Daf Ditty Shabbes 130: Wings of the Dove

“Therefore the blessed Holy One is the King bound in bonds. He is bound with them through the
tefillin of the head, which is beauty of the head, because tefillin of the head are in the place of the
bond of the brain. This is: [A king is] caught in the tangle (Song of Songs 7:6)—He is bound to
them through the tefillin of the hand in the knot of the hand. This is as written, Bind the turban of
your head upon you (Ezekiel 24:17). Because He is bound to them in the exile it says, ‘A prisoner
cannot free himself from jail’ (BT Berakhot 5b). The Shechinah is His jail—because of Her love
He is bound to Her—and the mystery of the matter: A sachet of myrrh is my lover to me, all night
between ‫שַׁדי‬ ָ (shadai), my breasts [puns on the holy name ‫שַׁדּי‬ ַ (Shaddai), see BT Yoma 54a]
(Song of Songs 1:13)”

Tiqqunei ha-Zohar 21b

"When King David wrote (Tehillim 68:14) about wings of a dove coated with silver, he was
comparing the Jewish People to a dove. Just as a dove’s wings protect it (against the cold and
those who threaten it by striking with its wings Rashi) so too do the mitzvoth of Israel protect
it."

1
 ‫בּי ֵי‬
ָ ‫א‬
ַ ‫מר‬
ַ ‫א‬
ָ ? ‫היא‬
ִ ‫מאי‬
ַ . ‫פי ִם‬
ַ ָ‫כּנ‬
ְ ‫ﬠל‬
ַ ‫בּ‬
ַ ‫שׁע‬
ָ ‫א לִי‬
ֱ ‫כּ‬ֶ ‫קי‬ִ ָ‫כין גּוּף נ‬ ִ ‫צִרי‬
ְ ‫לּין‬ִ ‫פי‬
ִ ‫תּ‬ְ : ‫בּי י ַנַּאי‬ִ ‫מר ַר‬ ַ ‫א‬ָ ‫ְדּ‬:
‫הם‬ ֶ ‫בּ‬ָ ‫שׁן‬ ַ ‫שׁלּ ֹא י ִי‬
ֶ : ‫מר‬ ַ ‫א‬
ָ ‫בא‬ ָ ‫ָר‬, ‫הם‬ֶ ‫בּ‬ ָ ‫ח‬ַ ‫פי‬ ִ ָ ‫שׁלּ ֹא י‬ֶ .

The Gemara cites proof that the mitzvah of phylacteries was not fulfilled properly at the time of
the decrees, based upon an incident related to the following Halacha. As Rabbi Yannai said:
Donning phylacteries requires a clean body like that of Elisha, Man of Wings. What is included
in the requirement to have a clean body? Abaye said: That one may not pass wind in them. Rava
said: That one may not sleep in them.

‫ְוַאַמּאי ָקרוּ ֵליהּ ״ֱאִליָשׁע ַבַּﬠל ְכָּנַפ ִים״ ?ֶשַׁפַּﬠם ַאַחת ָגְּז ָרה ַמְלכוּת ָה ְרָשָׁﬠה ְגֵּז ָרה ַﬠל ִיְשׂ ָרֵאל ֶשׇׁכּל ַהַמּ ִנּיַח ְתִּפיִלּין ַﬠל‬
‫ֵכּיָון‬. ‫ ָרץ ִמְלָּפָניו ְו ָרץ ַאֲח ָריו‬. ‫ ְו ָרָאהוּ ַקְסדּוֹר ֶאָחד‬, ‫ ְוָהָיה ֱאִליָשׁע ַמ ִנּיַח ְתִּפיִלּין ְוָיָצא ַלשּׁוּק‬, ‫ר ֹאשׁוֹ — ִיְקּרוּ ֶאת מוֹחוֹ‬
‫ָפַּשׁט ֶאת ָידוֹ ְו ִנְמְצאוּ ָבּהּ ַכּ ְנֵפי יוָֹנה‬. ‫ַכּ ְנֵפי יוָֹנה‬: ‫ ?ָאַמר לוֹ‬Y‫ַמה ְבָּיְד‬: ‫ָאַמר לוֹ‬. ‫ ְנָטָלן ֵמר ֹאשׁוֹ ַוֲאָחָזן ְבָּידוֹ‬, ‫ֶשִׁהִגּיַﬠ ֶאְצלוֹ‬.
‫ ָהיוּ קוֹ ְרִאין אוֹתוֹ ״ַבַּﬠל ְכָּנַפ ִים״‬Z‫ְלִפיָכ‬.

