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    4. RASHI METHOD: ALIGNMENT
    BRIEF EXPLANATION: Aligning two almost identically worded verselets can suggest
    • (4a) 2 cases of the same incident or law
    • (4b) emphasis on the nuances of a case
    • (4c) use of broad vs literal usage of words
    This examples applies to Rashis Dt05-18a
    URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/dt05-17b.htm
    Brief Summary: Don't COVET|DESIRE, don't COVET|COVET. So COVET=DESIRE

    The table below presents an aligned extract of verses in Dt05-18 and Ex20-14. Both verses discuss the prohibition of being obsessed and pestering people to sell things The alignment justifies the Rashi assertion that The Hebrew roots used, Chet-Mem-Daleth and Aleph-Vav-Hey are synonyms meaning to desire, be obsessed, to pester someone to sell something they don't really want to part with. After presentation of the table, we provider further legal details on the application of these prohibitions.

Verse Text of Verse Rashi comment
Ex20-14
  • Thou shalt not pester [to acquire] thy neighbour's house;
  • thou shalt not pester [to acquire] thy neighbour's wife, ....
The Pester prohibition applies to both a house and wife.
Dt05-18
  • Neither shalt thou pester [to acquire] thy neighbour's wife;
  • neither shalt thou be obsessed [in obtaining] thy neighbour's house, ....
The Pester prohibition applies to wife; The obsessed prohibition applies to house. Hence, from the alignment we conclude that Pester and be obsessed are synonyms referring to acts leading to obtaining sales from a person who doesn't really want to part with what he owns.

    Advanced Rashi: While Rashi indicated the commonality of the two words, Rambam explains the difference between them, their precise nuances. Rashi established the synonym. Both Hebrew words mean more or less the same thing - being obsessed and pestering for a sale. Rambam (Laws of Theft, Chapter 1) explains that there are two prohibitions.
  • There is a prohibition of pestering someone to sell items (for example by asking mutual friends to repeatedly ask him to sell
  • There is a prohibition of personally being obsessed with how to acquire the item (This prohibition does not involve other people but refers to excessive fantasies on how to acquire the object).


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