The Hebrew >KI< has 7 meanings:#11 of 11
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-GRAND SUMMARY-
OVERVIEW:
========
RULE:
====
The Hebrew word >KI< primarily means >BECAUSE<. A famous
midrash says >KI< has 4 meanings.
However we who speak English must use caution.
I have counted 7 English translations. These 7 meanings are
as follows:
{LIST}
The Hebrew word >KI< has 7 meanings.
=====================================================
MEANING VERSE A GOOD EXAMPLE: A VERSE WITH >KI<
======= ======== ============================================
BECAUSE Gn18-15a Sarah denied laughing BECAUSE she was afraid
IF Ex34-09a God walk with us;IF we sin you can forgive
WHEN Dt32-03a WHEN I call the name of God, give Praise
RATHER Dt15-08b Dont be miserly; RATHER be charitable
QUESTION Dt29-15a Is being a relative,reason for not being payed?
THAT Nu20-29c The congregation saw THAT Aaron died
PERHAPS Ex23-05a PERHAPS youll see a donkey & desert it? No!
{END OF LIST}
By completing this unit the reader will become proficient
in how >KI< is used and will be able to apply these
translations to new verses.
TODAYS UNIT
===========
In todays unit we present the grand summary, reviewing
the 2 dozen or so examples we have given.
SPECIAL COMMENTS:
================
For those who are interested in the justification for
the right to modify Rashis original language please
see the discussion in http://www.RashiYomi.Com/h9n6.htm
We show how one Rashi explicitly says that >There are
4 meanings to KI< while if we actually count there
are 7 meanings. Furthermore another Rashi explicitly
identifies one of the 4 meanings as having 3 meanings.
This justifies >REINTERPRETING< Rashis statement that
there are 4 meanings to a statement that there are
>4 groups of meanings while in fact there are 7 meanings<
We show that this inference could also be made by
database queries.
REFERENCE:
=========
This module comes from the following digests in the
Rashi-is-Simple series
For the original source of the grand summary see
http://www.RashiYomi.Com/h9n4.htm
http://www.RashiYomi.Com/h9n5.htm
http://www.RashiYomi.Com/h9n6.htm (Available Sunday)
For previous discussions on the subject see
http://www.RashiYomi.Com/h4n1.htm
http://www.RashiYomi.Com/gn41-49a.htm
For further special cases see
http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Nu20-29c
http://www.RashiYomi.Com/h6n24
http://www.RashiYomi.Com/h4n8
#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2001 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*
-GRAND SUMMARY-
----------------------------------------------------
In the following examples the Hebrew word >KI<
means >BECAUSE<
----------------------------------------------------
VERSE TEXT OF VERSE WITH >BECAUSE<
======== =================================================
Gn18-15a Sarah denied laughing BECAUSE she was afraid
Gn41-49b He stopped counting BECAUSE there were no numbers
Dt07-07c Not because of your numbers;BECAUSE You are the small*1
NOTES
=====
*1 The exact text is more or less the following:
>Dont think the reason that God is giving you Israel is
because you are the biggest of the nations. Indeed,that
couldn't be the reason BECAUSE you are the smallest of
the nations. RATHER, the reason God is giving you
Israel is because of Gods love of the Patriarchs<
{END OF LIST}
----------------------------------------------------
In the following examples the Hebrew word >KI<
denotes a >QUESTION<
----------------------------------------------------
VERSE TEXT of VERSE WHICH SHOWS A QUESTION
======== =================================================
Gn27-36a Is his name DOUBLE-CROSS?He DOUBLE-CROSSED me twice*1
Gn29-15a Is being a relative an excuse to work for no pay?
