#*#*#*#*# (C) 2001, RashiYomi Inc. Dr Hendel President #*#*#*#*#
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VERSE: Nu22-33a
RASHIS COVERED: Nu22-33a Dt22-28a Dt04-16a Dt03-26a
===================== Nu22-33a ==========================
SUCCINT SUMMARY
---------------
One of Rashis 6 main goals is to explain word meanings
the same way the dictionary explains word meanings.
Rashi had a variety of vehicles to indicate word
meaning
EXAMPLES
--------
NUANCE/SYNONYM METHOD:
---------------------
ALeph-Lamed-Yud = PERHAPS or IF
ROOT/PREPOSITION METHOD:
-----------------------
HITABAYR means PUSHY (not anger)
UNIFIED MEANING:
---------------
- SML means FORM, and can mean
- LEFTY (Hand with FORM no power) or
- TIGHT FITTING GARMENT (Covers body FORM)
NEW MEANINGS(IDIOMS):
---------------------
Use of Feminine on a male
indicates helplessness
=========================================================
ITEM DETAIL
======================== ================================
RASHI RULE CLASS: WORD MEANINGS
RASHI SUBRULE CLASS NAMING BY VERSES
RASHI WORKBOOK PRINCIPLE #7
SEE BELOW LIST950e
List of verses with Aleph-Lamed-Yud meaning IF/MAYBE
------------------------ --------------------------------
SEE BELOW LIST901b
List of verses with ABR in HISPAYL meaning PUSHY
------------------------ --------------------------------
SEE BELOW LIST862b
List of verses with S-M-L meaning FORM
------------------------ --------------------------------
SEE BELOW LIST854b
List of verses with ATAH vs AT
========================================================
=========================== LIST950e ======================================
Aleph-Lamed-Yud can mean MAYBE or PERHAPS. See footnote
*10 for a textual emendation in Rashi based on Radack.
In the list below some verses are naturally translated
as IF THEN while some verses are naturally translated
as MAYBE
===========================================================================
VERSE PHRASE#1 PHRASE#2
======== ================================ =================================
Gn27-12 IF my father (perhaps) feels me THEN I-ll be a fraud
Gn24-05 IF the women doesnt marry Isaac, THEN should I return him
Nu22-06 IF I can wound him THEN I can (follow up)/banish
Nu23-03 IF God appears to me THEN He will give me prophecy
Nu22-33a IF the donkey turned FROM Me THEN I would have killed you
-------- ------------------------------- ---------------------------------
Gn16-02 Marry my concubine; MAYBE she will give you a child
Gn43-12 Return the package; MAYBE it was an accident
Ex32-30 I will go to God; MAYBE I can atone your sin
1S09-06 We-ll visit the prophet MAYBE he will direct us properly
1K18-05 We-ll cover the land MAYBE we can find fodder
NOTES
-----
-------------------- LONGER FOOTNOTES -------------------------------------
*10 In this footnote we justify emending the Rashi text
First let us cite an authority: Radakc explicitly states
-------------------------------------------
I dont know why anyone should translate
Aleph-Lamed-Yud as IF IT WERENT FOR
-------------------------------------------
Radacks point is well taken. For of the 4 dozen or so verses with
the word Aleph-Lamed-Yud, only one of them makes sense if this
word is translated as IF IT WERENT FOR
And Radack is right---you dont change the meaning of a word
because of one example.
Now let us examine Rashi who in our version states
-------------------------------------------------
Aleph-Lamed-Yud can means IF IT WERENT FOR
Thus Rashi translates Nu22-33a as
- IF IT WERENT FOR THE FACT THAT THE DONKEY TURNED
- I WOULD HAVE KILLED YOU AND SPARED HER
-------------------------------------------------
The Sifsay Chachamim explains that you cant translate the verse
as MAYBE THE DONKEY DIDNT TURN because indeed the DONKEY DID TURN
However RADACK cleverly answers that by comparing the prepositions
- the DONKEY TURNED (from the road) ___TOWARDS___ ME
- IF the DONKEY TURNED ----------------FROM______ ME (Then I would kill)
Thus the verse clearly distinguishes between TURNING TOWARDS ME vs
TURNING FROM ME.
