The 10 RashiYomi Rules 
Their presence in Rashis on Parshat VaYiQRa
Vol 1#5 - Adapted from Rashi-is-Simple 
Visit The RashiYomi Website: http://www.RashiYomi.Com/
(c) RashiYomi Incorporated, Dr Hendel President, Mar 16 2005
English translations of the Bible come mostly from the Davka translation with changes made by me

The goal of this Weekly Rashi Digest is to use the weekly Torah portion to expose students at all levels to the ten major methods of commentary used by Rashi. It is hoped that continual weekly exposure to these ten major methods will enable students of all levels to acquire a familiarity and facility with the major exegetical methods.

1. RASHI METHOD: OTHER VERSES   
This example applies to Rashis Lv01-03b
URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/lv01-03b.htm

The other verse method seeks to confirm the contents of a target verse by cross referencing other verses which either confirm the target text or add details to it. Additionally the other verse method can shed light on word meanings.

Lv01-03 states If his offering is an oxen up sacrifice, then let him offer a perfect male. The specific nuances of the word perfect in Lv01-03 is fully illuminated by an other verse, Lv22-21 which states Whoever offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord to accomplish his vow, or a freewill offering in oxen or sheep, shall offer it perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish in it. Hence, we infer, that perfect means without blemishes. It turns out that although many biblical verses use the word perfect offering only Lv22-21 identifies perfection with lack of blemish.  

What we have called the other verse method here, is better known as one of the 13 exegetical methods of Rabbi Ishmael which can be found in all daily prayer books in the monring section. Rabbi Ishmael's exegetical methods include the following: Whenever we are studying some phenomena (like the word perfect); and one verse (like Lv22-21) deviates from the rest (by stating that perfect means unblemished), then this deviation (that perfect means unblemished) does not only apply to this specific verse (Lv22-21) but applies to all relevant verses (So perfect in general means without blemish).

2. RASHI METHOD: WORD MEANINGS / synonyms  
This example applies to Rashis Lv15-03a Lv14-41a Lv11-35a Lv02-05a Lv02-07a Lv13-02a Lv13-02b
URL reference:(c) http://www.RashiYomi.com/lv15-03a.htm

The word meaning method seeks to present dictionary meaning. Rashi uses 10 vehicles to infer word meaning. Rashi frequently does not teach actual meaning but rather identifies the differentiating nuances of synonyms. Compare the following two verses: 

•	Lv02-05. And if your sacrifice is a meal offering baked in a Mem-Cheth-Beth-Tauv (Machavath), it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mixed with oil.
•	Lv02-07. And if your sacrifice is a meal offering baked in the Mem-Resh-Cheth-Shin-Tauv(Marchesheth), it shall be made of fine flour with oil.

It is clear from context that Machavath and Marchesheth refer to cooking utensils. Rashi completely describes the type of cooking utensils. Here Rashi uses the synonym method, that is, Rashi differentiates the nuances of cooking utensil type.

•	Lv02-05a (Rashi) ...The Machavath was a Temple utensil which was used to cook/bake/fry flour in oil. The machavath utensil is not deep but shallow and therefore the frying solidifies the flour-oil in it.
•	Lv02-07a (Rashi) The Marchesheth was a Temple utensil that was deep. Since the marchesheth is deep the oil in it doesn't fry/burn but rather the flour-oil combination bakes to a soft bouncy texture. This is consistent with the Hebrew root of Marchesheth, Resh-Cheth-Shin, which refers to insect like motion---hence it could refer to a baked item with a soft bouncy texture since the bubbling oil-flour resembles insect like motion.

To the best of my understanding Rashi here is describing the difference between frying and baking. Most English translations do not capture these nuances. Hence the synonym method enhances English translation.

