Una severità delle parole degli scribi sulle parole della Torah: se uno dice che non ci sono tefillin, in trasgressione delle parole della Torah, non è responsabile, [questo non essendo "dominio". Poiché gli viene detto (per così dire): "Vai e impara!"] (Ma se uno lo dice) ci sono cinque frontlets (totafoth), che si aggiungono alle parole degli scribi, è responsabile, [questo costituisce una sentenza. E anche se questo aggiunge solo alle parole degli scribi, è responsabile. Poiché nel miscuglio degli scribi è scritto: La parola "letotafoth" è scritta tre volte (Esodo 13:16, Deuteronomio 6: 8 e Deuteronomio 11:18), due volte difettosa e una volta piacevole, per un totale di quattro sezioni (nel filatterio capo)].
Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
האומר אין תפילין, וכו' פ טור – this is not instruction, for [it is a case of] “go, call the school of the Rabbi.”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sanhedrin
Introduction
Mishnah three continues to discuss the rebellious elder.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
חמש טוטפות – there is instruction. For event though this matter [only comes] to add to the words of the Scribes, he is liable, for in the Midrash of the scribes, it is written,[ "לטטפת" /L’Totafat – as a frontlet (see Exodus 13:16); "לטטפת"/L’Totafat – as a frontlet] (see Deuteronomy 6:8) (the first two are written as singular words; the last one is a plural construction); "לטוטפת" /L’Totafot – as frontlets (see Deuteronomy 11:18), here we have four portions.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sanhedrin
There is greater stringency in respect to the teachings of the scribes than in respect to the torah: [thus,] if [a rebellious elder] says, there is no commandment of tefillin, so that a biblical law may be transgressed, he is exempt. [But if he rules that the tefillin must contain] five compartments, thus adding to the words of the scribes, he is liable. This mishnah states that a rebellious elder who teaches against a Rabbinic teaching, one not mentioned explicitly in the Torah, is dealt with more severely than one who teaches against the explicit words of the Torah. An elder who states that there is no commandment of tefillin is not to be executed, since the commandment of tefillin is stated explicitly in the Torah (Exodus 13:9, 16, Deuteronomy 6:8, 11:18). Anyone who hears this elder teach that there is no tefillin will be able to check the Torah and realize that the elder’s teaching is false. However, one who states that the tefillin must be made of five boxes, instead of the four prescribed by the Rabbis, is liable for the death penalty. Since the Torah does not state how many boxes are to be in the tefillin, this is a teaching that if we didn’t know from the Rabbis we would not know at all. Therefore, an elder who teaches against this teaching is more of a threat than the elder who teaches against something stated specifically in the Torah. Note: The tefillin worn on one’s head contain four boxes but the one worn on the arm contains only one box. From the outside each is painted black and therefore looks like one box.
