1)

(a)When Rabah bar Rav Ada ... Amar Rav says Im Nifsak Chut Me'ikro, Pesulah, he means that - if the Tzitzis tear right down to the Kanaf (leaving no G'dil), they are Pasul.

(b)When Rav Nachman repeated Rav's ruling, Rava queried it from a Beraisa, which requires the full Shi'ur only Lechatchilah, but concludes Aval be'Sofo, Sheyarav u'Gardumav Kol Sh'hu. Rava interpreted ...

1. ... Sheyarav to mean that - the Tzitzis tore at the end (leaving the G'dil intact).

2. ... Gardumav that - they tore right down to the Kanaf (a Kashya on Rav).

(c)Rav Nachman refuted Rava's Kashya on Rav - by explaining Sheyarav u'Gardumav as one thing Sheyarei Gardumav (but the G'dil must be intact).

2)

(a)The Tana nevertheless needed to mention Sheyarav, to teach us that - the Gardumin require a Shi'ur ...

(b)... and Kol-Shehu means - K'dei Le'anvan (enough to tie a knot, as we learned earlier).

3)

(a)Rabah rules in the name of Rav that - the thread that one uses to wind round the other threads (to form the G'dil) is included in the eight threads of Tzitzis.

(b)When quoting Shmuel, he said Techeiles she'Karach Rubah, Kesheirah, he meant that - if one arranges two-thirds of the Tzitzis as G'dil and one third, P'sil (instead of the other way round), the Tzitzis are nevertheless Kasher.

(c)And by Techeiles he meant the Tzitzis.

4)

(a)Rav Yosef disagrees with Rabah over the authorship of both of his statements. He attributes - the first statement to Shmuel, the second to Rav.

(b)In fact, it is exactly as Rav Yosef claims, since both his statements are corroborated, the first (according to one text at least) by Rabah bar bar Chanah, and the second, by Rav Huna.

(c)Rebbi Chiya b'rei de'Rav Nasan adds two details to Rav Huna ... Amar Rav's quotation. When he gives one Chulya as the minimum Shi'ur for the G'dil, he means - three K'richos (windings).

(d)As Noy Techeiles (the ideal way of arranging the Tzitzis) he prescribes - one third G'dil and two-thirds P'sil.

5)

(a)The Beraisa gives the minimum Shi'ur G'dil as seven K'richos, and the maximum as thirteen; seven - corresponding to the seven Heavens (leading to Hash-m's Throne); thirteen - to include the six spaces between the seven Heavens.

(b)The connection between the Mitzvah of Tzitzis and the seven Heavens - is based in the Mitzvah of Techeiles, as Chazal have said Techeiles resembles the sea, which resembles the sky ... , as we will see later in the Perek.

(c)According to another Beraisa ...

1. ... the first K'richah is done with a Lavan thread - due to the D'rashah "ha'Kanaf", 'Miyn ha'Kanaf' (as we already explained), and ...

2. ... the last K'richah with a Lavan thread - due to the principle 'Ma'alin ba'Kodesh ve'Lo Moridin' (so we conclude the Mitzvah by rising from Techeiles to Lavan).

(d)The reason for the Minhag to arrange five knots (and consequently four Chulyos) in our Tzitzis - is based on Chazal's comparison of Tzitzis to all the Mitzvos. Consequently, seeing as the numerical value of Tzitzis (with two 'Yudim', the way it is pronounced) is six hundred, plus the eight threads, which add up to six hundred and eight. To this, we add the five knots, to make up the total number of Mitzvos (Taryag).

6)

(a)What was unusual about ...

1. ... the garment of the man who once walked past Rabah bar bar Chanah and Rav was the fact that - it was made entirely of Techeiles.

2. ... the same man's Tzitzis was that - they consisted entirely of G'dil.

(b)Rav commented that ...

1. ... his garment - was beautiful, but ...

2. ... his Tzitzis were not (because they require also P'sil [Anaf - loose threads]).

(c)Rabah bar bar Chanah maintained that - both the garment and the Tzitzis were beautiful ...