3. RASHI METHOD: GRAMMAR / conjugation
This example applies to Rashis  Lv05-24b
URL reference:(c) http://www.RashiYomi.com/lv05-24b.htm

The grammar method seeks to teach and apply Hebrew grammar. One goal of grammar teaching is to enable proper usage of plural and singular. Notice the shift of singular and plural in the following verses: 
Lv05-23:24 Then it shall be, because he has sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he stole, ... he shall restore it in full, add its fifths, and give it to him to whom it belongs, ....
Notice that the biblical text does not say: he shall restore it in full and shall add its fifth. Rather the biblical text uses the plural: he shall restore it in full and add its fifths. Rashi therefore comments

Lv05-24b (Rashi)  The biblical text uses a plural word, fifths for a single theft. [An example of this occurs] if the thief first denies under oath that he stole and is therefore liable to pay principle and one fifth, and then after paying the principle, denies, under oath, abstaining from paying the fifth fine. In such a case the thief is liable to pay a fifth on the original principle and an additional fifth on the fifth. The Bible refers to this case by using the language he shall restore it in full and shall add its fifths.

In passing Rabbi Hirsch gives the following analogy about inferring such a complicated case from the use of the plural: Suppose a medical student was listening to a technical lecture. The student does not have time to write down every sentence.  Therefore the student will suffice with little notations to remind him/her of the nuances. In a similar manner the entire corpus of oral law was given at Sinai. The written law should be perceived as written notes to the oral-law lecture. The plural, fifths, clearly is to remind us of a case where more than one fifth occurs and it is then natural to consider the case above.

4. RASHI METHOD: ALIGNMENT  
This example applies to Rashis  Lv03-08a
URL reference:(c) http://www.RashiYomi.com/lv03-08a.htm

The alignment method seeks to extract nuances from the minor differences in the alignment of two almost identical verses. The contrast of the two almost identical verses points to an emphasis and equality in the minor aligned nuances. Another goal of alignment is the discovery of meaning. Today we consider the following verses which discuss the blood throwing procedure in two different offering types:

•	Lv04-25 (Sin offering)  And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out his blood at the bottom of the altar of burnt offering.
•	Lv03-02 (Peace Offering)  And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the Tent of Meeting; and the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar around.

The alignment of these two verses clearly shows that sin offerings require placing blood on the horns of the altar while peace offerings require sprinkling the blood around the altar. Rashi elaborates:

Lv03-08a (Rashi) [How do you throw around the whole altar. The minimum method (Which is actually used) is  ] He throws twice [to opposite diagonal points of the square altar] and thereby the blood spreads to all 4 sides of the altar. But in the sin offering he personally places with his finger [vs. throwing] on each horn.

Here Rashi, following the Talmud, interprets the biblical text, sprinkle around, to mean throwing to diagonal points so that the blood lands on all sides.

Although we only selected two verses the same difference -- sprinkle around vs. put on horns --- is stated in many other verse pairs: Thus Lv04-25, Lv04-30 and Lv04-34 all speak about placing blood on the horns, while Lv01-05, Lv01-11, Lv03-02, Lv03-08, and Lv03-13 all speak about sprinkling the blood around. 

The difference of methods -- placing on horns vs sprinkling -- is mentioned in all daily prayer books.

5. RASHI METHOD: CONTRADICTION  / 2 aspects 
This example applies to Rashis Lv02-14d Lv02-14c
URL reference: (c) http://www.RashiYomi.com/lv12-14d.htm

The contradiction method, made explicit in Rabbi Ishmael's 13 exegetical principles, seeks to infer biblical content by resolving contradictory biblical verses. Rashi used 4 methods to resolve contradiction. The following 2 verses show a  contradiction in who used the Temple basin.

Lv02-14. When you offer a meal offering of first fruits to God, you shall offer 
•	(freshly) budded grain
•	dry roasted by fire
•	grounded
•	fully granuled

Although this is not logically contradictory it is empirically contradictory since it is not possible to ground freshly budded fully granuled grain since it is too soft to be grounded.

Rashi resolves this contradiction using the method of stages:

Lv02-14c Lv02-14d 
[First] Dry the grain by roasting it in fire since you can't ground it while soft
[Second] Then [after roasting it by fire] grind the soft grain

The method of stages resolves the contradiction by ascribing the contradictory statements to different times in a process: You can't grind soft grain directly so first roast it by fire to soften it and then you can grind it. In this manner the grain is simultaneously, fresh, budded, fully granuled but nevertheless grounded.

