Midrashic Methods #2: Miut (Exclusion)

m1

Middah 2:
Via a miut {exclusion}, howso?
The miut consists of three terms: אך, רק, מן.
אך, to exclude, how?

For it is written (Bereishit 7)

כב כֹּל אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁמַת-רוּחַ חַיִּים בְּאַפָּיו, מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר בֶּחָרָבָה--מֵתוּ.	22 all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, whatsoever was in the dry land, died.
כג וַיִּמַח אֶת-כָּל-הַיְקוּם אֲשֶׁר עַל-פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה, מֵאָדָם עַד-בְּהֵמָה עַד-רֶמֶשׂ וְעַד-עוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם, וַיִּמָּחוּ, מִן-הָאָרֶץ; וַיִּשָּׁאֶר אַךְ-נֹחַ וַאֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ, בַּתֵּבָה.	23 And He blotted out every living substance which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and creeping thing, and fowl of the heaven; and they were blotted out from the earth; and Noah only was left, and they that were with him in the ark.

What does אך come to teach us?
That even Noach in the ark was spitting up blood because of the cold.

Discussion: What is the feel of the perek. How does this expand upon the idea of a single person surviving of the entire world, while massive forces were wreaking havoc outside. The ark as a flimsy refuge.

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Similarly you say (Vayikra 23:27):

כו וַיְדַבֵּר ה, אֶל-מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר.	26 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying:
כז אַךְ בֶּעָשׂוֹר לַחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי הַזֶּה יוֹם הַכִּפֻּרִים הוּא, מִקְרָא-קֹדֶשׁ יִהְיֶה לָכֶם, וְעִנִּיתֶם, אֶת-נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם; וְהִקְרַבְתֶּם אִשֶּׁה, לַה.	27 Howbeit on the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; there shall be a holy convocation unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls; and ye shall bring an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

If it had said בֶּעָשׂוֹר לַחֹדֶשׁ I would have said - to atone for those who return and upon those who do not return. Once it states אך it restricts the atonement to only those who return.

Discussion: what does it mean to afflict, and how those who do not afflict will be cut off - in the subsequent psukim? Could this feed into the message here?

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רק to exclude, how?
Bereishit 20:

י וַיֹּאמֶר אֲבִימֶלֶךְ, אֶל-אַבְרָהָם: מָה רָאִיתָ, כִּי עָשִׂיתָ אֶת-הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה.	10 And Abimelech said unto Abraham: 'What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?'
יא וַיֹּאמֶר, אַבְרָהָם, כִּי אָמַרְתִּי רַק אֵין-יִרְאַת אֱלֹהִים, בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה; וַהֲרָגוּנִי, עַל-דְּבַר אִשְׁתִּי.	11 And Abraham said: 'Because I thought: Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake.

Perhaps this means that there was no fear of God at all? Therefore it tells us רק. Say now, until they heard, they did not fear - once their ears hear they will fear.

Discussion: see pasuk 8, which this is a reference to. What is it that Avimelech told them that made them "sore afraid." What insight is the midrash giving us about the men's character?
Further, why did they ask about Sarah? Is Avraham justified? Why does Hashem need to give a threat about not returning her to Avraham?

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And so it states

ח וַיַּשְׁכֵּם אֲבִימֶלֶךְ בַּבֹּקֶר, וַיִּקְרָא לְכָל-עֲבָדָיו, וַיְדַבֵּר אֶת-כָּל-הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה, בְּאָזְנֵיהֶם; וַיִּירְאוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים, מְאֹד.

8 And Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears; and the men were sore afraid.

Similarly you say: I Kings 22:

טז וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו הַמֶּלֶךְ, עַד-כַּמֶּה פְעָמִים אֲנִי מַשְׁבִּיעֶךָ: אֲשֶׁר לֹא-תְדַבֵּר אֵלַי, רַק-אֱמֶת--בְּשֵׁם ה.

16 And the king said unto him: 'How many times shall I adjure thee that thou speak unto me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?'

This teaches that he did not speak with his full heart, but rather because Yehoshafat was there.

