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    9. RASHI METHOD: SPREADSHEETS
    BRIEF EXPLANATION: The common denominator of the 3 submethods of the Spreadsheet method is that inferences are made from non textual material. The 3 submethods are as follows:
    • Spreadsheet: Rashi makes inferences of a numerical nature that can be summarized in a traditional spreadsheet
    • Geometric: Rashi clarifies a Biblical text using descriptions of geometric diagrams
    • Fill-ins: Rashi supplies either real-world background material or indicates real-world inferences from a verse. The emphasis here is on the real-world, non-textual nature of the material.
    This example applies to Rashis Nu10-11a
    URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1416.htm
    Brief Summary: The Jews stayed a little under a year (11 months, 3 weeks) at Sinai..

Verse Ex19-01 describing the Jews arrival at Sinai, where they received the Torah, states: In the third month after the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. Verse Nu10-11a describing the departure of the Jews from Sinai, states: And it came to pass in the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, that the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle of the testimony. Based on these two verses Rashi infers The Jews stayed at Sinai for a little under a year. [The table below shows they stayed for 11 months 3 weeks)] The spreadsheet below shows the computations that led to Rashi's conclusion.

Source Arrival Place Year Month Day
Ex19-01 Arrival Mount Sinai Year 0 Month 3 Day 1
Nu10-11a Departure Mount Sinai Year 1 Month 2 Day 20
Logic Duration Mount Sinai 0 11 months 19 days

Sermonic Points: There is an absolutely delicious explanation of the above Rashi. The Torah was received at Sinai. But you can't learn a whole new law code in one day. Most probably Moses lectured at the rate of one biblical paragraph per day thereby ensuring mastery of biblical content. There are in fact 293 paragraphs in the Torah. It is reasonable that Saturdays were used for review. Hence the whole Torah was reviewed in 293 days (one for each paragraph) + 49 Saturdays (293/6 = 49) = 344 days = 11 months x 29.5 days per month + 19 days. In other words this Rashi The Jews camped at Sinai for 344 days is not a numerical curiosity but rather a profound method of biblical pedagogy. Here the Torah and Moses show us the proper way to absorb new learning material thru small digestable daily learning. This Rashi is the basis of the Page-a-day (DafYomi) Talmud learning project.

Praise be Him Who chose them and their learning.

Acknowledgement: This 293 calculation (with modifications) is based on modern biblical research. The interested reader can find a detailed reference in the introduction to the Israeli Korain Tanach.


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