More Discussions for this daf
1. Zevach Todah's Binyan Av 2. What is a "Yeled" according to Rashi? 3. Legs
DAF DISCUSSIONS - ERCHIN 18

Daniel Gray asks:

By negayim raglav means leg down to toes and thus proof ad bclal. If it didn't mean so much leg, the proof falls away. Nedarim 32a Rashi explains leg means makom milah. Who's to say by metzorah raglo doesn't mean same?

Daniel Gray, Toronto Canada

The Kollel replies:

Reb Daniel, once somebody asked a question similar to your's in the shiur of Rav Tzvi Kushalevsky shlita, and Reb Tzvi said that if the Rogitchover would have opened a Yeshiva, they would have asked questions like this!

1) See the Midrash Rabah Parshas Shemos 5:8 which states:

"How did Tziporah know that Moshe came into danger because of Milah? Because the Malach came and swallowed Moshe from his head to the Milah. Since Tziporah saw that he was only swallowed until the Milah, she understood that he had been injured by the Malach because of the issue of Milah".

We learn from the Midrash that Regel does not usually refer to the makom milah, but there is a special reason why the Gemara Nedarim uses the word Raglav; since the incident with Moshe Rabeinu happened because he did not do Milah for his son. However, the usual meaning of Regel is the whole leg.

2) There is another reason why Raglav in connection with Nega'im cannot mean makom milah; because the Gemara here says that "for the entire sight of the eyes of the Cohen" cannot apply for Raglav because the Cohen cannot see between the toes of the person with Nega'im. If Raglav meant makom milah, this would not be true.

Good Shabbos

Dovid Bloom

Daniel Gray adds:

My Zeide, Rov Vitsick zl, told me a vort in Sukkah to say in our class siyum 31 years ago in the name of the Rogitchover and my Rebbe asked me to find out in which sefer he could look it up. My zeide answered - "none, he told it to me in person." My Zeide spent an entire week at the Rogitchover's residence and learned many items with him that week.

Daniel