Menachot 38

Numbers 15:38 stipulates that tzitzit (fringes) be attached to the four corners of garments and that a cord of blue should be incorporated into each fringe. Nowadays, tzitzit are attached to a tallit, a four-cornered garment worn during the morning prayer service, or a tallit katan, an undergarment worn by those who want to fulfill the commandment all day. In rabbinic times, we believe, clothing with four corners was more commonly worn and so a special garment was not necessary.

On today’s daf, a mishnah teaches the following rule about tzitzit:
 
The sky-blue (tekhelet) strings of the tzitzit do not prevent fulfillment of the mitzvah of tzitzit with the white strings, and the white strings do not prevent fulfillment of the mitzvah with the sky-blue strings.
 
Tzitzit are made up of four long strings inserted into a hole in the corner of the garment and folded over in the middle to make eight ends that are wrapped and knotted together. The legal commentators differ as to how many of these ends are supposed to be blue: one, two, or perhaps four. The mishnah teaches that if one does not have blue strings, one can still fulfill the mitzvah with white ones — and vice versa.

The mishnah next presents an apparently similar rule about tefillin:

The tefillin of the arm do not prevent fulfillment of the mitzvah of the tefillin of the head, and the tefillin of the head does not prevent fulfillment of the mitzvah of the tefillin of the arm.
 
As with tzitzit, the Talmud suggests that the norm is to wear tefillin all day. And, as with tzitzit, the mishnah apparently teaches us that one does not need to have a full set in order to perform the mitzvah. If one has only a head tefillah (singular) or an arm tefillah, one should go ahead and wear it alone.

At first glance, these two rules appear to be similar. Each is about a sartorial mitzvah that requires a pair of ritual objects. In each case, if one lacks half the pair, one can still fulfill the mitzvah.

Talmudic commentators point out, however, that these rules are not as parallel as they first appear. The mitzvah of tefillin is based upon Deuteronomy 6:8: “Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them serve as a symbol on your forehead.” To fulfill this commandment, one has to bind the words on both head and arm. The mishnah simply states that if you only have one tefillah, you should wear it and fulfill the part of the mitzvah that you can.
 
The case is different for tzitzit. Let’s assume that we follow the tradition that tzitzit should have two blue and six white strings. But one who has no blue strings cannot thread three white strings through the corner of their garment and call it a day. Tzitzit with fewer than eight ends do not fulfill the commandment. In other words, a partial set of tefillin can be used, but not an incomplete ritual fringe.

It is worth noting that the difference between these two cases is not something that we can deduce from reading the mishnah. In fact, if the commentators had not called our attention to it, it’s more than possible that we might have continued to read on without considering how these two practices are different from each other. 

Read all of Menachot 38 on Sefaria.

This piece originally appeared in a My Jewish Learning Daf Yomi email newsletter sent on February 18, 2026. If you are interested in receiving the newsletter, sign up here.