6. RASHI METHOD: STYLE
This example applies to Rashis  Lv05-04b Lv05-04c Lv05-04d
URL reference:(c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/lv05-04b.htm

The Rabbi Ishmael Style rules are usually thought of as applying to technical legal matters. However in a broader sense they apply to paragraph styles. The fundamental focus of the Rabbi Ishmael style rules is to precisely delineate the relationship between paragraph themes and development details: Are the details examples of a general theme, or, do the details exhaust the paragraph theme? In other words should the examples and details be interpreted literally and exclusively or should they be interpreted broadly and generally? Still another way of looking at style is that it answers the question: How should the paragraph theme and details / examples be integrated? The biblical paragraph, Lv05-04 nicely illustrates the issues in the style rules.

•	Theme Sentence: Or if a soul swears, pronouncing with his lips  
•	Detail:   
- to do evil, or 
- to do good, 
•	Theme Sentence: Whatever it is that a man shall pronounce with an oath

Quite simply, Rashi sees the Detail clause as typical examples of the theme sentences: 

Lv05-04b Lv05-04c Lv05-04d (Rashi with augmented commentary from Talmud) The Detail clauses speak about a person harming or doing good to themselves--that is, the detail clause speaks about personal oaths. Hence we interpret the whole paragraph as speaking about personal matters, whether in the future or past---but this paragraph would not apply to a person who for example swore to perform a commandment (as this is not a personal matter like doing evil or good).

Notice that there is a certain amount of subjectivity in this Rashi based on style. A Rashi based on style is not as clear cut as say a Rashi based on dictionary meaning or grammar. This is typical of the style rule.

7. RASHI METHOD: Bullets
This example applies to Rashis  Lv05-15b
URL reference:(c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/lv05-02a.htm

The bullet method could perhaps better be called the typesetting method. The typesetting method describes the biblical methods of implemeting modern typesetting effects such as bold, italics, bullets and paragraphing. Here is another way to look at it. If you wanted to emphasize a phrase you would bold or italicize it. The Bible however did not have bold or italics. The Bible implemented the idea of emphasis using repetition. That is what a modern writer would indicate by boldface the Biblical author indicated by repetition. Lv05-15 provides a simple but illustrative example.

Lv05-15. If a soul trespass trespass, and sins through ignorance, in the holy things of the Lord; then he shall bring for his trespass to the Lord a ram without blemish out of the flocks, valued by you in shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, for a guilt offering.

Notice the repeated word trespass trespass. Rashi interprets Lv05-15 as referring to the trespass mentioned in Lv22-04:09, which prohibits priests to eat holy objects while in ritual impurity and  punishes with death those who so eat.

Lv22-04:09. Whoever, of the seed of Aaron, is a leper, or has a discharge; he shall not eat of the holy things, until he is clean. And whoever touches any thing that is unclean by the dead, or a man whose seed issues from him; Or whoever touches any creeping thing, whereby he may be made unclean, or a man of whom he may take uncleanness, whatever uncleanness he has; The soul who has touched any such shall be unclean until evening, and shall not eat of the holy things, unless he washes his flesh with water. And when the sun is down, he shall be clean, and shall afterwards eat of the holy things; because it is his food. That which dies of itself, or is torn by beasts, he shall not eat to defile himself with it; I am the Lord. They shall therefore keep my ordinance, lest they bear sin for it, and die therefore, if they profane it; I the Lord do sanctify them.

Rashi explains that the repeated word trespass trespass emphasizes the concept of trespass the same way that bolding would create emphasis. Hence we interpret the word trespass broadly to include any unauthorized benefit from temple property. Rambam in his great code gives an example of alternate trespass from Temple property: A person who violates Dt18-04 and benefits from temple animal sheering.

