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Written by Dr Russell Jay Hendel
Volume 7 Number 24
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THE RASHI-RAMBAN SERIES
========================
Gn07-18a We have neglected this series. Here is a beautiful
grammatical gem
READER QUESTIONS
================
Ex21-30a Bracha Diamond, one of my Shomrey Emunah Rashi students
brought in a research project from her seminary days on Rashis
where IF means WHEN.(Bracha found an extra Rashi I had overlooked
WEEKLY PARSHAH SERIES
=====================
RASHIS EXPLAINED
================
Dt33-02a Continuation of the POETRY SERIES. Rashi analyzes the
introduction to bless the Jews.
Rashis covered in this issue
----------------------------
VERSE RULE BRIEF EXPLANATION
======== ============== =================
Ex21-30a SPECIAL WORDS >IF< can mean >WHEN<
Gn07-18a GRAMMAR Gimel-Beth-Resh can mean BECOME BIG
Dt33-02a EXAMPLE9 4 Stages to make a devoted relationship
Dt33-02c EXAMPLE9 4 Stages to make a devoted relationship
Dt33-03a EXAMPLE9 4 Stages to make a devoted relationship
Dt33-04a EXAMPLE9 4 Stages to make a devoted relationship
Dt33-05a EXAMPLE9 4 Stages to make a devoted relationship
Dt33-05b EXAMPLE9 4 Stages to make a devoted relationship
Dt33-05c EXAMPLE9 4 Stages to make a devoted relationship
Ex21-08d EXAMPLE9 4 Stages to make a devoted relationship
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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,
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VERSE: Ex21-30a
RASHIS COVERED: Ex21-30a Ex20-22a Ex22-24a Lv02-14a Nu36-04a
Gn28-20a Dt21-14a
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:Bracha Diamond from my Shomrey Emunah Rashi class
did a research project when she was in seminary on Rashis stating
that the word >IF< can also mean >WHEN<. Most people know 3 such
Rashis. I had listed 6 and Bracha pointed out a 7th Ex21-30a)
RULE: The word >IF< can also mean >WHEN<. The fact that >IF<
means >WHEN< can be proved by referring to >OTHER VERSES<.
EXAMPLES:
{LIST1}
Please find below the 7 verses where >IF< means >WHEN<. We also
bring the supporting verses that proves that >IF< must mean
>WHEN<.As an example: Ex20-22 says >IF you build an altar<.
However since Dt27-06 >obligates< us to build an altar this
changes the translation of Ex20-22 to >WHEN you build an alter<.
================================================================
VERSE Text of Verse(IF means WHEN) Supporting Verse
========== =========================== =================
Ex20-22a WHEN you build an altar Dt27-06
Ex22-24a WHEN you lend money Dt15-08
Lv02-14a WHEN you bring First fruit Lv23-10
Nu36-04a WHEN the Yovel comes*1 Lv25-08:12
Gn28-20a WHEN God be with me Gn28-15
Dt21-14aWHEN you hate her let her go*2
Ex21-30aWHEN ransom is placed on him
NOTES
*1 Actually Rashi states >Since the Bible literally says >IF the
Jubilee comes< we infer that the Jubilee would eventually cease
from Israel. But implicit in this Rashi is the fact that the
verse means >WHEN the Jubilee comes then such and such will
happen<
*2 This is Rashi..If you rape a foreign woman in war and take her
into your house you will ULTIMATELY despise her and throw her
out
COMMENT: The question remains as to why Rashi in the name of the
Mechilta only cited 3 of these 7 verses. We discussed this at my
Shomrey Emunah class: It would appear that only in the first 3
verses in the above {LIST}can you prove, by citing other verses,
that the word >if< >MUST< be translated as >when<.Certainly there
is no proof in the last two verses. In Nu36-04a, the word >IF< is
used because it is part of a >COMPOUND HYPOTHETICAL< statement:
>IF< (a) the girls marry out of their tribe and (b) the Jubilee
comes >THEN<. So even though the Jubilee >MUST< come, since it
is part of a compound hypothetical the word >IF< is used. Finally
the >IF< in Gn28-20a is used as a sign of respect:Even though God
had promised Jacob to be with him nevertheless Jacob says >IF God
will be with me< instead of >WHEN God will be with me< in order
not to sound arrogant. In summary, there are 7, possibly more,
verses where >IF< means >WHEN<. In 3 of those 7 we can prove, by
citing other verses, that >IF< must mean >WHEN< and therefore the Mechiltah only cited these 3.
