments? The Gemara suggests that two of the compartments must
contain two passages each. First
they suggest that the verses For what great nation is there, and And what
great nation is there, go together in a single compartment. These two verses are not only
similar, as the Gemara points out; they are also consecutive. They are really a single passage. So, just as in our tefillin,
thus far Gods tefillin only contain individual passages. Next the Gemara suggests that Happy
art thou, O Israel, and Who is like Thy people, are also together in a single
compartment. Who is like Thy
people, is the only verse in this group that not only does not come from
Devarim, but does not come from the Torah at all; it comes from Divrei
Ha-yamim. Based on the
comparison to human tefillin, which contain only verses from the Torah,
we would think that this Divrei Ha-yamim verse would be ineligible from
inclusion in Gods tefillin.
The Gemara resolves this issue, in part, by saying that this verse does not get
its own compartment, but, rather, is squeezed together with a verse from the
Torah.
The question
that needs to be resolved is what exactly does it mean that God wears
tefillin? How can this be? In light of our interpretation of this passage in
the Gemara, it seems quite reasonable to interpret this concept in rationalist
terms. God wearing tefillin
is simply a metaphor that we use to discuss Gods relationship to Israel. We have seen two basic models for the
God-Israel relationship represented by the idea of Gods tefillin. One model is that tefillin are
symbolic of the way in which Jews imitate God and are endowed by Him with some
of his attributes, such as His strength.
In this view, Gods tefillin
are the paradigm, and our tefillin are
mere copies. The second model is
that the tefillin represent the
complementary relationship between God and Israel. Each one is committed to the other,
almost as equals, as it were, like a husband and wife. In this case, Gods
tefillin and human
tefillin are two equal parts of a larger puzzle. One may also interpret the Gemaras
discussion of Gods tefillin in
mystical, kabbalistic terms, as talking allegorically about different aspects
and levels of spiritual existence.
However, as
the Gemara increasingly demands that Gods
tefillin look just like ours, we get the sense that the Gemara may mean that
God actually wears physical tefillin
that look like ours. This would
follow the position of the Tosafists who insisted on a literal interpretation of
agadda. Indeed, there is much
evidence that many medieval Ashkenazic rabbis, including, perhaps, Rashi
himself, believed that God has a body on which He could place the
tefillin described in the Gemara.
My own
inclination is to avoid the question of whether or not the rabbis of the Talmud
believe that God was corporeal. The
rabbis, fundamentally, thought of God in terms that my teacher Professor David
Stern called imitatio hominus.
The rabbis thought of God as if He were human, because they felt
human beings were the closest thing to God that we can imagine. At the same time, the rabbis clearly
understood that there was a huge gap between God and mortals. Exactly where this gap lies remains
unclear. The rabbis were not
systematic theologians like their medieval inheritors. The important thing for them was to
emphasize that God is both like us and not like us. In this passage, they seek to
emphasize our commonality with God, so God appears quite human. I do not think they meant to take an
exact position on this matter.