Thus Radack is right...the only way to interpret the sentence
is IF THEN. It is not possible to interpret the sentence
IF IT WERENT FOR THE DONKEY TURNING ... since the first TURNING
is TOWARDS the angel while the 2nd turning is FROM the angel
Thus we see that Rashi SHOULD be saying
--------------------------------------
Aleph Lamed yud can mean IF as well as MAYBE
--------------------------------------
This one word textual emendation of Rashi is rooted in
- the Radacks comments
- the usage of Aleph-Lamed-Yud
- Radacks refutation of the Sifsay Chachamim
===========================================================================
======================= LIST901b ==========================================
Ayin-Beth-Resh means to GO OVER; BORDER.
In the HITPAAYL tense it is translated as TEMPER
But a careful examination of the verses shows it
doesnt mean ANGER but rather BEING PUSHY
This is consistent with the meaning of the HITPAAYL
tense which is the INTERACTIVE tense (PUSHING is GOING
OVER INTERACTIVELY WITH SOMEONE). The verses below
confirm this(PUSHES is a better translation then ANGER)
============================================================================
VERSE TEXT OF VERSE WITH Ayin-Beth-Resh TRANSLATED AS PUSHY
======== ===================================================================
Pr20-02 He who PUSHES against the royal position sins against his soul
Pr14-15 The wise has reverence-avoids evil;The fool PUSHES with confidence
Pr26-17 PUSHING on an outside dispute is like grabbing a dogs ears
Dt03-26a God PUSHED His position for the sake of Jews*1
Ps78-62 God PUSHED His providence and thereby vent anger on them*2
NOTES
-----
*1 God wasnt angry with Moses-rather He had to PUSH his position that
a prophetically given punishment cannot be rescinded thru prayer.
This would make an impression on the Jews who would then take
Divine punishment seriously Thus indeed, as the verse says,
GOD PUSHED HIS POSITION ON MOSES FOR THE SAKE OF THE JEWS
*2 If one reads Ps78 carefully one sees that
- God PUSHED his position of being able to provide BOTH food and water
- So God gave the Jews Manna and quails
- The Jews had so much food that they overate and got sick
- Thus Gods pushing his position of Providence let to the Jews
being sick (a manifestation of his anger)
=============================================================================
========================== LIST862b ================
Sin/Samech-Mem-Lamed has a unified meaning of form.
Hence it can mean
- LEFTY the hand with FORM but no power
- STATUE (a FORM)
- (tight fitting) GARMENT (shows bodys FORM)
====================================================
WORD VERSE MEANING RELATION OF MEANING TO form
====== ======== ======= ============================
Smel Ez08-03 Statue a FORM
Smel Dt04-16a Statue a FORM
Simlah Dt08-04 Garment Tight fitting garments*1
Smal 2S14-19 Left left Hand has FORM*2
NOTES
-----
*1 Outline persons FORM
*2 But no power
====================================================
======================= LIST854b ==========================
Dt05-24 states
- You(Feminine form) Moses,
- receive information from God
- and transmit it to us
- because we cannot endure Gods fire
By using the FEMININE form of YOU (Moses was a male)
we clearly have a nuance that Moses became LIKE
A FEMALE (weak and helpless from the Jews
rejection of God and a request for an intermediary)
The list below shows that AT always refer to
females and ATAH to males. Hence the deliberate
use of AT on a male MUST be construed as indicating
some nuance of feminine helplessness
==========================================================
VERSE WHO GENDER TEXT OF VERSE WITH you
======== ========== ====== ===============================
Gn06-18 NOACH MALE You come to the ark with family
Gn29-14 JACOB MALE You are a blood relative
Neh06-06 Nehemia MALE You and the Jews are rebelling
-------- ---------- ------ -------------------------------
Gn12-11 Sarah FEMALE You are a beautiful woman
Nu05-20 Adulteress FEMALE If you committed adultery
Pr31-29 Good wife FEMALE And You are above all of them
------- ---------- ------ -------------------------------
Dt05-24 Moses FEMALE YOU listen to us*1
NOTES
-----
*1 The point: It must be perceived as the SIMPLE MEANING
of the text that by calling Moses a female we indicate
some feminine attribute (Such as weakness) (Presumably
other attributes may apply but Rashi does not go
into them)
==========================================================
---------------------------------------------------
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Volume 18 Number 15
#*#*#*#*# (C) 2001, RashiYomi Inc. Dr Hendel President #*#*#*#*#
Volume 18 Number 15