[Avodah] Saying Shema without Tefillin

[Micha Berger]

If a man says Shema on a day that requires Tefillin, when Tefillin are
available, and you don't, Ulla says (Berakhos 14b) that he is "ke'ilu
mei'id eidus sheqer be'atzmo".

R Chiya bar Abba in the name of R Yochanan gives the mashal of an olah without
a minchah or a zevach without nesachim. But it's Ulla's position that makes
it into the Rambam (H' Tefillin 4:26) and the Tur (OC 25)

The Ahs (se'if 7) gives both, using RCbA to say that it's like only
doing half of Q"Sh.

That said, for Ulla's position we add, that while someone might think
that means there is no point to saying Shema if tefillin are obligatory
but not available, this is not true. Tefilin are not me'aqvin.

The question I want to play with is why we might have had this hava
amina.

Here's my thought:

Such a shema would be like eidus that condemns oneself. But, ein adam
meisim atzmo rasha means that we throw out such eidut. Therefore, we
might have thought that we are either throwing out the Shema, or the
two clauses -- one in VeAhavta and one in VaHayah im Shemoa -- that talk
about tefillin. Either way, we could have thought that if it's as though
the man didn't say them, he wouldn't be yotzei Shema.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger                 Today is the 22nd day, which is
http://www.aishdas.org/asp   3 weeks and 1 day in/toward the omer.
Author: Widen Your Tent      Chesed sheb'Netzach: Do I take control of the
- https://amzn.to/2JRxnDF               situation for the benefit of others?