Rashi-Is-Simple Mailing List
VISIT the RASHI DATABASE archives AT
http://www.RashiYomi.Com/
Surfing the Talmudic Seas
(C) Dr Russell Jay Hendel, 2000
Volume 7 Number 16
Produced Sept 20, 2000
WARNING: USE FIX WIDTH FONTS (eg COURIER (NEW) 10)
Verses/Topics Discussed in This Issue with quicky explanations
WEB NEWS NEW NEW NEW NEW
* The web site was redesigned again
(based on your feedback)
--We deleted the LOUD colors and
--improved upload time
--Placed many papers up front
* Visit the website to read my paper
GENESIS 1 SPEAKS ABOUT THE CREATION OF PROPHECY
NOT THE CREATION OF THE WORLD
* NEXT WEEK there will be a NEW PAPER on Rashis rules
It will be written in WORD 2.0 & downloadable.
* The entire SERIES on RABBI ISHMAEL was REWRITTEN
and is now on the website
v9-9-20a Gilbert Issard suggests that TODAY should mean
PERMANANCE not FRESH
v9-9-20b Complement from an anonymous person on the Genesis 1
paper
WEEKLY PARSHAH SERIES
We concentrate on Rashis that focus on PARAGRAPH
STRUCTURE. (The more traditional Rashis focus on
GRAMMAR and Meaning) In this Parshah there are
several Rashis on STRUCTURE.
Rashis covered in this issue
----------------------------
VERSE RULE BRIEF EXPLANATION
======== ============== =================
Dt30-15a OVERALL STRCTR KEYWORDS indicate Indentation & Bullets
Dt30-16a OVERALL STRCTR KEYWORDS indicate Indentation & Bullets
Dt30-16b OVERALL STRCTR KEYWORDS indicate Indentation & Bullets
Dt30-17a OVERALL STRCTR KEYWORDS indicate Indentation & Bullets
Dt30-18a OVERALL STRCTR KEYWORDS indicate Indentation & Bullets
Dt31-14a OVERALL STRCTR KEYWORDS are used to indicate HYPERLINKS
Dt31-23a OVERALL STRCTR KEYWORDS are used to indicate HYPERLINKS
Dt31-19a OVERALL STRCTR KEYWORDS are used to indicate HYPERLINKS
Dt29-10a OTHER VERSES Rashi derives meaning FromAn OTHER VERSE
Dt29-14b NEW MEANINGS "Those who aren't here" = Future people
-----------------------------------------------------------------
#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2000 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*
RASHI IS SIMPLE
GOALS: To grammatically defend all 8000 Rashis on Chumash.
METHOD:Rashis are defended with LISTS of comparable cases
INTENDED AUDIENCE: Laymen, Academicians, Yeshiva world
COMMENTS,QUESTIONS: EMail to address below
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:If you want to ask anonymously please ask
(UN)SUBSCRIBE: Email to addresses below with "(UN)subscribe"
JOURNAL REFERECE: Pshat & Drash,TRADITION, Win 1980,R Hendel
NOTATION: eg Gn01-02a refers to Rashi "a" on Genesis 1:2
SPECIALS:...on Parshah,Rambam,Ramban,Pedagogy,Symbolism
RASHI-IS-SIMPLE RULES Complete set of rules on bottom
EMAIL: RJHendel@Juno.Com, rashi-is-simple@shamash.org,
WEB: http://www.RashiYomi.Com/
#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2000 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*
VERSE: v9-9-20a
From: =?iso-8859-1?q?Gilbert=20Issard?=
To: rjhendel@juno.com
Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2000 22:39:30 +0200 (CEST)
Subject: Dt27-9 v7n13
BACKGROUND: Gilbert is commenting below on my assertion that
TODAY can mean "FRESH" which we developed in a previous
posting. Eg "Dt29-12 means "In order to make you a FRESH nation"
Gilbert states
Russell,
This is clearer, I did not realize that your emphasis was
on TRANSLATIONS of the word TODAY. Following your method,
I would rather put the concept of PERMANENCE behind TODAY \
in this verse, but now I understand your explanation.