The Gemara asks: And why did they call him Elisha, Man of Wings? Because on one occasion
the wicked empire of Rome issued a decree against the Jewish people that, as punishment, they
would pierce the brain of anyone who dons phylacteries on his head. Nevertheless, Elisha would
don them and defiantly go out to the marketplace. One day, an official who was appointed to
enforce the decree saw him. Elisha ran away from him, and the official ran after him. When the
official reached him, Elisha removed the phylacteries from his head and held them in his hand.
The officer asked him: What is in your hand? Elisha said to him: It is merely a dove’s wings. A
miracle took place: He opened his hand, and, indeed, it was found to be a dove’s wings.
Therefore, in commemoration of this miracle, they would call him Elisha, Man of Wings.

‫״ַכּ ְנֵפי‬: ‫ֶשֶׁנֱּאַמר‬, ‫ ְוָלא ֲאַמר ֵליהּ ְשָׁאר עוֹפוֹת ?ִמשּׁוּם ְדָּדְמָיא ְכֶּנֶסת ִיְשׂ ָרֵאל ְליוָֹנה‬, ‫ַמאי ְשָׁנא ַכּ ְנֵפי יוָֹנה ַדֲּאַמר ֵליהּ‬
‫ַאף ִיְשׂ ָרֵאל ִמְצוֹת ְמִגינּוֹת ֲﬠֵליֶהן‬, ‫יוָֹנה ֶנְחָפּה ַבֶכֶּסף ְוֶאְברוֶֹתיָה ִבּי ַרְק ַרק ָחרוּץ״ — ַמה יּוָֹנה זוֹ ְכָּנֶפיָה ְמִגינּוֹת ָﬠֶליָה‬.

The Gemara asks: And what is different about a dove’s wings, that Elisha specifically told him
that he was holding the wings of a dove and he did not tell him he was holding the wings of other
birds? The Gemara answers: Because the congregation of Israel is likened to a dove, as it is

2
stated: “You shall shine as the wings of a dove covered with silver and her pinions with yellow
gold”

:‫ ֵבּין ְשַׁפָתּ ִים‬,‫ִתְּשְׁכּבוּן‬-‫יד ִאם‬ 14 When ye lie among the sheepfolds, {N}
,‫ ֶנְחָפּה ַבֶכֶּסף; ְוֶאְברוֶֹתיָה‬,‫ַכּ ְנֵפי יוָֹנה‬ the wings of the dove are covered with silver, and her
.‫ִבּיַרְקַרק ָחרוּץ‬ pinions with the shimmer of gold.

Psalms 68:14

Just as a dove has only its wings to protect it, so too, the Jewish people have only mitzvot to
protect them. Apparently, Elisha Man of Wings was vigilant in fulfilling the mitzvah of phylacteries
in the face of the decree, whereas the rest of the people were not.

Both Rashi and Tosafot explain how this verse is interpreted as referring to circumcision.

Tosafot points out that the fact that such a miracle took place for Elisha was an indication for the
Sages that he must have been extremely careful in regard to cleanliness of his body while
wearing tefillin.

Rav Hai Gaon explains that it is derived by means of a verbal analogy: This verse reads:

,‫ְכּמוֵֹצא‬ --5‫ִאְמָרֶת‬-‫ ַעל‬,‫שׂשׂ אָנ ִֹכי‬

ָ ‫קסב‬ 162 I rejoice at Thy word, as one that findeth
.‫שָׁלל ָרב‬ָ great spoil.

“I rejoice at Your word” (Psalms 119:162), while another verse states:

,‫ְכּמוֵֹצא‬ --5‫ִאְמָרֶת‬-‫ ַעל‬,‫שׂשׂ אָנ ִֹכי‬

ָ ‫קסב‬ 162 I rejoice at Thy word, as one that findeth
.‫שָׁלל ָרב‬ָ great spoil.

