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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 examples applies to Rashis Nu20-15b
    URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/nu20-15b.htm
    Brief Summary: The Egyptians caused anguish to a) Us to b) our forefathers (Who prophetically saw our anguish)

We have explained in our article Biblical Formatting located on the world wide web at http://www.Rashiyomi.com/biblicalformatting.pdf, that the Biblical Author indicated a bulleted or table structure by skillful use of repated keywords.

That is, if a modern author wanted to get a point across using a table then the Biblical Author would use repeated keywords.

We illustrate this using verse Nu21-15 which we present in modern bulleted notation. The repeating keywords indicating the bulleted structure are underlined.

    Verse Nu21-15 states how our fathers went down into Egypt, and we dwelt in Egypt a long time; and the
      Egyptians dealt ill
    • with us, [Rashi: We suffered much from the Egyptians.]
    • with our fathers; [Rashi: The Patriarchs prophetically saw
    our sufferings and thereby suffered with us.]

Advanced Rashi: We recap how this bullet method works. The verse could have said the Egyptians dealt ill with us and our fathers. But instead the verse repeats the connective keyword with: The Egyptians dealt ill with us and with our forefathers. This repeated keyword, according to our theory creates a bullet effect. The bullet effect demands distinct interpretation to each bulleted item. Hence the two Rashi comments explaining how the Egyptians caused anguish to both us and our forefathers.

The actual Rashi comment states From this verse we infer that the Patriarchs suffer in their grave when their children suffer. We have interpreted this to mean The Patriarchs prophetically saw our sufferings and thereby suffered with us. We have elastically interpreted the phrase in their grave to refer to prophetical awareness. We are not denying that the Partriarchs after their death are aware of the suffering of the Jews. We are simply adding an extra dimension of plausibility to accompany the bold Rashi comment. Such additions to Rashi enrich the Rashi experience and facilitate focusing on the underlying driving force in Rashi.


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