Rashi-Is-Simple Mailing List
(C) Dr Russell Jay Hendel, 1999
http://www.shamash.org/rashi
Volume 3 Number 11
Produced Aug, 27 1999
Topics Discussed in This Issue
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v5c23-19 ALSO means SOMETHING EXTRA. 150 ALSOs,26 Rashis
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*** READING TIPS ***
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IF YOU ARE IN A HURRY WE RECOMMEND THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS:
* VERSE:
* RASHI TEXT:
* BRIEF BUT COMPLETE NARRATIVE EXPLANATION:
"HOW DO I FIND QUICKLY A SPECIFIC SECTION?"
ANSWER: Use your FIND menu
For example: FIND VERSE:
takes you to the beginning of the next section.
Similarly
FIND NARRATIVE EXPLANATION:
takes you to the brief explanation of Rashi.
"IS THERE AN EASY WAY TO GO TO EACH VERSE AND POSTING?"
Yes. Use your FIND menu.
"FIND #*#*#*#" takes you to the next posting
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VERSE: v5c23-19
v5c23-19 ..don't bring the hire of a prostitute or the
barter for a dog to the Temple...for they are
both ALSO the despisement of God
[Rashi: The hire of a prostitute is prohibited
(for example if you hired her for wheat) then
the DERIVATIVES of this hire of a prostitute
(like flour from wheat) is prohibited ALSO.
The word ALSO enlarges the prohibition to
include flour-
[Moderator: Throughout these Rashis ALSO will
indicate SOMETHING EXTRA]
v1f3-6 and she ALSO gave the fruit to Adam
[Rashi: she gave the fruit to the animals, birds
and to ADAM also]
v1-7-3 From Kosher animals take 7; from non Kosher take 2
ALSO from the Birds take 7
[Rashi: That is from the KOSHER birds take 7
and take 2 from the non kosher birds (the word
ALSO implies that all numbers are the same for
animals and birds]
v1a19-21 (Lot asked, (at the destruction of Sedom) that
he be allowed to go to a nearby city and the
Angels answered..)
We have ALSO respected your wish in this matter
[Rashi: That is, We have respected your wish
to be allowed to go to this city and we have
ALSO spared destroying this city on your
account]
v1a20-5 (Avimelech asked about Sarah and Abraham lied
and did not say she was his wife but said he
was his sister. Then when God wanted to punish
him he protested) 'but she, she ALSO said
she was his sister'
[Rashi: BOTH Sarah and her servants ALSO
told me she was Abraham's sister]
v1a24-44 And Rivka said to Eliezer (by the well) 'and you
ALSO [Rashi: & the servants working with you]
may drink'
v1d27-44 And Isaac said (when Esauv came with a meal for
Isaacs blessing)
Who is this (referring to Jacob)
who just came with food ...and I blessed him and
he ALSO IS BLESSED
[Rashi: Even if he hadn't deceived me I still had
in mind to bless both my students]
v1c29-27 (After Laban swindled Jacob and gave him Leah
instead of Rachel Laban said)
Complete the wedding week of Leah and we will
ALSO give you Rachel (now) because you will
work for me 7 more years
[Rashi: That is we will give you Rachel as a
2nd wife immediately and then you work your
next 7 years. The word ALSO denotes that
the recipiency of Rachel was like the Recipiency
of Leah--it was now]
v1b30-3 (After Leah had 4 children and Rachel had none
Rachel said to Jacob)
...here is my maidservent
Bilhah, come to her, let her give birth..