NOTES
=====
*1 The Hebrew name >JACOB< means >DOUBLE CROSS<. Esauv
in this verse is complaining about how Jacob stole
his blessings. He states >He (Jacob) stole the blessings
I was suppose to get---he DOUBLE-CROSSED me (pun intended)<
{END OF LIST}
----------------------------------------------------
In the following examples the Hebrew word >KI<
means >RATHER<
----------------------------------------------------
VERSE TEXT OF VERSE WITH >RATHER<
======== ================================================
Dt13-10a Dont have mercy; RATHER Kill him *1
Dt11-07a Your children did not see Gods wonders;RATHER you did
Dt07-08a RATHER (God Chose you)because of Love of Patriarchs*2
Dt09-05a RATHER because of their wickedness God gave you Israel
Gn19-02e They responded >No! RATHER we will inn in the streets<
Gn31-16a Our inheritance is not from father;RATHER from God*3
Dt15-08b Dont be miserly; RATHER open your hands to the poor
Gn18-15a & Abraham said,NO, this is false! RATHER you did do it
Dt10-12b Does God ask(nothing)?No! RATHER THAT you fear him
NOTES
=====
*1 In other capital cases:if eg a murderer was accidentally
acquited and we find it out we do NOT reverse the acquital
But in the case of Dt13-10a (the case of someone who
seduces people to idolatry) we do not have ANY mercy but
RATHER kill him (that is we do retry him and convict him)
(See Rambam Courts Chapter 10)
*2 The exact text is more or less the following:
>Dont think the reason that God is giving you Israel is
because you are the biggest of the nations. Indeed,that
couldn't be the reason BECAUSE you are the smallest of
the nations. RATHER, the reason God is giving you
Israel is because you of Gods love of the Patriarchs<
*3 Rashi basically connects the various verses as follows
>Are we then going to inherit anything from our father?
Are we not like strangers to him? Indeed, he sold us in
marriage! RATHER if we inherit anything it is what God
gives us(not what Father gives us because he wont give
us anything)<
{END OF LIST}
----------------------------------------------------
In the following examples the Hebrew word >KI<
means >WHEN< of >IF<*1 *2
----------------------------------------------------
VERSE TEXT OF VERSE WITH >IF< or >WHEN<
======== =================================================
Ex34-09a God walk with us: then IF we sin you can forgive us
Nu05-20a ..and IF you have sinned...
Dt32-03a WHEN I call the name of God give praise *1
Dt32-36a WHEN God judges his nation..then He will say*1
Gn40-14a ..so that IF & WHEN you remember me I'll be saved*3
NOTES
=====
*1 There are of course many verses where >KI< means
>WHEN<. But these are 2 main verses where Rashi
makes a comment.
*2 I feel obligated to mention the important Malbim
that when a paragraph introduces a whole hypothetical
situation then
---the first >IF< of the paragraph uses the Hebrew >KI<
---the remaining >IF< s of the paragraph use the Hebrew >IM<
For example Lv04 is the chapter on >SIN OFFERINGS<
We then have the following sequence of sin offerings
---Lv04-01:12 >KI< (if) a High Priest sins
---Lv04-13:21 >IM< (if) the congregation sins
---Lv04-22:26 >ASHER< (if) the King sins
---Lv04-27:31 >IM< (if) the individual sins
---Lv04-32:35 >IM< (if) the individual sins
This is a peach of a principle which seems to have been
neglected. More can be said (like the anomalous >ASHER<
in Lv04-22) but the above will suffice for now.
*3 We follow the interpretation of the Sifsay Chachamim
commentary on Rashi who interprets Gn40-13:14 as one sentence
>In another 3 days Pharoh will remember you and restore you
(from prison) to your former post of personally serving him
(The restoration from prison will be so complete that) WHEN
(& if you do me a favor &) you mention me to Pharoh I will
be saved from Prison<
The strange construction >WHEN & IF< comes from the two
words >KI< = >WHEN< and >IM< = >IF< and is similar to our
English phrase >WHEN & IF<.
{END OF LIST}
----------------------------------------------------
In the following examples the Hebrew word >KI<
means >THAT<
----------------------------------------------------
VERSE TEXT OF VERSE WITH >THAT<
======== ========================================================
Gn43-07d Did we know THAT he would request Benjamin
Nu14-13b Egypt will hear THAT you took the Jews out to die
Gn31-52a This monument symbolizes THAT I wont double cross you*1
Nu20-29c The Congregation saw THAT Aaron had died*2
Ex23-33a Lest they make you sin: THAT you serve their gods
Dt10-12b Does God ask(nothing)?RATHER THAT (KI IM) you fear him*3
Gn24-19a I will water your camels >UNTIL< they have drunk*4
Gn24-33a I will not eat >UNTIL< I have eaten*4
NOTES
=====
*1 In this verse it is the Hebrew word >IM< which means >THAT<
However we follow Rashi in making a LIST of a >GROUP< of
Hebrew words--->KI<, >IM<----each of which can mean
>IF< >THAT< >WHEN< etc.