Discussion: How could Micah lie? Was this a blessing/prayer, or a prophecy? Look at the context of the perek. Who suggested bringing the prophet? What is the king of Israel's (as opposed to that of Judah) attitude in general towards Micah? Does he believe in the truth of prophecy? Why then, his calling the prophet? Why then the objection to Michah's initial words?


m2

begin cite: min to exclude, howso?
Shemot 18:13:

יב וַיִּקַּח יִתְרוֹ חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה, עֹלָה וּזְבָחִים--לֵאלֹהִים; וַיָּבֹא אַהֲרֹן וְכֹל זִקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, לֶאֱכָל-לֶחֶם עִם-חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה--לִפְנֵי הָאֱלֹקִים.	12 And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took a burnt-offering and sacrifices for God; and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God.
יג וַיְהִי, מִמָּחֳרָת, וַיֵּשֶׁב מֹשֶׁה, לִשְׁפֹּט אֶת-הָעָם; וַיַּעֲמֹד הָעָם עַל-מֹשֶׁה, מִן-הַבֹּקֶר עַד-הָעָרֶב.	13 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people; and the people stood about Moses from the morning unto the evening.

Is it possible the entire day? When do the disciples learn? Therefore it comes to teach "from the morning" as an exclusion, which teaches that he did not sit there the entire day. And the chachamim gave an estimate of until 6 hours.

Discussion/Clarification: Not that this is how long Moshe judged, because otherwise what is meant by "until evening. Rather, this is a reference to Shabbat 10a {Rif Shabbat 4a}:
Rav Chisda and Rabba bar Rav Huna were sitting all day engaged in judgements, and their hearts grew faint. {Rashi: since they were not able to learn Torah. Alternatively, they grew faint because they had not opportunity to eat all day.} Rav Chiyya bar Rav, of Difti, taught {tnei} (Shmot 18:13:)

יג וַיְהִי, מִמָּחֳרָת, וַיֵּשֶׁב מֹשֶׁה, לִשְׁפֹּט אֶת-הָעָם; וַיַּעֲמֹד הָעָם עַל-מֹשֶׁה, מִן-הַבֹּקֶר עַד-הָעָרֶב. 13 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people; and the people stood about Moses from the morning unto the evening. And does it enter your mind that Moshe sat and judged the entire day? And the {teaching/learning of} Torah, when was it done? Rather, to tell you that every judge who judges a true judgment {that is, a fair judgement}, even for one hour, the Scriptures considers him a partner in Creation. It is written here מִן-הַבֹּקֶר עַד-הָעָרֶב - from the morning unto the evening, and it is written there, by the Creation {Bereishit 1}, וַיְהִי-עֶרֶב וַיְהִי-בֹקֶר - "and there was evening and there was morning."

Until when must they {the judges} sit at judgment?
Rav Sheshet said: Until the time of the [main] meal [of the day].

And this is the sixth hour, which is the time of eating for a {Torah} scholar.

so this is what is meant by how the Sages estimated it. And note that besides the exclusive min, there is another midrashic method in play here - that of parallel language.

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Similarly, Shmuel Bet 22:14:

יד יַרְעֵם מִן-שָׁמַיִם, ה; {ר} וְעֶלְיוֹן, יִתֵּן קוֹלוֹ. {ס

14 The LORD thundered from heaven, and the Most High gave forth His voice.

It is possible that the thundering was heard from all corners of Heaven, therefore it teaches us min to exclude, that it is only heard from the curtain from which is is requested from. {in other words, there aple designated sections that handle specific matters}

And so it says:

ה יַרְעֵם אֵל בְּקוֹלוֹ, נִפְלָאוֹת; עֹשֶׂה גְדֹלוֹת, וְלֹא נֵדָע.

5 God thundereth marvellously with His voice; great things doeth He, which we cannot comprehend.

In the place that He needs to introduce a new thing.

(The explanation of this method, too, is that these three words come always to exclude, from that subject matter that it is speaking of. And within this method are other words or letters that come to exclude when they are extra.)

{I would categorize it differently - that these three words literally, and by themselves, connote exclusion, and thus they are being taken hyper-literally.}