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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 Gn43-20a
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1319.htm
      Brief Summary: The Hebrew BETH-YUD is an interjection equivalant to our English PLEASE>

    The special word method deals with the few dozen special connective words that exist in all languages. Familiar examples are also, when, that, if, then, all, because, only, this,.... These words are typically
    • adverbs such as all,also or connective words, either
    • conjunctions such as if, then, because or
    • articles or demonstrative or abstract pronouns such as the, this, that or
    • propositional connectives such as in,on,to,from.
    Rashi's job, when he comments on a special connective words, is to enumeratively list the nuances and usages of the word.

The most famous example of the special word method is the Hebrew word Kaph Yud which can mean because, that, when, perhaps, rather, if. Sometimes Rashi explicitly gives all meanings of a connective word as happens with Kaph Yud while at other times Rashi does not give all meanings at once. In such a case the Rashi student must gather all the meanings together from various places.

One can classify the special word method as either a meaning sub-method or grammar sub-method.

    Today we deal with the Hebrew special word Beth-Yud which can have any of the following meanings.
  • Please for example, Gn43-20a Please my lord: We initially came down to buy food...and found our money returned...

Advanced Rashi: The word Please is a special type of connective word, it is an interjection. An interjection, unlike other words, does not have specific meaning but rather is used to indicate emotions of the speaker. The word please indicates that the speaker is in a supplicatory state. Its use in English is well known and its Biblical usage is almost identical.


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