ADDITIONAL REFERENCES: Volume 4 Number 8 Gn28-20a
RULE USED: SPECIAL WORDS
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VERSE: Dt33-02a
RASHIS COVERED: Dt33-02a Dt33-02c Dt33-03a Dt33-04a Dt33-05a
Dt33-05b Dt33-05c Ex21-08d
COMMENT: We are soon beginning Genesis again. I wanted to end the
Poetry thread we have been doing by emphasizing that in these
Rashis it is CONTEXT not MEANING that determines meaning. I also
wanted to emphasize that CONTEXT can override DICTIONARY meaning.
Finally I wanted to emphasize that we can use CONTEXT to decide
between otherwise legitimate competing interpretations of verses.
Let us look at these verses from this perspective.
RULE: One of the 13 principles of Biblical interpretation of
Rabbi Ishmael is the principle of >CONTEXT<--that meaning can
be inferred from >CONTEXT<. In particular many poetic passages
outline 3-7 >STAGES< in the development of an idea. Therefore
the proper guidelines for intepreting these poetic verses is to
{LIST1}
6 Guidelines in interpreting Poetic verses
GUIDELINE
1. Identify the >UNIFYING PRINCIPLE< in the poetic structure
2. Identify the >STAGES< developing this unifying principle
3. Construct a >PARALLELISM< between the STAGES & the VERSES
4. Next, try and recognize the >WORDS< that >YOU< do >KNOW<
4. Review all >POSSIBLE MEANINGS< of the words in the verses
5. Let the >PARALLELISM< determine which meaning to be use
EXAMPLE
The VERSE discussed is Dt33-02:04
1. UNIFYING PRINCIPLE: The main idea in these verses is that
the Jews are totally devoted in their relationship to God
2. STAGES: The 4 stages in achieving >Total devotion to God<
or in describing any relationship of total devotion is
{LIST2}
4 Stages in achieving a harmonious devoted relationship
STAGE
YOU >SEEK< PARTNER
YOU >FIND< PARTNER
PARTNER >LEARNS< YOUR >WAY OF LIFE< FROM YOU
PARTNER >ACCEPTS< YOUR >WAY OF LIFE<
3: PARALLELISM:
{LIST3}
4 Stages that lead to a >DEVOTED RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD< and
the verses in Dt33-02:05 describing these stages. The footnotes
show that it is CONTEXT not the dictionary which determines
MEANING.
=========================================================
STAGE VERSE (Dt33-02:05)
==================== ======================================
God >SEEGod tried to give the Torah to Esauv*2
God >FINAll tribes accepted the Torah*3
Jews >LEMoses gave us the Torah eternally*4
Jews >ACGod is King in Israel at all time*5
NOTES:
*1 Rashi on Dt33-02a explicitly notes the structure of these
verses: The first two describe the actions of >GOD< while
the last 2 describe the actions of the >JEWS<. So Rashi was
indeed very much aware of CONTEXT and STRUCTURE.
*2 This idea, that God offered the Torah to Esauv is normally
seen as midrashic and fanciful. But we can ultimately defend
this as pure simple meaning.
Let us first give a reasonable interpretation of this verse.
It explicitly says in an OTHER VERSE, Dt02-05 >For I(God) have
given Mount Seir to Esauv<. In other words, Dt02-05 identifies
that National occupations (such as Esauvs occupation of Mount
Seir) comes from prophetic orders of God.
I think this sufficient to explain the Rashi. For Rashi is
simply saying: >Look God gave prohesies to all the nations--to
Esauv God gave territoriality; but to the Jews He gave the Torah<
In other words the emphasis is that in the context of God making
prophetic promises it is only the Jews who accepted the Law while
the other nations only wanted territory.
