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  |      Rashi is Simple Version 2.0                         |
  |      (C) Dr Hendel, Summer 2000                          |
  |       http://www.RashiYomi.Com                           |
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VERSE: Dt15-21a

RASHIS COVERED: Dt15-21a Dt15-21b Dt15-21c



BACKGROUND
----------
The Bible is talking about the fact that firstborn animals are
holy animals that are offered to God. However this is only true
if the firstborn animal is unblemished. In discussing the
blemishes the torah says



Dt15-21

(GENERAL)       If it has a blemish
(PARTICULAR)            lame or
                        blind
(GENERAL)       and bad blemish




Rashi points out that this verse has a
GENERAL-PARTICUALR-GENERAL form. The GENERAL-PARTICUALR-GENERAL
form is one of the example-styles studied by Rabbi Ishmael.
The final law in such a case is that we include everything
that closely resembles the example items.





LAMENESS and BLINDNESS have the following attributes

* They are both PERMANANT--so an animal which has a skin cut
        is not disqualified from being offered

* They are both VISIBLE--so a deaf animal
        is not disqualified from being offered.

* They INTEFER with animal work/PRODUCTIVITY--
        So I would be allowed to offer an animal with
        eg permanant visible scars which do not intefer
        with productivity


Thus from the GENERAL-PARTICULAR-GENERAL-EXAMPLE style
I would learn that any animal with a permanant visible blemish
which intefers with work would not be offered to God.

Besides the general-particular-general-example-style this
verse also has the word "ALL/ANY". The Talmud (Bcoroth 37a,b)
explicitly uses this word ANY/ALL--- "ANY BAD BLEMISH" to
modify the above derivation so that 1st born animals with
permanant visible scars EVEN THOUGH THEIR WORK IS NOT IMPAIRED
nevertheless (since a scar can be called "Any bad blemish")
are not offered


COMMENT
-------
The Talmud actually mentions two methods of dealing with
general-particular-general styles: One of them being called
general-particular while the other is called
inclusive-exclusive. Throughout this email list we have used
the general-particular approach.


RULE USED: RabbiIshmael
---------------------------------------------------
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Volume 7 Number 1


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