and I ALSO will build a house from her
[Rashi explains that the word ALSO refers to how
Sarah built a house from Abraham after Abraham
came to her handmaid Hagar]
v1b30-30 (When Jacob had given birth to all his children
he asked Laban permission to leave and said)
Just as you had a small amount before hand (when
your sons were working the field) and now that I
am working you have alot so ALSO do I want to
help my sons who are supporting my house and help
them make alot
[Rashis point is that the ALSO
refers not to Jacob earning a livelihood for his
house (since his 12 children supported the house)
but rather to Jacob earning wealth to his house
just as he earned for Laban's
v1b32-19 (When Jacob sent gifts to Esauv and he told
each of the servants to say that these)
'belong to your servant Jacob, a gift that
he sent to my Lord Esauv, and he (Jacob) ALSO is
after us (with further gifts)
[Rashis intent is that the ALSO means that
not only is Jacob himself
behind us but Jacob's gifts are behind us]
V1-44-10 (When Joseph's brothers returned from Egypt
and Joseph's goblet was searched for in Binyamin's
sack(planted their unbeknown by Joseph)
the brothers
protested saying 'If you find the goblet let that
person die and we will become slaves') Joseph's
searcher said 'ALSO as you have spoken now (that
he should die and you all should be slaves) is
true (but I will be forgiving) the stealer of
the goblet will (only) be a slave and the rest
of you are free
[Rashi's point is that Joseph's
searcher forgave BOTH the other brothers (by
not making them slaves) and ALSO Binyamin (by
making him a slave and not killing him)
v1a15-14 (The text is talking about the subjugation in
Egypt and concludes)
And ALSO the nation (Egypt) which they are slaves
to I will judge (with 10 plagues) and then they
will go out with big (monetary) wealth
[Rashi
points out that the ALSO refers to all Kingdoms
that subjugate the Jews (not just Egypt)--all of
them will be judged with 10 plagues and leave with
(monetary) wealth]
v1-42-22 (When Joseph took Shimon into Prison when his
brothers came before him and Reuben reprimanded
the brothers and said it was a punishment for
having killed Joseph and Reuben said)
'& ALSO his blood is being avenged
[Rashi points
out that the ALSO refers BOTH to Josephs' blood
and to Jacob's blood (since Jacob sat in constant
mourning and had become like a dead person)]
v1-42-28 (When the brothers left Egypt and Joseph had
ordered their money returned steathily to them
in their sacks--one of the brothers opened his
sack and said)
My money has been returned and it ALSO is in my sack
[Rashi points out that
the ALSO refers to the fact that BOTH the money
and the WHEAT they purchased were in the sack]
v2a6-4 (When God appeared to Moses he told him)
I (both)
appeared to the Patriarchs with my Name of ShaTai
(vs The ineffable name) and I ALSO made a treaty
to them
[Rashi the treaty was also made with
the name of ShaTai (vs the ineffable name)(Rashi
cites 1-17-1 which uses the name ShaTai)]
v2a19-22 (At the Revelation at Mount Sinai the Jews were
admonished against coming up to God)
And ALSO
the priests, who serve God (anyway), must abstain
[Rashi explains that the word ALSO includes
the Priests who serve God as well as the firstborn
who served God]
v2-7-23 (When Moses turned the river into blood, the
Egyptian witches also turned the river into blood.
It then says that Pharoh hardened his heart and
didn't listen to them)
And he went home and he
didn't (even) pay attention to this ALSO
[Rashi points out that the ALSO means that just as
by the river turning into blood Pharoh did two
things: he didn't comply to the request to free
the Jews and he didn't even pay further attention
but went home as if nothing unusual happened; so
too by the rod which Moses turned into a snake,
and the Egyptian witches did also, so too there,
Pharoh did not comply with the request and went
home and didn't even pay attention]
v2-10-25 And Moses told Pharoh (when we leave Egypt) you
ALSO will give us animals to sacrifice [Rashi
points out that the animals that Pharoh gives
are BESIDES the animals that the Jews themselves
bring]
v2b12-31 And Pharoh called to Moses and Aaron...'get up
and leave my nation'---you ALSO [Rashi: With the
other men] and the Jewish people ALSO [Rashi:
Besides the infants]
v2b18-18 (When Jethro saw Moses judging from day to evening
he suggested he delegate authority and he told him
that if he didn't then) You ALSO will wither
[Rashi refers the ALSO to the other people who
were judging with him, like Aaron and the elders]
V4b11-4 And the non-jews that left Egypt started clamering
for more meat and (from this) the Jews returned to
their old way and ALSO started crying
[Rashi refers the ALSO to the non-jews that left
Egypt--they clamered for more meat AND CRIED; so
the Jews returned to their old ways of complaining
and ALSO cried]
v4-22-19 (When Balak tried to get Bilam to curse the Jews
he sent a first party (whom God rejected) and
then sent a second party to whom Bilam said)
And now you ALSO stay over tonight...
