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      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 Lv05-19a
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1407.htm
      Brief Summary: With an ordinary three letter root (X-Y-Z): (1)X(Kamatz)-Y(Patach)-Z is an active 3rd person past singular VERB; (2)X(Kamatz)-Y(Kamatz)-Z is the NOUN (Object) connected with the VERB

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.

We should emphasize that the great 19th century commentator, Malbim, introduced the powerful grammatical observation that the same root can change meaning solely based on the prepositional connectives used with it. From time to time we present intriguing examples illustrating this rule.

Today Rashi distinguishes two forms that differ by one vowel. Rashi frequently used this pedagogic technique - teaching grammar by forms that differ in one vowel - to facilitate the student focusing on minutae.

Suppose we have a Hebrew 3 letter verb: X-Y-Z. Then the active form of that verb in third person, singular, past is conjugated with a Kamatz-Patach, X(Kamatz)-Y(Patach)-Z. For example, Ashan means he smoked, and similarly, Asham means he was guilty. However a Kamatz-Kamatz punctuation would indicate a noun, not a verb. For example, Ashon, means smoke and similarly Ashom means a guilt offering. These two examples are actual Rashi comments which may be found in the Rashis at Ex19-18a and Lv05-19a respectively.

Advanced Rashi: We have brought two examples of Rashis that distinguish the Kamatz-Kamatz vs. Kamatz-Patach conjugations. For more Rashis commenting on the contrast of this pair as well as other Rashis on other similar pairs see the conjugation section at http://www.Rashiyomi.com/grammar.htm.

Rashi brings several other comments on this verse which however are unrelated to the grammatical observation we just made. We will therefore comment on these other Rashi comments embedded in this Rashi in future issues.


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