(This is the essence of Rashis point. Rashi probably conjectured
that just as God gave Mount Seir to Esauv (& Israel to the Jews)
so too he offered the Torah to both the Jews and Esauv but only
the Jews accepted the Torah. However if the reader just wants to
deal with what is explicitly said, we have Dt02-05 which shows
that we are contrasting the prophesies to Esauv, which promise
only territory vs the prohpesies to the Jews, which promise the
Torah)
*3 In the remaining 3 footnotes we show how CONTEXT, not the
dictionary determines meaning. Everyone knows that the Hebrew
word >AM< primarily means nation. However in certain rare cases
>AM< can refer to >any large gathering< or >any well knit unit<.
The fact that Rashi prefers to translate >AM< as >TRIBES< (>all
the TRIBES accepted the Torah<) is due to CONTEXT---it is stage
2 in a devoted relationship when one FINDS the partner. Hence
Rashi must interpret Gn33-03 as referring to acceptance of the
Torah by the Jews. Here are the supporting verses from RADACK
besides those Rashi brings
{LIST4}
Verses where the Hebrew word >AM< means >UNIT< or
>LARGE GATHERING<. These examples come from RADACK. Rashi
ingeniously brings Gn35-11 where the cognate words >GOY< which
usually means >NATION< in fact means & refers to the >TRIBE<
of BENYAMIN.
==============================================================
VERSE Text of Verse: The CAPPED word translates >AM<
======== ===============================================
Ex21-08d He shall not sell the slavegirl to another FAMILY
Joel2-2 A big and huge ARMY (cf Joel2-11)
Jud18-6 & They came to LAYISH and saw the CITY dwelling there
Neh9-24 The Jews conquered the 7 STATES of Canaan
4. The verse says >Moses commanded us the Torah, an inheritance
to the nation of Jacob<. Notice how every >WORD< has a clear
meaning. Also notice how the >SENTENCE< itself is also understood
However the >CONTEXT< is not clear--->HOW< does this sentence
>FIT IN< with the rest of the paragraph? It is this >CONTEXT<
which Rashi wishes to give. Rashi derives the meaning from the
OVERALL CONTEXT of the paragraph. Rashi uses the method of DOUBLE
PARSHAS to highlight the difference.
{LIST5}
================================================================
Alignment of the 2 halves of Dt33-04
*a *b
The Torah was commanded to us
An inheritance (to) the Congregation of Jacob
================================================================
NOTES
*a) by calling the Torah an >INHERITANCE< the verse emphasizes
that the Torah was accepted eternally. In other words we did not
just learn Gods ways once but rather we CONTINUALLY learn them.
This theme is echoed in the next verse also.
*b) By first using the word >US< and only then using the phrase
>Congregation of Jacob< the verse emphasizes that we achieved
our relationship with God by learning the Torah.
*5) Again the >WORDS< in the verse have clear meaning; similarly
the >SENTENCE< has clear meaning---it says >And thus there was
a King in Israel, when(ever) the leaders have a Gathering<. But
it is the >CONTEXT< of this sentence in the paragraph--->HOW< it
fits into the rest of the paragraph---that Rashi clarifies.
Indeed, recall the 4 stages of a >DEVOTED RELATIONSHIP<;
(a) SEEKING a partner; (b) FINDING a partner; (c ) the partner
LEARNS your way of life; (d) the partner ACCEPTS you. Hence,
Dt33-05 must therefore be interpreted as referring to the Jews
>ACCEPTING< God as their permanant partner.
Hence, Rashi (Dt33-05a) interprets >And there was a King, God,
in Israel< since this fits the context (By contrast Ibn Ezra
translates >And there was a king, Moses, in Israel<) Notice how
the Ibn Ezra gives a correct interpretation of the >SENTENCE< but
the Ibn Ezra does not give a correct interpretation of the
>PARAGRAPH< For his interpretation of this verse as referring
to Moses does not fit into the paragraph.
