[Avodah] Lemino/leminehu

Micha Berger micha at aishdas.org
Thu Jun 24 15:31:55 PDT 2010


RGDubin asked:
> Can someone point me to a consistent and reasonably simple explanation of
> why the Torah switched, for trees, from lemino at the tzivui, to leminehu
> at the creation.  In general, an explanation of what these terms mean
> specifically would be appreciated.

There is a similar issue in Vayiqra 11. E.g. pasuq 22 "... es ha'arbeh
lemino, ve'es hasale'um lemineihu..." On 11:13 Rashi says that lemino
describes a min that has no subtypes, and lemineihu is where "yeish
be'oso hamin she'ein domin zeh lazeh, lo bemar'eihem velo bishmosam,
vekhulan min echad".

It is hard to argue the same thing here, since the same trees that
were commanded to exist lemino is the same ones lemineihem. There was
no introduction of subtypes between the two pesuqim, although there is
still the implied plurality. *Perhaps* referring to the separation of
tree and fruit with "eitz peri" turning into "eitz oseh peri". Thus each
min of tree became two sub-types -- tree vs fruit.

There is a derashah on this, lehalakhah. "Lemino" tells you that it's
assur to create a tangelo from a tangerine and a grapefruit. But
lemineihem says that HQBH has no problem with the tree keeping its
murkav minim once it does exist. So you are allowed to gro a tangelo
from a tangelo.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             I long to accomplish a great and noble task,
micha at aishdas.org        but it is my chief duty to accomplish small
http://www.aishdas.org   tasks as if they were great and noble.
Fax: (270) 514-1507                              - Helen Keller



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