Friday, April 09, 2004

Ad SheDarashah Ben Zoma:

In the Haggadah, they cite a discussion about speaking about Yetziat Mitzrayim. In context, it is whether one must mention the Exodus from Egypt every night, by the Shema. The conflicting opinion (the Chachomim) would be that there is no such obligation to say it at night.

Ben Zoma's drasha in as follows: The pasuk in Dvarim 16:3

לְמַעַן תִּזְכֹּר אֶת-יוֹם צֵאתְךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם, כֹּל יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ.
"that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life"

Now, the word KOL, using midrashic principles, comes to expand on what the verse states. So לְמַעַן תִּזְכֹּר אֶת-יוֹם צֵאתְךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם, יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ would be mentioning the Exodus every day. Adding כֹּל expands upon the word יְמֵי , teaching us not just the day but also the nights.

The Chachamim, who disagree that there is such an obligation, must do something with the expansion of the word כֹּל in the pasuk. They note that כֹּל יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ is a phrase, as is יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ, and the word KOL can come either to modify the first word of the phrase, יְמֵי , or the second word in the phrase, חַיֶּיךָ. According to Ben Zoma, it modified the word יְמֵי so the expansion was not just days but nights as well. However, if you say it modifies the second word, חַיֶּיךָ, "your life," then without the word KOL is is just your life, that is Olam HaZeh. KOL comes to expand upon it and say another life, olam hazeh - therefore, to include the days of Mashiach (as a result of techiyat hametim, resurrection of the dead).

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