Hence, also Rashi (Dt33-05b, Dt33-05c) emphasizes the >ETERNAL<
nature of the Jews acceptance of God since this fits into the
context. The emphasis on the eternal nature can also be derived
from an alignment of the verse parts.
{LIST6}
=============================================================
Alignment of the two halves of Dt33-05
*a *b
& there King (Goin Israel
when the leaders gathered
=============================================================
NOTES
*a The parallel structure suggests that Gods Kingship exists
in both SPACE (in Israel) and TIME (when the leaders gathered)
and hence hints at the eternal nature of Gods kingship. As
previously indicated the emphasis on ETERNAL relationship comes
from the structure of the paragraph. Similarly the word
>AND THERE WAS< can be perceived as hinting at emphasis.
*b The concept that the gatherings were done by leaders
serves to indicate that it was a proper gathering (rather
than a spontaneous response of a herd)
SUMMARY: We have seen many strange translations above. Rashi
translates >AM< as >TRIBE<. Similarly Rashi emphasizes the
>ETERNAL< nature of the God-Jew relationship in Dt33-04:05.
Finally Rashi emphasizes that it is God who achieves Kingship.
Other explanations are possible. Rashi himself brings down a
translation where >AM< refers to >NON JEWISH NATIONS<. Similarly
Ibn Ezra translates Dt33-05 as referring to Moses Kingship.
Rashi would not dispute that his explanations are >rare<.
Rather Rashi would assert that his explanations are the only
explanations that are consistent with the >CONTEXT< of the
entire paragraph. In other words, while the other explanations
may be consistent with the >WORDS< and >SENTENCE< they are
NOT consistent with the overall >PARAGRAPH CONTEXT<. Hence
Rashis translation is the only simple meaning.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: To my younger sister for introducing me to the
idea of explanations of >WORDS<, >SENTENCES< and >PARAGRAPHS<.
(For those in the know this is an old joke on the difference
between Psalms, Proverbs, and Job)
RULE USED: EXAMPLE9
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VERSE: Gn07-18a
RASHIS COVERED: Gn07-18a
RULE: The Hebrew root Gimel-Beth-Resh can mean
MEANING VERSE*1 TEXT OF VERSE
======== ======= =============================================
*Conquer 1Sam2-9 A person doesn't CONQUER by force
*big Ps103-11 Gods Mercys were GREAT on those loyal to him
Job36-9 He tells when their sins become too GREAT
Gn07-18a The flood waters were very GREAT (BIG)*2
NOTES
*1 The 3 verses supporting the meaning >BIG< were presented by
the Rambam. Interestingly the RADACK does not give this meaning
of >BIG<.
*2 I view the Ramban as EXPLAINING Rashi(not as disagreeing with
him or offering FURTHER SUPPORT). Let us examine: What was Rashis
task? To indicate that the meaning of Gimel-Beth-Resh was >BECOME
BIG< rather than >CONQUER<.
Observe that >CONQUER< is a >TRANSITIVE< verb--eg Moses Conquered
Pharoh. You do the conquering action to someone else
By contrast >BECOME BIG< is a possibly >INTRANSITIVE VERB<.
Thus in Gn07-18a, >The flood waters became GREAT on the earth<.
Hence, it was sufficient for Rashi to indicate that we are using
the INTRANSITIVE vs the TRANSITIVE meaning of Gimel-Beth-Resh. We
immediately understand the terse cryptic Rashi--->AND THEY BECAME
GREAT:(RASHI) BY THEMSELVES<. The phrase >BY THEMSELVES< simply
indicates that the verb is potentially >INTRANSITIVE<.Ramban then
amplified on this by indicating that Gimel-Beth-Resh can mean
>BECOME BIG<.
This is a typical method in Rashi. His translation may use one
or two words in order to indicate a grammatical feature which
in turn indicates a specific meaning. In other words Rashi does
not directly explain the word but rather explains the word
indirectly by indicating a grammatical property.
RULE USED: GRAMMAR
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THE 2 DOZEN RASHI-IS-SIMPLE RASHI RULES
http://www.RashiYomi.Com/rules.htm
=======================================
http://www.RashiYomi.Com/rules9-6.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
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