*2 This is an answer to Dr Sunness question on this Rashi.
Dr Sunness had asked what this Rashi was saying
Rashi was simply explaining that >KI< means >THAT<, not
>BECAUSE<. Rashi also notes that the Aramaic translation
of this verse is in error since the verse does not say
>And the whole congregation saw BECAUSE?!?!? Aaron died<
(Rashi further elaborates on other suggested translations &
shows the error in translating them that way)
Note the terseness by which we analyze this Rashi. This
is because we have a LIST of all Rashis on this verse
to back up the meanings we give. Such a list facilitates
the explanation of any one example.
*3 I think this is the best way to interpret this verse, based
on Rashi:
>What does God ask of you?<
This is interpreted rhetorically--does God ask nothing?
The verse then continues
>Rather (God asks) that you fear him<
This is consistent with the Talmudic statement that
>God does everything for man except for enabling man to fear
Him which man must do himself<
*4 These verses appear as anomalies in this list. There are
two difficulties with its inclusion. First of all the Hebrew
work >IM< is used, not the Hebrew word >KI<. But we have
already explained that we follow Rashi in the construction
of this LIST and present >GROUPS< of words---KI, IM---each
of which can mean >IF<, >WHEN< etc
A more serious problem is including a verse with the
word >UNTIL< in a LIST of verses with >THATUNTIL<
* I travelled northward UNTIL New York
* I travelled UNTIL I ran out of Gas
* I travelled UNTIL the exhaustion of the Gas.
In English all 3 of these sentences use the word >UNTIL<
In Hebrew the first and last sentence would use the Hebrew
word >AD< which means >UNTIL<
However the second sentence would include the abstract pronoun
>THAT< in order to introduce the subordinate sentence. Thus
the Hebrew translation of the 2nd sentence above would read
* I travelled UNTIL THAT I ran out of Gas.
This sounds strange to an English speaking person but is
perfectly normal in Hebrew. Thus the rule is
* Use UNTIL with a single sentence or with an infinitive
* Use UNTIL THAT with a subordinate sentence. This rule
is justified by the LIST in the footnotes
which also contains statistics
{END OF LIST}
----------------------------------------------------
In the following examples the Hebrew word >KI<
means >PERHAPS< or >LEST<
----------------------------------------------------
VERSE TEXT OF VERSE
======== =======================================================
Ex23-05a PERHAPS you'll see your friends donkey
overburdened & desert him? No! Help him*1
Ex20-22c When you make stone altars dont use hewn stones
LEST you use STEEL/IRON CUTTERS*2
Dt20-19c (In war)When you seige a city dont cut trees
LEST you treat the soldiers like a group of
trees (and sacrifice them) to achieve entry*3
Gn50-19a Perhaps, I, Joseph am in the place of God?*4
NOTES
=====
*1 Ex23-05a
I should note Rashis 2nd interpretation which is as follows
-----------------------------------------------------------
IF you see your friends donkey overburdened....
-then you wont help him
-then you should held him
------------------------------------------------------------
As Rashi says >Sometimes you help your friend and sometimes
(eg if you are elderly and dont usually lift such bundles)
you have the right to desert him<
However the above translation is clearly twisted. These
laws cited by Rashi are learned from the wording
>HELP HELP WITH HIM<. Thus from the phrases >WITH HIM< we
infer that you only help when he works WITH YOU and you
are not obligated if eg he is elderly. Since this is not
Rashis main focus we will not further explain it here
except to say that we have several Rashis on the difference
between >WITH HIM< and >OF HIM<. See the following URLS
http://www.RashiYomi.Com/ex22-24c.htm
http://www.RashiYomi.Com/gn45-27a.htm
In summary the way we have interpreted Rashi is the simple
meaning of the text and the other laws that Rashi cites are
learned from other parts of the verse
Finally note that the meaning >PERHAPS< is similar to
the usage of >KI< to make a >QUESTION<
*2 Ex20-22c
Rashi also notes MORAL IMPLICATIONS
----------------------------------------------------------
The Torah had pity on these stones which only enable
peace--the Torah had pity on them by prohibiting to use
>STEEL< cutting instruments to hew the stones since >STEEL<
is a metal of destruction (Actually the Torah simply
prohibited swords but Rashi seems to take that as any IRON
instrument).