[Rashi--the ALSO shows that Bilam knew in his
heart that these would be refused by God just
as the first were refused. (In other words
just as the first group stayed over AND were
refused to let Bilam curse so too the 2nd group
stayed over AND ALSO were refused to let Bilam
curse]
v5c26-13 When you complete the removal of MAASER...
then you should give it to the Levite....
and you should say before God ..I have
removed all Sacred things from my house
and I have ALSO given it to the ....
[Rashi points out that the ALSO means that
besides having given MAASER the person also
gave OTHER SACRED GIFTS (like Teruma etc).]
v5-12-31 ...don't perform idol worship to God (like
the non jewish nations) since they ALSO
offer their children to God
[Rashi says that the word ALSO implies that
the non jews offer their parents and their
children ALSO (in fact Rashi cites Rabbi
Akiva who says he personally observed a non-
jew offering his parents to dogs to be
eaten (as an idolatrous practice)]
v5b22-22 when a couple has an adulterous affair
then they ALSO will die
[Rashi points out that the ALSO refers to the
foetus (if the women got pregnant)--once she
is sentenced to death we execute her and do
not wait for the birth of the child
Rashi initially brings an opinion that this
adulterer dies and ALSO any other adulterer
that had an affair with her after she had
a convicted status...but realistically it
is more probably that an adulterous got pregnant
then that she had multiple affairs in prison]
RASHI TEXT:
See the verse section above
BRIEF BUT COMPLETE NARRATIVE EXPLANATION:
The word ALSO in both English and Hebrew denotes something extra.
The word ALSO occurs about 150 times in TNACH. In 26 (15%) cases
Rashi comments and presents what is extra.
For example: Avimelech protests to God when He wishes to punish
him for wanting Sarah that 'But she ALSO said she was my sister'
We ask who else could have said she was my sister? So Rashi says
her servants with her (v1a20-5) The reader is invited to try
and think of alternative approaches and see if they are better
Similarly when Rivkah gave ELIEZER ALSO water Rashi says she
offered his servants also (v1a24-44)
These 26 examples are compactly presented in {LIST1}.
We group them according to three themes
--Examples like ELIEZER got water ALSO (SOMEONE ELSE got water--
Possibly his servants(v1a24-44)) In these examples there is an
extra RECIPIENT of an action.
--Examples like forbidding both WHEAT, and its DERIVATIVES like
FLOUR (v5c23-19). Similarly Joseph's blood must be avenged and
his father's blood (because his father mourned for him for 20
years and it was as if he had died--v1-42-22). In these examples
the ALSO refers to a DERIVED product.
--Examples where a RELATIONSHIP is extra.For example v2-7-23 it says
that
a)Pharoh hardened his heart when Moses turned the stick into a snake
b) Pharoh hardened his heart and didn't pay attention at the blood
plague.
Since the verse says 'AND DIDN'T PAY ATTENTION ALSO' we infer that
AT BOTH the stick-snake and Nile-Blood that Pharoh BOTH hardened
his heart and didn't pay attention. In other words the ALSO refers
to relational properties (That is the relation between the miracle
(stick, blood) and its attributes ( didn't listen to request and
didn't pay attention)
We invite the reader to peruse {LIST1} which presents these examples
according to this classification. We also invite the reader
to read some very important comments about halchah vs Midrash in
the comments on Rashi's form section.
