#######################################################
#       12 YEAR Ayelet DAILY-RASHI-YOMI CYCLE         #
#                    Sep 30, 2009                     #
#                    YEAR 10 of 12                     #
#                                                     #
#           VISIT THE RASHI YOMI ARCHIVES             #
#           -----------------------------             #
#         HOME   http://www.RashiYomi.Com             #
# WEEKLY RASHI   http://www.RashiYomi.Com/rule.htm    #
#  DAILY RASHI   http://www.RashiYomi.Com/calendar.htm#
#                                                     #
#  Reprinted with permission from WEEKLY RASHI,       #
#  (c) 1999-2009, RashiYomi Inc., Dr Hendel President #
#   Permission to reprint with this header PROVIDED   #
#          it is not printed for profit               #
#                                                     #
#######################################################


#*#*# (C) RashiYomi Inc. 2009, Dr. Hendel, President #*#*#
      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 Nu01-18a
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1218.htm
      Brief Summary: The HITPAEL (Interactive) form of Yud-Lamed-Daleth, TO GIVE BIRTH, means SHOW ONES GENEALOGY (WHO GAVE BIRTH TO A PERSON).

Most people are aware that Hebrew verbs come from three-letter roots. Each root is conjugated in the 8 dimensions of person, gender,plurality, tense, activity, modality, direct-object, and prepositional connective. For example the root Shin Mem Resh means to watch. The conjugations Shin-Mem-Resh-Tauv-Yud and Nun-Shin-Mem-Resh-Nun-Vav mean I watched and we were watched respectively.

The rules for Hebrew grammar are carefully described in many modern books and are well known. Rashi will sometimes comment when a verse is using a rare conjugation of an odd grammatical form.

When presenting grammatical Rashis my favorite reference is the appendix in volume 5 of the Ibn Shoshan dictionary. This very short appendix lists most conjugations.

Verse Nu01-18a discussing the taking of the wilderness census states And they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month, and they showed their genealogies by families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls. Rashi translates the Biblical word Vav-Yud-Tauv-Yud-Lamed-Daleth-Vav as coming from the Biblical root Yud-Lamed-Daleth which means to give birth . We have conveniently embedded the Rashi translation in the translation of the verse. The conjugation rule governing this Biblical word may be found by using tables 2 in the Ibn Shoshan dictionary for the interactive mode (HiTPael). In the interactive (Hitpael) mode, this root means show ones genealogy. The actual Rashi comment is They brought their certificates of genealogical descent. The Radack translates this conjugation like Rashi and adds the explanatory comment The interactive form means they showed who gave birth to them. 


#*#*#*# (C) RashiYomi Inc., 2009, Dr. Hendel, President #*#*#*#*#