(d)... and he reconciled the Pasuk (in Kedoshim) "*Gedilim* Ta'aseh lach" with the Pasuk (in Sh'lach-l'cha) "Venasnu ... al Tzitzis ha'Kanaf` *P'sil* Techeiles" by explaining that - either one or the other is required (but not both).

7)

(a)Rav however, maintains that both G'dil and P'sil are necessary, and the reason the Torah writes "Gedilim" (in the plural) - is to teach us that one requires, not just two threads (as would have been implied by G'dil), but four (before entering them into the hole in the Kanaf and doubling them over).

(b)And we conclude Asei G'dil u'Pasleihu mi'Tocho, which means either that the thread which one uses for winding should be one of the four threads, or that - the P'sil should hang from the G'dil, and not vice-versa.

8)

(a)We permit Sha'atnez on a linen garment (Sadin be'Tzitzis) based on the fact that - the Techeiles must consist of wool.

(b)The problem with Shmuel citing Levi's ruling permitting even the Lavan to be made of wool too - is that seeing as one has the option of using linen Tzitzis, surely that is what he ought to do, in order to fulfill the specification of "ha'Kanaf", 'mi'Miyn ha'Kanaf'.

(c)He nevertheless permits it - because seeing as the Techeiles threads render the linen garment Yotzei, the white Lavan threads of wool will, too.

(d)We ask what the Din will be in the reverse case, whether one may also attach linen Tzitzis to a woolen garment. This might be permitted - based on the juxtaposition of the Pesukim "Lo Silbash Sha'atnez, Tzemer u'Fishtim Yachdav" and "Gedilim Ta'aseh lach", comparing Pishtim to Tzemer. Just as the latter renders linen garments Yotzei, so too, will the former render woolen garments Yotzei.

9)

(a)We resolve this She'eilah from a statement of Rachbah Amar Rav Yehudah, who permits attaching ...

1. ... woolen Tzitzis on to a linen garment, and vice-versa.

2. ... Tzitzis of wool (for Techeiles) and linen (for Lavan) on to silken garments.

(b)The basis of Rav Yehudah's latter ruling is - the fact that - silk is Chayav Tzitzis min ha'Torah. Otherwise, it would be Kil'ayim she'Lo be'Makom Mitzvah.

10)

(a)Rav Nachman disagrees with Rav Yehudah. In his opinion, garments of four corners made of silk - are Patur from Tzitzis.

(b)When Rava queried him from ...

1. ... a Beraisa which specifically obligates a garment of silk or of Chalach or Sarikin (by-products of silk), he replied that - the Chiyuv is only mi'de'Rabbanan.

2. ... the Seifa ve'Chulan Tzemer u'Pishtim Potrin bahem - he interpreted the Beraisa to mean either Tzemer or Pishtim but not both together).

(c)The Beraisa rules in the Seifa that Tzitzis made of silk - render Yotzei silken garments exclusively.

(d)We try to prove from there that silken garments are indeed only Chayav mi'de'Rabbanan (like Rav Nachman) - because (we think,) mi'd'Oraysa, only woolen and linen Tzitzis may be used ...

(e)... seeing as the Torah juxtaposes "Tzemer u'Pishtim" next to "Gedilim Ta'aseh lach".

11)

(a)We refute this proof however, with a D'rashah of Rava, who, in order to reconcile "ha'Kanaf", 'Miyn Kanaf' with "Tzemer u'Pishtim", learns that - wool and linen Tzitzis may be used on any kind of garment, whereas Tzitzis made of any other kind of material may only be used on a garment of the same material (min ha'Torah).

(b)Rav Nachman however, learns like Tana de'bei Rebbi Yishmael, that, even though the Torah writes "al Kanfei Bigdeihem" S'tam, it refers exclusively to wool and linen garments - via a Binyan-Av from Nega'im (Tzara'as Begadim) that, like Nega'im, it is confined to garments of wool and linen.

(c)Abaye cites another Tana de'bei Rebbi Yishmael, which learns from the word "O" ("be'Veged Tzemer O be'Veged Pishtim") that - Nig'ei Begadim extends even to a garment made of the hair of camels, hares or goats, silk or the by-products of silk.

(d)Abaye comments that - Tana de'bei Rebbi Yishmael seems to contradict himself (and in the second Beraisa, to support Rava's opinion).