COMMENTS ON RASHI'S FORM:
I highlight just one minor point: The controversy between the Rambam
and Rashi on v5c23-19: For the Gmarrah, Temurah 30b cites a
controvesy between Shamai's and Hillel's school on the following
case:
>A prostitute is hired and payed for in WHEAT. FLOUR is
>then made from that wheat. Do we say that the prostitute
>was hired with the WHEAT not the flour and therefore the
>flour is permissable for God or do we say that just
>as the wheat is prohibited so is the flour DERIVED from
>it prohibited.
Shamai says FLOUR is prohibited (Because it says 'they ALSO are
despised' and the word ALSO implies the WHEAT as well as the
DERIVED FLOUR.
Hillel by contrast says that FLOUR is permitted but admits he has
no way of dealing with the word ALSO.
Both Rambam and Rashi are now straightforward.
Rambam wrote a legal work. The legal rules require that we decide
like Hillel in a Shammai-Hillel controversy. Hence Rambam writes
that FLOUR is permissable (Rambam Prohibited to the Altar 4:15).
Similarly Rashi is Simple. Rashi is a Bible commentary. He did
not dispute the ruling of halacha in accordance with Beth Hillel.
But Rashi simple pointed out that the word ALSO means SOMETHING
extra and that this interpretation --- BOTH wheat, floor---
is consistent with Beth Shammai's ruling.
In short, Rambam gave the LEGAL ruling while RASHI gave the
Biblical meaning. But both Rambam and Rashi agree on the
law and the meaning of the text.
There are several other salient points in Rashi such as
--his occasional explicit statement that ALSO always
indicates EXTRANESS
--his citation of a supporting example (v5-12-31); 'just
as they offer their sons so ALSO do they offer their
parents'
--The 2 opinions on 5b22-22 (They ALSO will die, either
to include the foetus of the adulterous union or to
include other adulterers (Clearly pregnancy is more
common then prison affairs).
LISTS {For ADVANCED students and for those with more time}:
{LIST1} {The 2 dozen Rashis where ALSO means something extra. As
can be seen the something extra can be (a) an extra object
of a verb or (b) a derived object or (c) some relational
structure. For reasons of compactness we are brief here. For
further details please see the verses above}
VERSE THEME TEXT ALSO
======== ============== ================ ==================
v2a19-22 Extra Object Priests separate FirstBorn separate
v2a6-4 Extra Object Vision of SHTAI Treaty of Shatai
v2b12-31 Extra Object You leave Elders leave
v2b18-18 Extra Object You will wither Elders will wither
v5-12-31 Extra Object Offer Children Offer parents
v5c26-13 Extra Object Give MAASER Give Teruma
v5b22-22 Derived object Adulterers die Foetus dies
v1-42-22 Derived object Joseph blood Jacobs blood
v1a19-21 Derived object Spare Lot Spare his city
v5c23-19 Derived object Hire of Wheat Flour also prohibited
v1-44-10 Relational He dies/We slave He slave/We free
v1-7-3 Relational 7 Kosher;2 Traif ditto animals/birds
v1a15-14 Relational Egypt punished 4 Kingdoms punished *1
v1b30-3 Relational Hagar/Sarah bore Bilhah/Rachel bore
v1b30-30 Relational Amass food/wealth For Laban/Myself
v1c29-27 Relational Marry Leah now Marry Rachel now
v1d27-44 Relational You are blessed He is blessed anyway
v2-7-23 Relational Hardened heart Didn't pay attention
v4-22-19 Relational Stay tonight/gone 1st group / 2nd group
v4b11-4 Relational Complain / Cry non-jews / Jews
FOOTNOTES
*1 So here without the word ALSO I would say that God punishes
nations which subjugate us. With the word ALSO I say that God
both punishes the nation AND with 10 plagues AND with letting
the Jews out with wealth.
CROSS REFERENCES:
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
RULE CLASSIFICATION {See the web site for comparable examples}:
SPECIAL WORDS | ALSO
SQL {Database query comments for those who know Database theory}:
SELECT Verse FROM Bible WHERE 'ALSO' Verse
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