“For they have observed Your word and kept Your covenant” (Deuteronomy 33:9). The parallel
formulation of these two verses indicates that the subject of the verse in Psalms is also a
covenant, the covenant of circumcision.

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What about the tefillin on the arm of Elisha?

Maharsha (Shabbat 130a) explains that the Roman decree was only concerning the tefillin worn
on the head which is visible to all and not concerning the tefillin worn on the arm in concealed
fashion.
As regards sacrifice of life, even though martyrdom is required in connection with all Torah
prohibitions when there is an enemy decree compelling Jews to sin, this is true only when they
force a Jew to actively sin.

Tosafot similarly distinguishes between public martyr ology vs private expression: (Shabbat 49a)

When they decree to refrain from actively fulfilling a mitzvah like tefillin, there is no point in
martyrdom because the enemy can achieve his purpose by incapacitating the victim of his
oppression through imprisonment or other means.

Aware of this principle, Elisha decided to avoid a confrontation which would have endangered his
life, and Heaven helped him to survive through a miracle.1

The Gemara relates how the Tefillin of a man named Elisha miraculously turned into the wings
of a dove when he was accosted by a Roman official during a period of persecution. (Some point
out that the miracle was that his Tefillin appeared in the eyes of the Roman official to be the
wings of a dove;

Machatzis ha'Shekel Orach Chayim 28:4

‫ע"ש כ"י ר"ל ע"פ עובדא שהובא בשבת דמ"ט דאלישע בעל כנפים מצד הסכנה‬
‫כשפגע בו סרדיוט א"ל אלישע שאין לו תפילין אלא כנפי יונה ונעש 'נס ונדמה לו‬
‫לגוי כאלו הם כנפי יונה ומסיק הש"ס דמה"ט אמר כנפי יונה משום שישראל‬
‫נמשלו ליונה והמצות מגינות על ישראל כמו הכנפים ליונה וא"כ לא הוציא שקר‬
‫גמור מפיו‬:

1
Rabbi Mendel Weinbach zt'l https://ohr.edu/2219

4
The Gemara explains that they became wings of a dove, because just as the wings of a dove
protect the dove, so do the Mitzvot protect the Jewish people.

Why is the concept that the Mitzvot protect the Jewish people mentioned specifically with
regard to the Mitzvah of Tefillin?2

The Gemara in Berakhot (6a) says that the verse,

‫שׁם‬ ֵ ‫ ִכּי‬,‫ַעֵמּי ָהאֶָרץ‬-‫ו ְָראוּ ָכּל‬ 10 And all the peoples of the earth shall see that the name of
ָ ‫ ִמֶמּ‬,‫; ו ְי ְָראוּ‬5‫י ְהו ָה נְִקָרא ָעֶלי‬
.‫ךּ‬ the LORD is called upon thee; and they shall be afraid of thee.

"All the nations of the world will see that the name of Hashem is called upon you, and they will
be in awe of you" (Devarim 28:10), refers to the Tefillin Shel Rosh.

We learn from there that the Tefillin protect us by causing the nations to fear us.3

The mechanism for this effect may be as follows.

One may not take his attention away from the holiness of Hashem's name (which is written in the
Tefillin) while he wears Tefillin (Yoma 6b). Therefore, one constantly focuses on Hashem's
Presence while he wears Tefillin.

We learn from the Mishnah in Rosh Hashanah (29a)

) ‫והיה כאשר ירים משה ידו וגבר ישראל וגו 'וכי ידיו של משה עושות מלחמה או‬
‫שוברות מלחמה אלא לומר לך כל זמן שהיו ישראל מסתכלין כלפי מעלה‬
‫ומשעבדין את לבם לאביהם שבשמים היו מתגברים ואם לאו היו נופלים‬

MISHNA: Incidental to the discussion of the required intent when sounding the shofar, the
Mishnah cites the verse:

