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      5. RASHI METHOD: CONTRADICTION
      BRIEF EXPLANATION:Rashi resolves contradictory verses using 3 methods.
      • (5a) Resolution using two aspects of the same event
      • (5b) Resolution using two stages of the same process
      • (5c) Resolution using broad-literal interpretation.
      This examples applies to Rashis Dt20-14a
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/w34n9.htm
      Brief Summary: Kill all ADULT males and take into captivity all CHILDREN (whether male or female)

    The table below presents two contradictory verses. Both verses talk about treatment of a conquered nation. The underlined words highlight the contradiction. One verse says kill all males, while the other verse says take captive women and children. Which is it? Are male children taken captive or killed? Rashi simply resolves this using the 2 aspects method: Adult males are killed. But all children are taken captive, whether male or female.

Summary Verse / Source Text of verse / Source
All adult males are killed Dt20-13 And when the Lord your God has delivered it into your hands, you shall strike all its males with the edge of the sword;
All children are taken captive, whether male or female. Dt20-14 But the women, and children, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, all the plunder from it, shall you take for yourself; and you shall eat the plunder of your enemies, which the Lord your God has given you.
Resolution: 2 Aspects Adult males are killed. But all children are taken captive, whether male or female.

Advanced Rashi: The resolution here was logical. Rashi could have said Kill all males whether adult or children and only take the female children captive. Why did Rashi chose one resolution over the other? I think the driving force behind this is the argument that adult males are used in military defense and therefore the adult males must be killed. There is no reason to kill the male children.

Consequently this Rashi is interesting in that common sense and attribution of reasons to the verse directives are used to resolve the contradiction.


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