Commentary for Berakhot 4:2
אמר רבה בר רב שילא אם כן לימא קרא ויטהר מאי וטהר טהר יומא כדאמרי אינשי איערב שמשא ואדכי יומא.
Rabbah b. Rab Shela answered : In that case the text should have read weyithar ; what means wetaher? The day is clean [of light]; as people commonly say, "When the sun has set, the day is cleansed."
Rashi on Berakhot
If so - that the possuk of "He will come pure" is a command, the possuk should say "Veyitoher", why does it say "Vetoher"?
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Tosafot on Berakhot
IF SO, [THAT THE VERSE IS REFERRING TO THE PURIFICATION OF THE TAMEI], THE VERSE SHOULD HAVE SAID ויטהר. In the previous Tosfos we learned that the according to Rashi the choice of meanings of וטהר is whether it is passive and referring to the passing of the day, or whether it is active and describing the tamei bringing his sacrifices to the Bais Hamikdosh. If it is the latter, then the word ויטהר is more accurate.
However, according to Tosfos explanation, either of the choices are passive. The question is whether it is וטהר יומא- a description of what happens to the sky after the light disappears from the sky and the stars appear, or וטהר גברא - it is describing what automatically happens to the person who was tamei when the sphere of the sun sets below the horizon. In either case a passive verb could be used. Even though there are many places in the Torah where the word וטהר is written describing what happens to the person - that he becomes tahor. Why is the Gemara insisting that the verse should have used the verb ויטהר?
There, where וטהר is used to describe what happens to the tamei person, there is no room for error. The word cannot be understood in any other way. However, here in the verse ובא השמש וטהר, where there is room for error, [the Torah] should have written ויטהר, which is definitely describing what happens to the tamei person.
However, according to Tosfos explanation, either of the choices are passive. The question is whether it is וטהר יומא- a description of what happens to the sky after the light disappears from the sky and the stars appear, or וטהר גברא - it is describing what automatically happens to the person who was tamei when the sphere of the sun sets below the horizon. In either case a passive verb could be used. Even though there are many places in the Torah where the word וטהר is written describing what happens to the person - that he becomes tahor. Why is the Gemara insisting that the verse should have used the verb ויטהר?
There, where וטהר is used to describe what happens to the tamei person, there is no room for error. The word cannot be understood in any other way. However, here in the verse ובא השמש וטהר, where there is room for error, [the Torah] should have written ויטהר, which is definitely describing what happens to the tamei person.
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Abraham Cohen Footnotes to the English Translation of Masechet Berakhot
I.e. "then he shall be clean," whereas wetaher means "it (or he) is clean."
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