In The Aftermath Of The Betar Massacre
‘Forty Se’ah Of Phylactery Casings Were Found…’
(Gittin 57b-58a)
The Gemara (Gittin 57b-58a) tells of the large number of Jews massacred by the Romans at Betar (in the period after the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash).
Rabbah b. Bar Chana said in the name of R. Yochanan that 40 se’ah of phylactery casings [boxes] were found on the heads of the slaughtered victims at Betar. [A se’ah equals the volume of 144 eggs.]
Or Was It Twenty Se’ah?
The Gemara cites a baraita which seems to contradict R. Yochanan’s account, for the baraita states that 120 se’ah of phylactery casings (lit. casings that could fill three chests, each of a volume of 40 se’ah) were found on the victims of Betar.
The Gemara explains that both accounts are true; one refers to the number of tefillin shel rosh (phylacteries worn on the head), whereas the other refers to the number of tefillin shel yad (phylacteries worn on the arm) that were recovered.
The Quantity of Compartments
Rashi (s.v. dedareh) explains that the casings containing tefillin shel rosh were larger than the casings of tefillin shel yad because the head phylacteries have four compartments, one for each of the four parashiyos – the four Torah portions, each on a separate parchment – whereas the hand phylacteries have one compartment containing all four parashiyos. (It is obvious that at that time the casings of the head phylacteries were considerably larger than the casings of the arm phylacteries.)
Thus, Rabbah b. Bar Chana, who said that [a volume of] 40 se’ah of casings were found, was referring to the smaller casings containing the arm phylacteries and the baraita, which states that 120 se’ah of casings were found, was referring to the much larger ones containing the head phylacteries.
Shel Yad on the Head?
Maharam Shiff (ad loc.) notes a difficulty. He asks: How can the Gemara suggest that Rabbah b. Bar Chana was stating the volume [of the casings] of tefillin shel yad that were found when he stresses that 40 se’ah of phylactery boxes were found on the heads of the victims?
Moreover, Rashash (ad loc.) finds it difficult to believe that the casings of tefillin shel rosh were so much larger than the tefillin shel yad casings. Even though the casings of head phylacteries are made with four compartments, they are usually not much larger than the casings of hand phylacteries.
A Novel Explanation
The Vilna Gaon (Divrei Eliyahu ad loc, see also Rashash, who cites this view according to “As I have heard”) suggests an alternate peshat. He explains that there were a number of victims who were wearing only their tefillin shel yad, for the proper order of donning and removing tefillin is to don the hand phylactery first, and to remove the head phylactery first. Thus, the victims wearing head phylacteries can be divided into three groups: a) those who were in the process of donning tefillin and were wearing only their hand phylactery; b) those who were wearing the full set; c) those who were in the process of removing their tefillin, and had already taken off the head phylactery but not the hand phylactery. Rabbah b. Bar Chana, who says that 40 se’ah of tefillin casings were found on the heads of the victims, was referring to tefillin shel rosh. Whereas the baraita, which mentions 120 se’ah of casings, was referring to the boxes of tefillin shel yad found on the victims. And, as explained above, for every person wearing tefillin shel rosh, there were an additional two wearing only tefillin shel yad.