--‫שׁה י ָדוֹ‬ ֶ ֹ ‫שׁר י ִָרים מ‬ ֶ ‫ ַכֲּא‬,‫א ו ְָהי ָה‬
‫ ו ְָגַבר‬,‫שׁר י ָנִיַח י ָדוֹ‬
ֶ ‫שָׂרֵאל; ו ְַכֲא‬ְ ִ ‫ו ְָגַבר י‬
.‫ֲעָמֵלק‬
11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that
Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek
prevailed.
Exodus 17:11

2
Rav Mordechai Kornfeld: Daf Advancement Forum see also his Insights to Sotah 44:3, and
Parasha Page, Lech Lecha 5757
3
see Seforno op cit: ‫וראו כל עמי הארץ‬, as our sages told us (Yuma 69) about Alexander the Great
prostrating himself in front of that High Priest.

5
It may be asked: Did the hands of Moses make war when he raised them or break war when he
lowered them? Rather, the verse comes to tell you that as long as the Jewish people turned their
eyes upward and subjected their hearts to their Father in Heaven, they prevailed, but if not,
they fell.

that when a person focuses on Hashem's Presence, he can conquer all enemies and merit
Hashem's salvation ("v'Chi Yadav Shel Moshe...").

Similarly, when one wears Tefillin and focuses on Hashem, he merits Hashem's protection.

TOSFOS (49a, DH Kanfeha) explains the Gemara differently.

According to Tosfos, the dove does not fight with its wings, but rather its wings protect it in the
following way. Birds may be overcome by predators when they are at rest, but not while in
flight. The dove is able to rest one wing at a time while it stays airborne with the other wing; it
does not need to rest on the ground. In that way, its wings protect it.

Similarly, when the Jews are not performing one Mitzvah, they are performing another Mitzvah.
(See Menachos 29b, with regard to David ha'Melech, who, when in the bathhouse, was
distressed that he was bereft of Mitzvot, until he noticed his Milah...").

This concept may be related specifically to Tefillin as follows. The Gemara and Rishonim state
that Elisha removed only his Tefillin Shel Rosh.

Apparently, he did not remove his Tefillin Shel Yad because the official could not see that he
was wearing Tefillin on his arm, since the Tefillin Shel Yad are worn under the garment, and are
not exposed like the Tefillin Shel Rosh.

In this sense, the analogy to the wings of a dove is accurate; Elisha was still "flying" with one
wing, so to speak, while resting the other, since he was still wearing the Tefillin Shel Yad even
when he was forced to remove the Tefillin Shel Rosh!

RITVA (49a) writes that this Gemara is the source for the manner in which we wrap our Tefillin
Shel Rosh. We wrap the straps of the Shel Rosh around either side of the Tefillin, so that they
form the shape of "wings of a dove." (see painting above).

(This custom is also cited by the MAGEN AVRAHAM (OC 28:4) in the name of the MATEH
MOSHE; see also MISHNAH BERURAH (OC 28:9).)

