Mi Yodeya is a question and answer site for those who base their lives on Jewish law and tradition and anyone interested in learning more. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this community
In the Birkat Haminim following the Nusach Sfard, the prayer is to exterminate, humiliate and submit the Apikorsim.
תעקר ותשבר ומגר ותכלם ותשפילם ותכניעם
My question is the order of the requests. After extermination, why is it a need to humiliate and submit?
A similar question is asked with regard to Shema:
Berachot 61a
תניא רבי אליעזר אומר אם נאמר בכל נפשך למה נאמר בכל מאדך ואם נאמר בכל מאדך למה נאמר בכל נפשך אלא אם יש לך אדם שגופו חביב עליו מממונו לכך נאמר בכל נפשך ואם יש לך אדם שממונו חביב עליו מגופו לכך נאמר בכל מאדך
It has been taught: R. Eliezer says: If it says ‘with all thy soul’, why should it also say, ‘with all thy might’, and if it says ‘with all thy might’, why should it also say ‘with all thy soul’? Should there be a man who values his life more than his money, for him it says; ‘with all thy soul’; and should there be a man who values his money more than his life, for him it says, ‘with all thy might’ .
Perhaps we can say something similar here. Some people may value life over pride, while others may value pride over life.
In a first attempt I was thinking that techallem is from the radical Klima כלימה as in Ahava rabba lo nikalem .לא ניכלם And here in Birkat Haminim it is not plural asתמגר ותשבר aren't. Techallem is to make shame. An example of this radical is in Bamidbar 12.14. but it's probably not right because of the comment of @ba.
But now I just have read the Abudarham about this Beracha, which was lacking in previous editions, probably because of census. In the new editions, based on a manuscript. He says that Kaleh, this is his Girsa, without Mem, is exterminate. He said that the end is Teshaber Vesachnia because it's similar to the Chatima, shover Oyvim Umachnia Zedim, and the part before the Chatima needs to be similar to the Chatima.
