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      2. RASHI METHOD: WORD MEANING
      BRIEF EXPLANATION: The meaning of words can be explained either by
      • (2a) translating an idiom, a group of words whose collective meaning transcends the meaning of its individual component words,
      • (2b) explaining the nuances and commonality of synonyms-homographs,
      • (2c) describing the usages of connective words like also,because,if-then, when,
      • (2d) indicating how grammatical conjugation can change word meaning
      • (2e) changing word meaning using the figures of speech common to all languages such as irony and oxymorons.
      This examples applies to Rashis Gn24-44b
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/w33n5.htm
      Brief Summary: YUD-CAPH-CHETH means TO PROVE: either a) To make a claim against someone (PROVE), or b) make someone change behavior(RE-PROVE)

When Rashi uses the hononym method he takes a single Biblical root and shows an underlying unifying meaning in disparate usages. Very often the unifying meaning may appear to be different than the actual known meanings. Today's example illustrates this.

    The Hebrew Biblical root Yud-Caph-Cheth has a fundamental meaning of demonstration, proof It therefore can either mean
  • Benefit me: To prove a claim in court to win something for myself
  • Benefit other: To re-prove / rebuke someone and force him to change his behavior.

    The following two verses illustrate these two different meanings prove, reprove which however come from a fundamental unifying meaning of prove.
  • Proving Claim - benefiting me: Gn24-44 states and she shall say to me: Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels; that is women that God has proven for my master. [Below, using the Fill-in method, Rule #9, we will show how Rivkah providing water is a proof from God that she is Isaac's true wife. Roughly, Isaac is a charitable person and therefore if a woman provided food to a slave she is proven charitable and is worthy for Isaac.]
  • Re-prove another person: Gn21-25 states And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of the well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away.

Advanced Rashi: Notice the English treatment prove - reprove analogous to the Hebrew dual meaning of Yud-Caph-Ceth. Such English - Hebrew dualities are important and enrich the Rashi experience. They show underlying deep conceptual structure independent of language.


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