The 10 RashiYomi Rules 
Their presence in Rashis on Parshat Shemini
Vol 1#7 - Adapted from Rashi-is-Simple 
Visit The RashiYomi Website: http://www.RashiYomi.Com/
(c) RashiYomi Incorporated, Dr Hendel President, Mar 30 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 Lv09-22b
URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/lv09-15a.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.

Lv09-22 states And Aaron lifted up his hand toward the people, and blessed them, and came down from offering the sin offering, and the burnt offering, and peace offerings. Rashi infers the details of the phrase and blessed them -- that is, how did Aaron bless them -- from other verse(s), Nu06-22:28 which describe the priestly blessing: And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, On this wise you shall bless the people of Israel, saying to them, The Lord bless you, and keep you; The Lord make his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. And they shall put my name upon the people of Israel; and I will bless them. From these other verses Rashi infers that the the phrase and blessed them in Lv09-22 refers to the Priestly blessing mentioned in Nu06-22:28.   

2. RASHI METHOD: WORD MEANINGS / new meanings 
This example applies to Rashis Nu06-03a Lv10-09a
URL reference:(c) http://www.RashiYomi.com/nu06-03a.htm

The word meaning method seeks to present dictionary meaning. Rashi uses 10 vehicles to infer word meaning. The synonym method seeks to paint the nuances differentiating pairs of words with almost identical meaning. For example Lv10-08:09 states: And the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying, Do not drink wine (Yud-Yud-Nun) nor strong drink (Shin-Caph-Resh), you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the Tent of Meeting, lest you die; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations.  Even without the English translation it is clear from the context of the verse that the Hebrew words Yud-Yud-Nun and Shin-Caph-Resh both refer to wine. Rashi's job here is to differentiate the nuances of each of these words. Rashi explains that Yud-Yud-Nun refers to any type of wine while Shin-Caph-Resh refers to aged wine. Rashi's suggested translations are in fact consistent with Hebrew usage since only the root Shin-Caph-Resh can refer to drunkedness (the root Yud-Yud-Nun never refers to drunkedness).  Rashi mentions this distinction between wine and aged wine on other biblical verses where the words yud-yud-nun and shin-caph-resh occur such as Nu06-01:03: And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the people of Israel, and say to them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazirite, to separate themselves for the Lord; He shall separate himself from wine  (Yud-Yud-Nun) and strong drink (Shin-Caph-Resh), and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, nor shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried.

3. RASHI METHOD: GRAMMAR / conjugation
This example applies to Rashis  Lv10-16c
URL reference:(c) http://www.RashiYomi.com/lv01-01f.htm

The grammar method seeks to apply and teach Hebrew grammar. One goal of grammar is to present the various attributes of verb conjugation such as person, tense, mode, plurality, gender etc. It is well known that Hebrew roots can be conjugated in several tenses: past, present, future, infinitive etc.  Today we examine the meaning of the infinitive tense. Lv10-16:17 states:  And Moses diligently sought the goat of the sin offering, and, behold, it was burned; and he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron, who were left alive, for the purpose of saying (Laymor), Why have you not eaten the sin offering in the holy place, seeing it is most holy, and God has given it to you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord? The Hebrew word Laymor, Lamed-Aleph-Mem-Resh, is the infinitive of the Hebrew root, Aleph-Mem-Resh - to say - coupled with the preposition Lamed - for; together, Lamed-Aleph-Mem-Resh means for the purpose of saying. Hence Rashi's comment: Although Moses was angry he requested an answer from Aaron's sons on why the goat was not eaten [In other words the biblical text for the purpose of saying means for the purpose of answering]. The url above presents several dozen other verses and Rashis where the biblical word laymor indicates a request for a response.

5. RASHI METHOD: CONTRADICTION  / broad-literal
This example applies to Rashis Lv10-05a
URL reference: (c) http://www.RashiYomi.com/lv10-05a.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 how Aaron's sons died.

•	Lv10-01:02 states And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took each of them his censer, and put fire in it, and put incense on it, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord
•	Lv10-04:05 however states And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, Come near, carry your brothers from before the sanctuary out of the camp. So they went near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp; as Moses had said. 

One verse states that the sons of Aaron died by fire while the other verse mentions that when they were carried out of the camp their coats were on them (showing no damage by fire). Thus the verses as interpreted are contradictory.

Rashi resolves the contradiction by using the contradiction resolution method of broad-literal meaning: Aaron's sons did not die by the fires of Hell but rather by the fires of prophecy which entered into them and decreed death on them immediately.

Rashi's suggested resolution -- they didn't die by fire (a literal interpretation) but rather by the fire of prohecy (a broad interpretation of fire) -- is consistent with the language of the verse which states And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord

8. RASHI METHOD: DATABASES
This example applies to Rashis  Lv09-02a
URL reference:(c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/lv09-02a.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: What types of animals can be used for a sin offering?  The examples uncovered by the query clearly show that only ox, goats and lambs are brought for sin offerings. Only by the inauguration of the priests was a calf used. This strange anomaly will be explained below. First we examine verses for sin offerings:

Example 1: The following people brought oxen for sin offerings: Lv04-03 - High priest: If the priest who is anointed sins according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he has sinned, a young bull without blemish to the Lord for a sin offering. Lv04-14:15 - Congregation: And if the whole congregation of Israel sins through ignorance, and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done something against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which should not be done, and are guilty; When the sin, which they have sinned against it, is known, then the congregation shall offer a young bull for the sin, and bring him before the Tent of Meeting. Lv16-03 - Day of atonement: Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place; with a young bull for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering

Example 2: The following people brought goats for a sin offering:  Lv04-22:23 - King: When a ruler has sinned, and done something through ignorance against any of the commandments of the Lord his God concerning things which should not be done, and is guilty Or if his sin, where he has sinned, come to his knowledge; he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a male without blemish  Lv04-27:28 - Individual:   And if any one of the common people sins through ignorance, when he does something against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which ought not to be done, and is guilty; Or if his sin, which he has sinned, comes to his knowledge; then he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has sinned. Nu28-16 - Holiday: One kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the sin offering of atonement, and the continual burnt offering, and the meal offering of it, and their drink offerings.

Example 3: Lv04-27,32 - An individual could bring either a goat or lamb sin offering: And if any one of the common people sins through ignorance, when he does something against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which ought not to be done, and is guilty;....And if he brings a lamb for a sin offering, he shall bring it a female without blemish.

In light of the above examples we are surprised that there is one sin offering, the consecration of the temple and the inauguratrion of the priests, that requires a calf:  Lv09-02 states And he said to Aaron, Take a young calf for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering, without blemish, and offer them before the Lord.

Rashi explains: Aaron had sinned by participating in the creation of the golden calf. Hence he required a sin offering of a calf to atone for him when he was inaugurated into the priesthood.

Note: Rashi is not simply harping on the coincidence of golden calf vs. sin offering calf. Rather Rashi is responding to a broad database query which reveals the inauguration of the Temple / priests to be the only sin offering requiring a calf

Conclusion

This week's parshah contains no examples of the alignment, style, bullet, symbolism and spreadsheet methods. This concludes this weeks edition. Visit the RashiYomi website at http://www.Rashiyomi.com/ for further details and examples.