Now I will come back to the proof.
Thanks for your answer,
Regards, shavua tov
#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2000 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*
VERSE: v9-9-20b
ANONYMOUS
I would like to subscribe to your Rashi is Simple.
I was particularly impressed with the paper "Genesis 1 speaks
about the creation of prophecy not the creation of the world"
and I am anxious to see other such postings.
#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2000 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*
VERSE: Dt30-15a
RASHIS COVERED: Dt30-15a Dt30-16a Dt30-17a Dt30-18a
RULE: Modern style has the capacity for INDENTATION and BULLETS
By contrast, the Bible uses skillfully placed KEYWORDS to
indicate indentation and bullets.
EXAMPLE: We present the Biblical paragraph Dt30-15:18 using
modern style and show how the Bible used keywords to indicate
this style.
-------------------Dt30-15:18---------------------------
I present before you today (2 possibilities)
-----1A) IF you chose GOOD
-*1--1B) THEN you will LIVE *1
-----2A) IF you chose EVIL
-----2B) THEN you will DIE
-*2-------1A1) IF you LOVE God, WALK in His ways, OBSERVE Torah
-*3-------1B1) THEN you will LIVE, MULTIPLY & BE BLESSED by God
-*4-------2A1) If you GO ASTRAY, DONT LISTEN,..WORSHIP OTHER GODS
-*5-------2B1) THEN I tell you: you'll be LOST & NOT LIVE LONG
NOTES:
------
*1 The actual verse says "I give you LIFE *AND* GOOD"
Rashi interprets this as "IF you do GOOD *THEN* you will LIVE"
In other words Rashi interprets the word AND as IF-THEN. That
is Rashi interprets "life AND good" as "IF good THEN life"
The reason Rashi interprets this way has nothing to do with
either the DICTIONARY MEANING or with GRAMMAR. Rather Rashi
interprets this way because of OVERALL STRUCTURE: The rest
of the paragraph uses an IF-THEN structure and hence Rashi
re-interprets the opening sentence the same way
*2 Rashi:"This sentence corresponds to (1A) "IF you chose GOOD"
In other words Rashis comment is on OVERALL PARAGRAPH STRUCURE
*3 Rashi:"This sentence corresponds to (1B) "THEN you'll LIVE"
In other words Rashis comment is on OVERALL PARAGRAPH STRUCURE
*4 Rashi:"This sentence corresponds to (2A) "IF you chose EVIL"
In other words Rashis comment is on OVERALL PARAGRAPH STRUCURE
*5 Rashi:"This sentence corresponds to (2B) "THEN you'll DIE"
In other words Rashis comment is on OVERALL PARAGRAPH STRUCURE
Note how (1B1) mentions the word LIVE occuring in (1B)
By contrast (2B1) uses the word LOSS, and does not mention
the word DIE in (1B).Thus Rashi has to "clarify" that "you'll
be LOST" means "you'll DIE."
However Rashi's primary function was not
just commenting that LOSS=DIE. For we see on the other 3
Rashis that IN EACH ONE Rashi identifies the given sentence
with a KEYWORD in the opening sentence.
RULE USED: OVERALL STRUCTURE
#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2000 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*
VERSE: Dt31-14a
RULE: Modern style allows CROSS-REFERENCING and HYPERLINKS.
By contrast Biblical Hebrew skillfully uses KEYWORDS to
indicate CROSS-REFERENCING and HYPERLINKS
EXAMPLES
--------
(1) Dt31-14a "Come to the Meeting Tent and I(God) will COMMAND
Joshua"
Dt31-23a "And He (God) COMMANDED Joshua and said
Be strong...
For you will bring the Jews to Israel
And I(God) will be with you"
RASHI: The word "COMMAND" in verse Dt31-14 HYPERLINKS to
the actual COMMAND presented in Dt31-23.
The content of this COMMAND is that Joshua should
be emotionally strong and bring the Jews to Israel.
