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Comments on Why does Rashi leave out an example?
Parent
Why does Rashi leave out an example?
In Devarim 32:48 the pasuk says:
וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה בְּעֶ֛צֶם הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּ֖ה לֵאמֹֽר
That very day the LORD spoke to Moses
Rashi on Devarim 32:48 writes:
וידבר ה' אל משה בעצם היום הזה
... בִּשְׁלוֹשָׁה מְקוֹמוֹת נֶאֱמַר בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה, נֶאֱמַר בְּנֹחַ "בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה בָּא נֹחַ וְגוֹ'" (בראשית ז')
...בְּמִצְרַיִם נֶאֱמַר "בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה הוֹצִיא ה'" (שמות י"ב)And the Lord Spoke to Moses That Very Day
In three places in Scripture the expression בעצם היום הזה is used. It states in the narrative of Noah (Genesis 7:121) That very day entered Noah … [into the ark]”...
Of Egypt, too, it states, (Exodus All. 11) “The very day the Lord did bring [the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt]”...
However, there is another place in Genesis 17:23:
וַיִּקַּח אַבְרָהָם אֶת־יִשְׁמָעֵאל בְּנוֹ וְאֵת כָּל־יְלִידֵי בֵיתוֹ וְאֵת כָּל־מִקְנַת כַּסְפּוֹ כָּל־זָכָר בְּאַנְשֵׁי בֵּית אַבְרָהָם וַיָּמָל אֶת־בְּשַׂר עָרְלָתָם בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אִתּוֹ אֱלֹהִים
Then Abraham took his son Ishmael, and all his homeborn slaves and all those he had bought, every male in Abraham’s household, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins on that very day, as God had spoken to him.
So we see that there are four places in which the term בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה is used2.
Why doesn't Rashi mention this place in his list?
Post
The locations that Rashi cites are actions by Hashem and not by human beings. Thus, the commentary by Rashi pointing out that Hashem performed the actives in broad daylight to show that he would prevent anyone from attempting to interfere. The fourth pasuk cited was about the action of Avraham which was done in broad daylight in order to show that he did not care if anyone objected. Additionally, Rashi in the locations cited points out that there were people who stated that they would prevent this from being done. In the case of Avraham, there were no people who stated in advance that they would prevent the circumcisions from taking place. Thus that pasuk was not relevant to the explanation.
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