#*#*#*#*# (C) 2001, RashiYomi Inc. Dr Hendel President #*#*#*#*#
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| (C) RashiYomi Inc., Dr Hendel President |
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VERSE: Gn49-25c
RASHIS COVERED: Gn49-25c Gn49-25d
============================== Gn49-25c ==========================
SUCCINCT SUMMARY
----------------
One of Rashis 5 main goals is to give the meaning of words
the same way the dictionary gives meaning. We call this the
Rashi RULE of WORD MEANINGS.
Rashi had a variety of vehicles to present meaning. A common
technique of explaining meaning is the skillful use of
IDIOMATIC USAGE--that is collections of words
which mean more than the individual words.We call this the
RASHI SUBRULE CLASS of NEW MEANINGS.
In todays posting we explore how METONOMY can give rise
to NEW MEANINGS. METONOMY refers to the naming of an item by
a related item. For example the word AMERICA which refers to
the COUNTRY can, by METONOMY refer to the people--AMERICANS.
Both idiomatic expressions--which are permanant new meanings
in a language--as well as metonomies--which refer to possibly
one-time uses of metonomy--are governed by the Rashi subrule
of NEW MEANINGS.
EXAMPLE Gn49-25c Gn49-25d
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In verse Gn49-25c Jacob blessed Joseph with
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the blessings of BREASTS and WOMBS
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Rashi explains this blessing as follows
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BREASTS and WOMBS refers to happy and plenty
of children that come from happy acts of
intimacy and successful pregnancies. The word
BREASTS refers to intimacy characterized by strong
ejaculations. In Aramaic the word for strong
downpoar is BREAST
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Here Rashi uses the principle of METONOMY twice.
BREASTS are ASSOCIATED AND RELATED to lovemaking
that produces strong ejaculations. Rashi in fact
cites the equivalent Aramaic word which also uses
this metonomy.
Similarly PLENTY and HAPPY children are associated
with GOOD WOMBS and EJACULATIONS. Here again we
use the principle of METONOMY.
Those familiar with literature know that there
are technical terms which refer to DOUBLE METONOMIES.
However our goal here is to explain Rashi and the
above suffices.
LIST871m below presents a list of Biblical METONOMIES
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ITEM DETAIL
======================== =========================================
RASHI RULE CLASS: WORD MEANING
RASHI SUBRULE CLASS NEW MEANINGS
RASHI WORKBOOK PRINCIPLE #7
SEE BELOW LIST871m
List of words which mean related items-METONOMY
==================================================================
======================= LIST871m =================================
List of words which mean related items-METONOMY*10
==================================================================
VERSE BIBLICAL PHRASE TRANSLATION NOTES
======== ======================= ===================== ===========
Gn49-26d BREASTS Ejaculation
Gn49-26c EJACTULATION and WOMBS Many happy children
Gn30-35c sheep with WHITE WHITE PATCHES
Gn30-39a aroused by STICKS REFLECTION OF STICKS *11
Ex22-02b He has BLOOD Guilty of BLOODSHED
Nu35-27a He doesnt have BLOOD Not a MURDERER
-------- ----------------------- --------------------- ------------
Gn23-04b PLOT OF GRAVE Burial Plot *12
Dt25-09a Spit IN FACE Spit TOWARDS HIM *1
Lv05-04a Swear by lips Verbally(Explicitly) *2
Ex28-08a Belt OF his AYPHOD Belt USED with AYPHOD *3
Ex28-31a the dress OF AYPHD Aypohd USED with DRES *3
NOTES
-----
*1 Cf However Lv15-08a Spit ON Him = Actually spit on him
The rule seems to be that SPIT ON HIM is literal
whereas SPIT ON FACE (use of FACE vs FULL PERSON) means
SPIT TOWARDS HIM
*2 eg If I am angry and mentally curse or if I
am angry and start ranting and raving without
however fully articulating everything on my mind
-- in these two cases I may have sworn IN MY MIND
but I have not sworn WITH MY LIPS (Explicitly)
*3 Contrast Ex20-03a OTHER GODS=GODS OF OTHER PEOPLE
vs Ex21-02a JEWISH SLAVE = SLAVE AND JEWISH
Technically the possessive --OF-- can mean
- OWNED BY (eg OTHER GODS = gODS of OTHERS)
- PROPERTY (eg JEWISH SLAVE=SLAVE who is JEWISH)
- ASSOCIATED WITH (eg BELT OF GARMENT=Belt USED
with Garment)
Note Rashi proves the JEWISH SLAVE=SLAVE WHO
IS JEWISH by citing an other verse Dt15-12 *11
-------------------- LONGER FOOTNOTES ----------------
*10 The difference between this list; LIST871m and
the sister list, LIST871d, of IDIOMS BY METONOMY
is that
- LIST871d lists new phrases that have entered
the language as idioms--for example, HOLY COINS
refers to COINS USED/RELATED TO THE HOLY TEMPLE
- LIST871m lists one time usages of metonomy--
for example SHEEP WITH WHITE refers to
SHEEP WITH WHITE PATCHES.
The difference is that HOLY COINS always refer
to TEMPLE-RELATED coins while WHITE does not
always refer to WHITE PATCHES---in other words
it is a one time use of the RELATED MEANING rule.
The metonomy of most of the examples in this list
can be inferred from context.
*11 It is important to emphasize that SHEEP do NOT get
aroused from merely seeing something patched (which
reminds them of sheep of the opposite gender).
Rather JACOB FIXED the STICKS IN THE WATER.
The water in the troughs was FLOWING water. Hence the
reflection of the sticks in the water gave the appearance
of MOVING / PULSATING ITEMS WITH PATCHES.
It is these MOVING / PULSATING items with patches
that aroused the female sheep since the pulsating
bobbing sticks resembled aroused males. Once the females
became aroused the males mated them.
So Jacobs trick was to mimic LIVE MALE PATCHED SHEEP
by using water reflections of PATCHED STICKS.
*12 The Hebrew word A-Chu-Zah by itself can refer to
a plot of land (without any additional words):
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Cf Gn47-11 Gave them a PLOT
Cf Lv25-46 These slaves shall be a PLOT for inheritance
Cf Nu27-04 Give us please a PLOT among our brothers
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Volume 24 Number 11
#*#*#*#*# (C) 2001, RashiYomi Inc. Dr Hendel President #*#*#*#*#
Volume 24 Number 11