[Avodah] Conflicting Sources

[Micha Berger]

On Fri, Sep 26, 2008 at 05:46:04PM -0400, Rich, Joel wrote:
:> Did not Rashi instruct his grandson how to put tefilin together?  When
:> exactly was the Rashi vs. Rabbenu Tam tefilin forgotten or confused?
:> Gershon gershon.dubin at juno.com

: 2 possible answers
: 1. both were acceptable for a certain time (like why we now blow
: shevarim and truah according to some)

As I already noted in this discussion, this is what Yigal Yadin found.
>From a post of mine to scjm (16-Jan-2002):
> They found tefillin that date back to the Hasmonean revolt....
> And the tefillin found were kosher according to halachah as we now know
> it -- aside from the issue of the order of passages. Square, remains
> of black paint, hand tefillah in one section, head tefillah in four,
> the base and channel for the strap as required, tied shut as required,
> from one peice of leather as preferred, etc, etc...

> In the Hasmonean caves they found both tefillin with the chapter orders
> recommended by Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam (his grandson and one of the more
> prolific Tosafists). I posted the following back in March of '98:

> <reprint>
> ...
> According to a braisa (tannaitic material compiled after the mishna)
> in [Tr.] Menachos, Shemos 13:1-10 and ibid 11-16 are on the right, the
> first ("Shema") and second ("Vehayah im shamo'a") chapters of the Shema
> on the left.

> Rashi describes the ordering to be the same as that in the Torah,
> with Shemos 13:1-10 first, and "Vehaya im shamo'a" last. Rabbeinu Tam
> has the quotes from Shemos going right to left, but switches the two
> from Devarim so that they are in order from left to right -- "Shema"
> becomes the leftmost chapter.

> A third pair found in Qumran, but not in the older geniza nor amongst
> the rishonim is right-to-left: Shemos 13:1-10, Shema, Shemos 13:11-16,
> Veyaha im shamoa. This has each chapter from Devarim to the left of one
> from Shemos, as well as the rightmost being from Shemos and the left-most
> from Devarim, which would fit a third possible reading of the braisa. 

Admittedly the Qumran version could very well not be kosher, as they
weren't Perushim, but then, that version didn't appear as a shitah in
the machloqes rishonim, either.

Which does seem to show that the Sanhedrin allowed for varations in
practice, and didn't try to close up every machloqes.

GCT!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             A wise man is careful during the Purim banquet
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Fax: (270) 514-1507                       - Rabbi Israel Salanter