Rambam Hil Tefillin 4:28

‫ﬠל ז ְרוֹעוֹ‬ ַ ְ ‫אָדם ו‬ ָ ‫שׁל‬ ֶ ‫בּר ֹאשׁוֹ‬ ְ ‫לּין‬ ִ ‫פ‬ִ ‫תּ‬ְ ‫ה‬ ַ ‫שׁ‬ ֶ ‫מן‬ ַ ְ ‫כּל ז‬ ָ ‫שׁ‬ֶ . ‫היא‬ ִ ‫לה‬ ָ ‫גּדוֹ‬ ְ ‫תן‬ ָ ‫שּׁ‬ ָ ‫ד‬ ֻ ‫ק‬ ְ ‫לּין‬ ִ ‫פ‬
ִ ‫תּ‬ְ ‫שּׁת‬ ַ ‫ד‬
ֻ ‫ק‬ ְ
‫שׁ בוֹת‬ ָ ‫ח‬ ֲ ‫מ‬ַ ‫הר‬ ֵ ‫הְר‬ ַ ‫מ‬ְ ‫אינוֹ‬ֵ ְ ‫טלָה ו‬ ֵ ‫בּ‬ ְ ‫חה‬ ָ ‫שׂי‬ ִ ‫ב‬ְ ‫שׂחוֹק וּ‬ ְ ‫בּ‬ ִ P‫שׁ‬ ָ ‫מ‬
ְ ִ‫אינוֹ נ‬ ֵ ְ ‫מי ִם ו‬ ַ ‫שׁ‬ ָ ‫ﬠנָו ו ִיֵרא‬ ָ ‫הוּא‬
‫תן‬
ָ ‫היוֹ‬ְ ‫ל‬
ִ ‫תֵּדּל‬ ַ ‫שׁ‬ ְ ‫ה‬ ִ ‫ל‬ ְ ‫אָדם‬ ָ P‫צִרי‬ ָ P‫כ‬ ָ ‫פי‬ִ ‫ל‬ ְ . ‫צֶּדק‬ ֶ ‫ה‬ַ ְ ‫מת ו‬ ֶ ‫א‬ ֱ ‫ה‬
ָ ‫בֵרי‬ ְ ‫בִּד‬
ְ ‫לבּוֹ‬ ִ ‫פנֶּה‬ ַ ‫מ‬ְ ‫לּא‬ ָ ‫א‬ֶ ‫ָרעוֹת‬
‫מיו‬
ָ ָ ‫כּל י‬ָ ‫שׁ‬
ֶ ‫קּ דוֹשׁ‬ ָ ‫ה‬ ַ ‫בּנ וּ‬ ֵ ‫שׁל ַר‬ ֶ ‫מידוֹ‬ ִ ‫ל‬ ְ ‫תּ‬ ַ ‫ﬠל ַרב‬ ַ ‫ﬠ לָיו‬ ָ ‫מר וּ‬ ְ ‫א‬ָ . ‫היא‬ ִ P‫כּ‬ ָ ‫תן‬ ָ ָ ‫צו‬ְ ‫מּ‬ִ ‫שׁ‬ ֶ ‫היּוֹם‬ ַ ‫כּל‬ ָ ‫ﬠ לָיו‬
ָ
‫לּין‬ִ ‫פ‬ ִ ‫תּ‬ ְ ‫בּל ֹא‬ ְ ‫צית אוֹ‬ ִ ‫צי‬ ִ ‫בּל ֹא‬ ְ ‫בּל ֹא תּוָֹרה אוֹ‬ ְ ‫אמּוֹת‬ ַ ‫בּע‬ ַ ‫אְר‬ ַ P‫ל‬ ַ ‫ה‬ ָ ‫שׁ‬ֶ ‫ל ֹא ָראוּהוּ‬:

6
The sanctity of phylacteries is a high degree of sanctity. As long as phylacteries are on a man's
head and arm, he is humble and God-fearing, is not drawn into frivolity and idle talk, does not
dwell on evil thoughts but occupies his mind with thoughts of truth and righteousness. A man
should therefore endeavor to wear phylacteries the whole day, this being the right way of
fulfilling the precept. It is said of Rav, the disciple of our Sainted Teacher (R. Judah, the Prince),
that throughout his life no one saw him, without Torah, Tzitzis (fringes on his garments) or
phylacteries.

He writes that the holiness of Tefillin is exceedingly great, and during the entire time that one
wears them he must be humble and G-d fearing. As well, he must not allow himself to be drawn
to laughter and frivolous speech. He must not think improper thoughts, but rather he should clear
his heart with thoughts of truth and justice.

Therefore, a person must endeavor to wear Tefillin all day, for that is their Mitzvah. [In order to
illustrate the profound seriousness and holiness associated with the donning of Tefillin as it was
practiced in times of old, mention should be made of a remarkable and intriguing statement
written by Rav Meir HaMi’eli4 of Narbonne. He references a Yerushalmi that there were
Amoraim that refrained from donning Tefillin each day due to the great care and attention that
Tefillin require.

These Rabbis held that the concept of a clean body did not apply solely to the physical body, but
also to the spirit, such that the soul had to be clean of sins! According to this approach, Rav Meir
HaMi’eli interprets our Gemara to teach that physical uncleanliness, although a necessity, is
unacceptable while wearing Tefillin, all the more so spiritual uncleanliness can not be accepted.