We can now conclude that if the Torah had
pity on stones which enable sacrifices which bring peace
between people (eg the sacrifice that allows a woman to
reunite with her husband after childbirth), and prohibited
using destructive instruments on these stones, how much
more so will the Torah have pity on actual people who bring
peace.
------------------------------------------------------------
*3 There are many diverse interpretations on this verse brought
by the Malbim, Ibn Ezra etc. However the above interpretation
brought by us is simplest and consistent with the Sifray.
The basic focus is that in war actions people lose their
individuality. In English we would say they become a HERD
(of ANIMALS) while in Hebrew we say they become a FOREST
OF TREES.
The general must be aware not to sacrifice one soldier for
the benefit of the group. We symbolically affirm this value
by not destroying ANY (physical) trees thus affirming that
we will not sacrifice any individual soldiers.
*4 Added Dec 25,2001. The question is rhetorical. That is
Joseph said to his brothers who were concerned that he
would retaliate and kill him for the kidnapping:
---------------------------------------
PERHAPS YOU THINK I AM IN PLACE OF GOD
---------------------------------------
Joseph then adds another verse
----------------------------------------------------
You plotted evil-to murder me-but God turned your
plots to Good since I(Joseph) am now saving an entire
nation
----------------------------------------------------
Rashi further explains Josephs 2nd arguments:
----------------------------------------------------
Even if I wanted to harm you, God would overturn
my harm and make it good
----------------------------------------------------
{END OF LIST}
---------------------------FOOTNOTES--------------------------
{LIST}
The 3 usages of >AD< = >UNTIL<. Footnotes make comments about
statistical frequency and usage.
===================================================================
VERSE SUBORDINATE SENTENCE? TYPE OF UNTIL NOTE
======= ===================== ============= ====
Gn06-07 Ill destroy from Man UNTIL Animal AD *1
Gn08-05 water dwindled UNTIL the 10th AD *1
Gn11-31 travelled UNTIL Charan AD *1
Gn08-07 waters waved UNTIL their DRYING AD *1
Lv22-04 UNTIL (THAT) he purifies himself AD ASHER *2
Gn27-44 UNTIL (THAT) the anger assuages AD ASHER *2
Gn28-15 UNTIL (THAT) I do what I promised AD ASHER *2
Gn29-08 we cant UNTIL (THAT) we gather AD ASHER *2
Gn33-14 UNTIL (THAT) I come to Sayirah AD ASHER *2
Gn24-19 UNTIL (IF) they finish drinking AD IM *3
Gn24-33 until (IF) I speak AD IM *3
Is30-17 until (IF) they are destroyed AD IM *3
Rut2-21 until (IF) they finish the harvest AD IM *3
NOTES
=====
*1 >AD< occurs 1000 times in the Bible.
It is used in
--simple phrases (Eg MAN UNTIL ANIMAL)
--or in phrases with infinitives(eg until the DRYING)
*2 >AD ASHER< occurs about 50 times
>AD ASHER< vs >AD< is used:
--when an entire subordinate sentence is present
It sounds strange because the construction >UNTIL THAT<
is not used in English
*3 >AD IM< occurs only 4 times in the Bible
>AD IM< like >AD ASHER< means >UNTIL THAT< and is used
--when an entire subordinate sentence is present
Rashi therefore notes that the idea of equating
>AD IM< and >AD ASHER< follows from identifying
>IM< and >ASHER<
Rashi notes that >AD IM< = >UNTIL THAT< = >AD ASHER< in
his commentary on Both the Bible and prophets.
We conjecture that >AD IM< vs >AD ASHER< seems to have
a connotation of >UNTIL, PLEASE GOD IF< eg
>I will not eat >UNTIL, Please God IF< I have spoken<
However it is difficult to present further proof (with
only 4 examples). There are methods for justifying this
but it would take us too far afield.
{END OF LIST}
#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2001 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*