Commentary for Kiddushin 42:11
אמר מר המרצע להביא מרצע הגדול מאי משמע כדאמר רבא (בראשית לב, לג) הירך המיומנת שבירך ה"נ המרצע מיוחד שבמרצעין:
[Thus:] Then thou shalt take - this is an amplification;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Extending the law to anything that may be taken.');"><sup>16</sup></span> an awl - this is a limitation;. through his ear unto the door is again an amplification.
Daf Shevui to Kiddushin
The baraita had read “the awl” as including even a large awl. But what is the midrashic technique used to derive that from the verse?
The Talmud compares this midrash with a midrash that Rava offers on the prohibition of eating part of the thigh. From the definitive article “the” Rava derives that the prohibition applies only to the most important part of the thigh. So too here we can derive that the article implies only the most important of awls—the great awl.
The Talmud compares this midrash with a midrash that Rava offers on the prohibition of eating part of the thigh. From the definitive article “the” Rava derives that the prohibition applies only to the most important part of the thigh. So too here we can derive that the article implies only the most important of awls—the great awl.
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