It must be said that this was written in regard to previous generations and has no application
today.] In fact, in Talmudic days the prevalent custom was to don Tefillin all day ( ‫'עי 'ב"ח (או"ח סי‬
‫עמ 'רמא )מש"כ בזה‬, ‫סי 'לט‬, ‫)וראה עוד בס 'תורת שלמה (מילואים סוף כרך יב‬. ‫לז ד"ה מצותן כל היום‬.)

But, explains the Tur, because Tefillin require a clean body such that a person must not pass
wind while wearing Tefillin, and similarly one must be careful not to allow his thoughts to be
distracted from the Tefillin while wearing them, and not everyone can be careful with this, thus
the custom developed that Tefillin are not worn all day. 5

I sent my boys to Zilberman’s Cheder in the old city of Jerusalem. (the grandsons of the classic
translator of Chumash Rashi) besides having the cherem of the Gra on every classroom wall,
they wore tefillin all day.

4
‫)וע"ש מש"כ על מהג‬. ‫ ד"ה מש שביאו‬49' ‫)וכן ראה כזה במאירי שם (עמ‬. ‫עמ 'סא‬, ‫ספר המאורות (ברכות יד ע"ב‬
‫ויש‬: "‫ועי 'בעטרת זקים (ריש סי 'כה )וז"ל‬. ‫ודו"ק‬. ‫ועי 'תוס( 'ר"ה יז ע"א ד"ה קרקפתא )בשם ר"ת‬. ‫קצת חכמים בזמו‬
‫סמ"ג עשה ג 'שהיו מצאין בימיו אלפים ורבבות בשפרד ושאר ארצות שלא היו‬. ‫שאים מיחים תפילין דצריכין גוף קי‬
‫ועי 'דבריו של רבי אברהם דוד מבוטשאשט באשל אברהם (ס"ס תצג )שרבים מעו מלהיח‬. ‫ע"כ‬. ‫מיחין תפילין מטעם ה"ל‬
‫ע"ש‬. ‫תפילין מחשש שאולי הגופות אים קיים‬
5
Daf Digest Shabbes 130

7
For Ai Strausberg6 the connection between Noah’s doves and our daf is vulnerability:

In this story, Elisha defies the Roman government’s decree and in doing so, nearly gets himself
killed with his very public performance of wearing tefillin. Miraculously, at the moment of his near
capture, he removes the tefillin, hides them in his hands, and upon his words, they transform into
dove’s wings, thus saving his life.

But why dove’s wings? The Gemara explains that just as the dove is protected only by its wings,
so too the Jewish people — who are compared with the dove in scripture (Psalms 68:14) — are
protected only by mitzvot. Elisha’s remark to the Roman official, the Gemara explains, was not a
random falsehood, but in fact an absolutely truthful if coded answer to the question. Tefillin, which
symbolize the commandments that Jews literally hold before their eyes, are as protective (and, we
might imagine, transportive) to those who wear them as wings are to a dove.

The mention of this miraculous dove brings to mind the narrative of Noah and the flood. In the
aftermath of the forty days of downpour, Noah first sends out the raven to see if the water has

6
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/shabbat-49/

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receded enough to reveal dry land but the raven doesn’t return. Noah then sends the dove to brave
this post-destruction world. She returns, unable to find a place to rest. Seven days later, again, the
dove is sent out to the flooded abyss, and this time she brings back proof of life after the flood, an
olive leaf in her beak.

The dove in both of these stories is a symbol that at once reflects power and vulnerability. It is the
dove that saves Elisha from certain death and it is the dove that braves a post-flood world and
brings back news of renewed life. And yet the dove also conjures up images of vulnerability with
its small body and only its fragile wings to protect it.

‘Morning prayer’ (Jacob Kruger, 1897)

RAV Kook Torah7

7
The Splendor of Tefillin. Adapted from Ein Eyah vol. III sec. 1 on Shabbat49a

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The Talmud tells the story of a student who deposited a sum of money with a man who was ostensibly religious.
This was a man who was careful to wear tefillin every day. When the student came to collect his money, he was
shocked to hear the man deny ever having received it.
“I did not deposit the money with you,” the young man responded bitterly.
“I deposited it with the tefillin on your head!”
Was this merely an expression of the student’s disgust that a supposedly religious person would act this way?
Or is there a deeper connection between tefillin and moral integrity?