NOTE: Rashis point is NOT about DICTIONARY meaning
or GRAMMAR. Rashi is NOT saying that the word
COMMAND can sometimes mean ENCOURAGEMENT. Rather
Rashis point is about OVERALL STRUCTURE. Rashi point
is that the COMMAND in Dt31-14 refers to the COMMAND
in Dt31-23 whose content is one of encouragement.
(2) Dt31-19a "(You Moses) Write for them THIS POEM"
RASHI: The phrase THIS POEM in Dt31-19 HYPERLINKS to the
phrase THIS POEM in Dt31-30 which introduces the whole
chapter Dt32.
Note how Dt32 is one of the two Biblical chapters that
is WRITTEN in a poetic 2-column format.
Also note how the CONTENT of Dt32 corresponds exactly
to the content of Dt31-19:21 that "if the Jews listen to
God it will be well with them but if they don't listen
to God it will be bad with them."
In summary Rashi knows that "this poem" in Dt31-19a refers
to the chapter Dt32 because of 3 factors
* Dt32 is written in the FORM of a 2-column poem
* Dt32 has the same content of reward & punishment as Dt31-19
* Dt31-19 HYPERLINKS to Dt31-30 which introduces Dt32
RULE: OVERALL STRCTURE
#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2000 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*
VERSE: Dt29-10a
Dt29-10a (You are all here..) From the WOOD CUTTERS to the
WATER DRAWERS
RASHI: Canaanites had come to the Jews and converted (Because
they were afraid that God would destroy their country
and they would die).
After conversion Moses made these people WOOD CUTTERS
and WATER DRAWERS
RATIONALE: Rashi learns that people converted and were made
in WOOD CUTTERS from the explicit verse Jos9-4
"And the Givonim ***ALSO*** behaved deceitfully
(to Joshua--they tricked him into letting them
convert) and Joshua made them into WOOD CUTTERS
and WATER DRAWERS"
NOTES
-----
We call the above type of RATIONALE, the technique of OTHER
VERSES. In other words Rashi learns what he does not from
Dt29-10a but rather from the OTHER VERSE, Jos9-4.
Rashi also focuses on the word ALSO which has 3 meanings.
One of these meanings is that whatever is being spoken
about happened to someone else. Please see a complete list
of the 3 meanings of ALSO at http://www.RashiYomi.Com/gam-9.htm
Here is a {LIST} of verses where Rashi explains that ALSO
means some EXTRA person did something
VERSE THEME TEXT ALSO
======== ============== ================ ==================
Ex19-22a Extra Object PRIESTS separate FIRSTBORN separate
Ex06-04a Extra Object Vision of SHTAI TREATY of Shatai
Ex12-31b Extra Object YOU leave ELDERS leave
Ex18-18b Extra Object YOU will wither ELDERS will wither
Dt12-31 Extra Object Offer CHILDREN Offer PARENTS
Dt26-13c Extra Object Give MAASER Give TERUMA
Jos9-4 Extra Object GIVONIM deceitful CANAANIM deceitful
RULE USED: OTHER VERSES
#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2000 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*
VERSE: Dt29-14b
Dt29-14b "God is making this treaty BOTH with you who are here
as well as with THOSE WHO ARE NOT HERE"
RASHI: The phrase THOSE WHO ARE NOT HERE refers to the future
unborn generations.
RULE: Very often the Bible will create a phrase from known words
Although the meaning of each word is known nevertheless the
phrase itself has a new meaning.
EXAMPLES: *1
--------
(1) Dt04-07a ON THE FACE means "During the lifetime" *2
(2) Ex21-21a DAY OR DAYS means a "24 hour period"
(3) Gn50-21a SPEAK ON ONES HEART means "Speak Soothingly"
(4) Gn47-29d TRUE FAVOR means "a favor without expected return*3"
(5) Dt29-14b "Those who aren't here" means "future generations"
NOTES:
-----
*1 A more comprehensive set of examples may be found on the
website. Goto
RASHI-IS-SIMPLE
SHOW ME MORE EXAMPLES
BY VERSE pulldown
Scroll down till you see NEW MEANINGS. You can then find
many examples.