8. RASHI METHOD: DATABASES
This example applies to Rashis  Lv01-02a
URL reference:(c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/lv01-02a.htm

The database method seeks to discover biblical ideas using the methods of modern database theory and sequential query language (SQL). The Talmudic sages and Rashi were totally familiar and frequently used all aspects of modern database theory. In today's example we make the query: When are the various types of offerings brought? The examples uncovered by the query clearly show that there are two types of offerings: Voluntary offerings which are brought when a person feels the urge to come closer to God and obligatory offerings which are required to be brought as a consequence of certain sins. The following verses introduce the paragraphs dealing with the 5 major types of offerings: up, rest, peace, sin, and guilt. 

===============================================================
Lv01-02:03  (UP) When a person brings an offering to the Lord...  If his offering is an up 
Lv02-01  (REST) When a soul offers a rest offering to the Lord, fine flour; ...
Lv07-12 (PEACE) If it is offered for thanksgiving
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lv04-02 (SIN) When a soul sins through ignorance against ...
Lv05-17 (GUILT) When a soul sins, and commits any of these things which are forbidden
======================================================

Notice the two types of introductory languages.  The UP, REST and PEACE offering are brought or offered while the SIN and GUILT offering only come as a consequence of sin. Hence we refer to the UP, REST and PEACE offerings as voluntary offerings while we refer to the SIN and GUILT offering as obligatory offerings. 

Further analysis of other Biblical verses would show this distinction very useful. For example, Nu28-02:04 shows that while the individual up offering is voluntary the daily communal up offering is obligatory. The actual biblical text states as follows: Command the people of Israel, and say to them, My offering, and my bread for my sacrifices made by fire, for a sweet savor to me, shall you observe to offer to me in their due season. And you shall say to them, This is the offering made by fire which you shall offer to the Lord; two lambs of the first year, without spot, day by day, for a continual burnt offering. One lamb shall you offer in the morning, and the other lamb shall you offer at evening. Further distinctions could be made but the above should suffice for now.

9. RASHI METHOD: SPREADSHEETS
This example applies to Rashis  Lv05-16b
URL reference:(c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/lv05-16b.htm

The spreadsheet method seeks to explain complicated biblical inferences using geometry, algebra and spreadsheets. Today we show a simple example of subtotalling itemizations. Lv05-16 states

Lv05-16. And he shall 
•	pay for the sin that he has done in the holy thing, 
•	and its fifth he shall add to it
and give it to the priest; and the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and it shall be forgiven him.

Lv05-16b (Rashi) So the total amount he pays is 100% of the damages + a one fifth fine.

This Rashi is extremely clear. Rashi is simply subtotalling the damage and fine. In fact this Rashi is so clear that I suggest a modification of the text to Rashi based on the Talmud and Sifre. But if we take Rashi as is, then Rashi is using the spreadsheet method and subtotalling principle and fine.

10. RASHI METHOD: SYMBOLISM
This example applies to Rashis  Lv05-08a
URL reference:(c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/lv05-08a.htm

The symbolism method seeks to extract meaningful inferences from the symbolism of the biblical text.  The concept of symbolic interpretation is very involved. A good, compact, clear reference explaining when symbolism can be used and how to apply it may be found in my article Genesis 1 speaks about the creation of prophecy not the world which you can find at http://www.Rashiyomi.com/gen-1.htm.  Today we explore the symbolism in Lv05-07:08 which reads as follows:

Lv05-07:08 And if he is not able to bring a lamb, then he shall bring for his trespass, which he has committed, two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, to the Lord; 
•	one for a sin offering, 
•	and the other for a up offering. 
•	And he shall bring them to the priest, who shall offer that which is for the sin offering first, 
and wring off its head from its neck, but shall not divide it asunder;

Rashi commenting on the order of sacrifices: sin offering first and up offering second states:
The sin offering comes before the up offering. To what can this be compared: To a person coming to appease a governor. First the person would pay off any debts owed and then he would submit gifts.

It is easy to understand what Rashi has done here. Rashi has symbolically associated each offering type with the emotional event tied to that sacrifice:
•	sin offering corresponds to sinning, not giving God what we owe him
•	up offering corresponds to feelings of wanting to give more to God
Hence Rashi's symbolism that we pay off our debts first and bring gifts afterwards

Conclusion

This concludes this weeks edition. Visit the RashiYomi website at http://www.Rashiyomi.com/ for further details and examples.