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Dt33-28 ISOLATED but SECURE |
RASHIS COVERED: Dt33-28a Jews will be ISOLATED but SECURE
Dt33-28b Dt33-28c Dt33-28d
VERY BRIEF SUMMARY
By using ALIGNMENT Rashi infers meaning of the 4 poetic
phrases in Dt33-28. Here is Rashis take on the verse
- The JEWS are isolated (philosophically) but secure(physically)
- ------ like the journeys of JACOB (who was isolated/secure)
- to a land of oil & wheat (Isaacs blessing)
- His heavens are torrented with dew (like ISAACS blessings )
Thus the 4 verse phrases are all saying the same thing:
- The Jews will merit the blessings of their ancestors,
Jacob and Isaac, to live by their beliefs in solitude but
yet have a secure & satisfying land.
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TODAYS RASHI RULE: ALIGNMENT
TODAYS RASHI SUBRULE: MEANING
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF RULE
We explained the ALIGNMENT rule yesterday and used it
to obtain the unifying theme of the verse. Today we use
this unifying theme to analyze in detail the individual
verse phrases.
STANDARD REFERENCES FOR THIS RULE
http://www.Rashiyomi.com/align-58.htm
http://www.RashiYomi.com/calendar1.htm
The ALIGNMENT series occurs between 7-28-01 and 10-10-01.
TODAYS LIST
Yesterday we performed STAGE 1 of the analysis. We showed
that the unifying theme of Dt33-28 is that the Jews will
obtain the blessings of the Patriarchs. Using this unifying
theme we now proceed to STAGE 2*10 and analyze the
4 individual phrases of the verse
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| PHRASE |
INTERPRET BY UNIFYING THEME |
| Jews dwelled isolated secure |
Isolated religion;secure land*1 |
| Similar of Jacob |
Jacob was ISOLATED but SECURE*1 |
| on a land of oil and wheat |
Isaacs blessing;Food security*2 |
| Even their heavens torrent dew |
Isaacs blessing;Food security*2 |
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COMMENTS |
*1 The word isolated can have either GOOD or BAD connotations
Thus LAMENTATIONS01-01:-How is Israel sitting ALONE
where ALONE denotes a victim of disaster
By contrast, many verses praise ISOLATION as a means
of achieving religious inner strength. Here are some
examples including examples from Jacob
- Nu23-09 They are a nation that can dwell ALONE
- Nu23-03 & he walked ALONE(to obtain prophecy)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- Gn32-04 Jacob was ALONE(sojourned) with Laban
- Gn35-05 The journeyed ALONE & no one bothered them
- Gn32-24 Jacob wrestled ALONE with angel (& won)
- Dt26-05 Only 70 Jews came to Egypt..they became a nation
All of the above verses have a theme of STRENGTH WHILE
ISOLATED OR SMALL (They say it in different ways) But
the point is the same: The Jews can have an inner
strength despite their being isolated and despite
their small number
The last 4 verses all refer to Jacob
*2 Isaacs blessings to Jacob occur in
- Gn27-28 May God Give you from the DEW OF HEAVEN
- and from the fatness of the earth
- a MULTITUDE OF WHEAT & OIL
This verse mentions WHEAT OIL & DEW. Only a
handful of verses in the Bible mention these
terms and therefore this link is deliberate
(See the preceding list for lists of verses)
In light of the unifying theme I would say
that the blessings of Isaac which are blessings
of FOOD SECURITY fit into the unifying theme of
the verse of ISOLATED BUT SECURE
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