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      7. RASHI METHOD: FORMATTING
      BRIEF EXPLANATION:Inferences from Biblical formatting: --bold,italics, and paragraph structure.
      • Use of repetition to indicate formatting effects: bold,italics,...;
      • use of repeated keywords to indicate a bullet effect;
      • rules governing use and interpretation of climactic sequence;
      • rules governing paragraph development and discourse
      This example applies to Rashis Dt32-52b,c       URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1309.htm
      Brief Summary: 1) You can't go into Israel 2) But it is very precious to you so you will see it from afar.

    The Formatting rule includes the methods of writing consecutive paragraph or sentences. Just as a paragraph is a collection of sentences unified by a topic sentence and developed by supporting sentences, so too, a chapter very often has a theme that is developed by a skillfully sequenced set of paragraphs. Rashi new of 3 methods of writing consecutive paragraphs
    • Cause-effect: The second paragraph is the effect of the first paragraph. The first paragraph is the cause of the second paragraph.
    • Contrast: The two paragraphs illustrate contrasting sides of a theem.
    • Unified theme: The two or more paragraphs illustrate a common theme. For example a common theme may be illustrated by a sequence of paragraphs each of which exemplifies and illustrates the theme idea.
    The above three principles indicate methods for paragraph development into chapters as well as method for sentence development into paragraphs.

We formerly classified paragraph and chapter development under the grammar rule. However we think it more proper to devote the grammar rule to the relation between meaning and form, for example how verb conjugational forms indicates meaning. As indicated above the formatting rule governs use of sequence to indicate climax and paragraph sequencing.

    Rashi on Dt32-52 explains the sequence in two paragraphs/sentences indicating a cause-effect relationship. For purposes of expositional clarity we have reversed the sequence of sentence halves.
  • Cause: You are not going into the land I am giving the Jews [as indicated in previous verses you are dieing as a punishment for your sins by May Merivah]
  • Effect: [Therefore] You may only see the land from afar.

    Advanced Rashi: Rashi adds two supplemental explanatory comments:
    • For if you don't see it [Israel] now you will never see it since you are about to die
    • I am showing you Israel because I know it is precious for you and you want to see it
      • Here Rashi fills in missing causality: Why show Moses anything if he is about to die? The answer is because he wanted to see Israel and the Jews settling there.

      8. RASHI METHOD: DATABASES
      BRIEF EXPLANATION:Rashi makes inferences from Database queries. The precise definition of database query has been identified in modern times with the 8 operations of Sequential Query Language (SQL).
      This example applies to Rashis Dt32-46a
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/w34n14.htm
      Brief Summary: The Bible commands Torah study with 3 phrases - see, hear, focus your heart - thereby indicating 3 requirements for study.

We ask the following database query: How does God command required Torah study? The reader is encouraged to perform the query using a standard Biblical Konnkordance or search engine. This database query yields the list below. The list justifies the following Rashi inference: Proper Torah study requires a) study (seeing), b) discussion (hearing), and c) analysis (Place on one's heart.) The list below presents the results of the database query.

Verse Study Method Text of Verse Example of this method
Dt11-13 Basic Knowledge/Acceptance And it shall come to pass, if you will hear my commandments which I command you this day, .... Discussion
Dt11-26:27 Comprehensive overview See I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if you hear the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day; Bulleting a comprehensive summary
Dt32-46a Place on one's heart And he said to them, Place your hearts to all the words which I testify among you this day, which you shall command your children to take care to do, all the words of this Torah. Experiencial / Emotional; integrating with one's overall experience

    Advanced Rashi: Just to be clear we have identified the three words see, hear, place heart with a three-prong approach to learning:
  • Hearing seems to indicate basic knowledge and acceptance
  • Seeing seems to indicate intensive knowledge, a comprehensive overview
  • Place on one's heart seems to indicate not just knowing a subject, but seeing it intuitively, being able to justify it, relating to it emotionally as something necessary, or relating to it experientially in terms of implementation.

Note that Traditional Yeshivish learning is frequently hearing, seeing without an emphasis of in practice or intuitive justification. The idea is that when someone gets a rabbinical position post yeshiva they will learn the ropes and experience. Also,there is no current emphasis in traditional yeshivas on intuitive justification. Similar remarks can be made on teaching ethics/moosar/exhortation which some, but not all, Yeshivoth engage in. According to this Rashi all these practices - ethics, moosar, exhortation, intuitive justification, practical experience - should be an intrinsic part of the Yeshiva experience. 


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