A Clean Body
The Sages taught that one should follow the example of Elisha Ba’al Kenafayim (“the Master of Wings”). Elisha
was always careful to only wear tefillin with a guf naki, when his body was clean. Tefillin are holy objects; wearing
them requires a strict standard of hygiene and control over one’s bodily functions.
Who was this Elisha, the “Master of Wings”?
The Roman government once proclaimed a decree against Israel: anyone laying tefillin will be executed by
having his brains pierced through. Despite the danger, Elisha put on tefillin and went out to the marketplace.
Unfortunately, a Roman official spotted Elisha in the market wearing tefillin. Elisha fled, and the official chased
after him. When Elisha realized that he would soon be caught, he removed the tefillin from his head and hid
them inside his hand.
The officer demanded, “What is that in your hand?”
Elisha replied, “The wings of a dove.”
Elisha then opened up his hand – and inside were the wings of a dove. From then on, he was called Elisha, the
Master of Wings.
What is the significance of these dove wings? And how does the story of Elisha corroborate the requirement
that tefillin be worn with a clean body?

Two Levels of Morality

The Torah calls tefillin an oht, a sign. They are a sign of the unique covenant between God and Israel. By wearing
tefillin, we testify to the Jewish people’s mission as “a kingdom of kohanim and a holy nation.” Due to this
special mission, the moral path of Israel is beyond that which is expected of other peoples. “God did this for no
other nation; they do not know His laws” (Psalms 147:20).
All of humanity is expected to comply with the Noahide Code,2 the foundation of natural morality. All peoples
should aspire to a basic integrity, a love of justice and a hatred of evil. This standard of conduct does not
presuppose great spiritual aspirations. It is sufficient that one’s character has not been corrupted by the
rapacious cruelty of beasts of prey. This basic level of moral purity, when one’s natural inclinations have not
been soiled by greed and lust, may be called guf naki.
Those who wish to ascend God’s mountain — those who aspire to a higher ethical level, as represented by the
lofty holiness of tefillin — must first have a “clean body.” They must acquire the fundamental level of moral
rectitude, and not have lost their innate purity through ignoble traits and dark deeds.
Only after acquiring the level of natural morality may one ascend the ethical ideal that corresponds to the unique
holiness of Israel. Then one may proudly wear tefillin, and “God’s name will be called upon you” (Deut. 28:10).
This is the significance of the dove wings that appeared in Elisha’s hand. Wings enable one to ascend, to scale
the mountain of elevated morality, uplifting the soul that has already acquired the basic level of morality.
One cannot attain this higher level while one’s heart is impure and drawn to injustice. One must first have a
“clean body,” a basic level of decency and integrity.

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Wings to Soar
What does all this have to do with Elisha’s extraordinary dedication to the mitzvah of tefillin?
The ability to remain firm in our beliefs, even in the face of hardship and danger, indicates that we have fully
internalized the level of holiness to which our soul aspires. According to the degree by which we have
assimilated this level, we will find within ourselves the inner strength to withstand the challenges of the turbulent
sea that rages around us.
To be tightly bound to the holiness of tefillin, one must first acquire the preliminary level of natural morality,
a guf naki. And yet one must feel that this level, with all of its innate purity, cannot satisfy the soul’s aspirations
to scale the lofty heights of the Torah’s elevated morality.
One who is a Master of Tefillin will also be a Master of Wings. His physical nature will not be able to confine his
spirit earthbound. He will find inner resources of strength and dedication, even in an hour of trial. Elisha, in his
brave stand against a cruel and evil regime, was worthy of the title “Master of Wings.” The dove wings that
appeared in his hand testified to the purity of his body and the loftiness of his soul.

