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    3. RASHI METHOD: GRAMMAR
    BRIEF EXPLANATION: Rashi explains verses using grammar principles, that is, rules which relate reproducable word form to word meaning. Grammatical rules neatly fall into 3 categories
    • (a) the rules governing conjugation of individual words,Biblical roots,
    • (b) the rules governing collections of words,clauses, sentences
    • (c) miscellaneous grammatical, or form-meaning, rules.
    This examples applies to Rashis Lv16-10a
    URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/ex10-08a.htm
    Brief Summary: YO-O-MAD, is in HAFAL mode. It indicates the passive: SHALL REMAIN ALIVE.

A well known grammatical concept, present in all languages, is the active-passive distinction. Verse Lv16-10 discussing the sending of the he-goat to Azazel, states But the goat, on which the lot fell to be for Azazel, shall remain alive before the Lord, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go to Azazel into the wilderness. Rashi's comment is deceptively simply, and applies in both English and Hebrew: The underlined phrase remain alive is in the passive voice.

    We can add depth to Rashi's explanation by listing the four methods of indicating the passive voice in Hebrew. First, recall that Hebrew roots are conjugated in 7 grammatical modes. Three of these modes indicate passive activity:
  • The pual mode - (See Ex10-08a for an example);
  • The Nifal mode - (See Lv27-27c for an example);
  • The Hofal mode - (Our verse, Lv16-10a is an example);
  • The participle can also be used to indicate the passive voice (See Dt32-36 for examples)

Advanced Rashi: Rashi actually makes two comments on this verse. Rashi infers from the underlined phrase remain alive that the he-goat sent to Azazel is sent to death. We will revisit this second Rashi inference later in rule #7, formatting.


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