*2 There are actually 4 Rashis on this phrase (all saying the
same thing)
*3 eg Burying somebody is a TRUE FAVOR(since nothing is expected)
RULE USED: NEW MEANINGS
#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2000 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*
THE 2 DOZEN RASHI-IS-SIMPLE RASHI RULES
http://www.RashiYomi.Com/rules.htm
=======================================
I: RASHI gives MEANING
======================
A: NEW MEANINGS--(eg)"on the face of"=during the lifetime
Volume 2 Number 9, http://www.rashiyomi.Com/Nu04-04a.htm
B: SPECIAL WORDS--(eg)ACH=USUALLY;USUALLY observe shabbath!
Rashi Yomi Summaries,http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Ach-6.htm
C: SYNONYMS--(eg)AMR=to speak; DBR=to cite or to quote;
Volume 2 Number 1, http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Lv20-02a.htm
D: WORD MEANINGS-Thermos(TzNTzNTh)=doubly(TZN TZN) Cold(TZN)
Volume 1 Number 9,23,http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Ex31-15a.htm
E: UNIFIED MEANINGS-PAAM=Repeated action:To Ring,Hammer,Step
Volume 1 Number 3,http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Gn41-08a.htm
II: RASHI teaches GRAMMAR/STYLE
===============================
F: CLASSICAL GRAMMAR--(eg)QUESTION = HEY+CHATAF PATACH
Volume 3 Number 22,http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Gn04-09z.htm
G: USAGE(NEW GRAMMAR)--(eg)INFINITIVE="be involved in";
Volume 5 Number 24,http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Ex13-03a.htm
H: ROOT+PREPOSITION--(eg)ChZK B="to hold";ChZK M="overpower"
Volume 1 Number 7,http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Ex04-04a.htm
I: THE SENTENCE--2 verses can make 1 sentence-eg Dt02-16:17
Volume 3 Number 7,http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Dt19-06a.htm
J: STYLE--REPETITION denotes Endearment;eg 'Jacob Jacob'
Volume 1 Number 12,http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Gn46-02a.htm
K: DOUBLE NOUNS--(eg)"GIVE GIVE";if not CHARITY then LOAN
Double Noun page, http://www.RashiYomi.Com/DN.htm
L: PRONOUNS-(eg)IMCHAH=with you; ITCHAH=Accompanying you;
Volume 3 Number 13,http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Ex22-24c.htm
III: OVERALL TEXTUAL STRUCTURE
==============================
M: OTHER VERSES--Aaron SAW(Ex32-05)...the brawl(Ex32-18)
OTHER VERSE page, http://www.RashiYomi.Com/ov.htm
N: EXTRA SENTENCES-eg[GIVE HIM][WHAT HE NEEDS](Not if rich)
Volume 2 Number 20,http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Dt15-08c.htm
O: DOUBLE PARSHAS-'he WILL pray'-'he WON'T pray';So Optional
Volume 3 Number 12,http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Dt24-14a.htm
P: CLIMAX-(eg Dt19-11)(a)Hate, (b)spy, (c)confront,(d)Murder
Climax Page, http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Climax.htm
Q: OVERALL STRUCTURE-growing nails=despisement(from context)
Volume 3 Number 8,http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Dt21-11a.htm
R: SPREADSHEETS-What is the marriage loophole in inheritance
Volume 2 Number 23,http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Nu36-03a.htm
IV: BEYOND THE TEXT
===================
S: MORAL LESSONS/REASONS-God explains BEFORE punishing;
Volume 2 Number 12,http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Nu12-09a.htm
T: RabbiIshmael-(eg)"When an OX gores";(Or ANY animal gores)
Volume 4 Number 21,http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Dt25-04a.htm
End of Rashi-Is-Simple Digest
#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2000 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*