The Dunera episode

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 Dunera was at the centre of one of the more notorious events of British maritime history. After
Britain declared war on Germany the government set up aliens tribunals to distinguish Nazi
sympathisers from refugees who had fled from Nazism. As a result, 568 were classified as
unreliable, 6,800 were left at liberty but subject to restrictions, and 65,000 were regarded as
"friendly". However, after the fall of France, the loss of the Low Countries and Italy's declaration
of war, Britain stood alone against the spread of fascism and anxieties became acute. In
what Winston Churchill later regretted as "a deplorable and regrettable mistake," all Austrians and
Germans, and many Italians, were suspected of being enemy agents, potentially helping to plan
the invasion of Britain, and a decision was made to deport them. Canada agreed to take some of
them and Australia others, though, "not since the middle of the nineteenth century had Australia
received the unwanted of Britain transported across the world for the purposes of incarceration.”

My father was on the Dunera. As a refugee from Hitler he fled Vienna on the kindertransport but
a year later was interned and sent to Australia to the infamous Tatura internment camp.8

8
http://www.germanaustralia.com/e/tatura.htm

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Edgar Fromm9 for instance, was born in Berlin and educated in Switzerland. His parents emigrated
to England in 1938; he followed them in March 1939. Although he had volunteered for the British
Army, he was sent to a Sammellager for new immigrants at Huyten near Liverpool, in order to be
taken to Sydney onboard the Dunera.
In his written testimony he writes: The conditions aboard the ship were near to unbearable and
the treatment was appalling. The commanding Colonel and five responsible sergeants got severe
penalties after the case had been discussed in the House of Commons and a formal protest had
been sent in (p.2-4, 6). The prisoners were well treated by the Australian Army but interned in a
desert camp, built for PoWs at Hay, North Australia and they suffered very much from the climate;
they had to stay there for more than nine months. Those internees who wanted to join the British
Army were the first to be sent back to England (p.5-6).

9
Eyewitness account by Edgar Fromm, a German refugee in the UK, of internment in
Huyten camp and deportation to Australia: Wiener Holocaust Library :
https://wiener.soutron.net/Portal/Default/en-GB/recordview/index/106418

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Another internee Peter Eden recalls10 “Possessions taken”

“With the vessel hugely over capacity”, Mr Eden said “the men slept on floors and benches, and
if you wanted to go to the toilet at night you were walking on bodies.

"The troops that were guarding us were the worst in the British Army. I remember seeing
someone walking off wearing my raincoat and I lost my watch.

"The Australians asked us where our luggage was, but it had gone overboard."

The men were kept below decks for all but 30 minutes each day and there were just 10 toilets for
more than 2,000 men, giving rise to the need for "toilet police" who would call up people as
vacancies arose.

My Father at age 90! Nine years ago.

10
https://www.bbc.com/news/10409026

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The HMT Dunera weighed 12,615 tons and the conditions onboard were dreadful. There were 309
poorly trained British Guards who were former prisoners of the British Army. They were told that
they would be freed if they agreed to volunteer to go on the HMT Dunera in the North Atlantic
Ocean.
Wilhelm Ungar (Uncle Willy) volunteered to look out for the British. The Internee's luggage was
pilfered and thrown overboard by the British Soldiers. They tore up their notebooks, documents,
money and emigration papers and threw them on the floor and took away their personal items
(soap, toothbrushes).11

My father retells12 one day the Captain was grabbing Tefillin claiming they contained secret codes
to the Germans. Not distinguishing between Jewish aliens and German prisoners of war he started
chucking them overboard one by one. When it came to my turn, being fluent in English, I
respectfully informed him that those black boxes contained his bible too. He was moved to allow
me to retain my pair after which I shared them with the other observant interns (some 200 out of
2000) daily, which took all day!”

My father endangered himself by even addressing the captain and so reminded us every time he
learned the Perek Reb Lizer de’milah (beginning with our daf) of this story.

When troubles surround us, when evils come

The body grows weak and the spirit grows numb
When these things beset us, He won't forget us
He sends down His love on the wings of a dove
On the wings of a snow-white dove
He sends His pure sweet love
A sign from above
On the wings of a dove
When Noah had drifted on the flood many days
He searched for land in various ways
Troubles, he had some, but he was not forgotten
He sent down His love on the wings of a dove
On the wings of a snow-white dove

11
Liz Moeller “In My Father’s Footsteps” unpublished
12
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heDwCoIG24g,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQprxL8I4oo

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Hal Ketchum

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