The 10 RashiYomi Rules 
Their presence in Rashis on Parshat BeHaR
Vol 1#12 - Adapted from Rashi-is-Simple 
Visit The RashiYomi Website: http://www.RashiYomi.Com/
(c) RashiYomi Incorporated, Dr Hendel President, May 14, 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 Lv25-32a
URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/lv25-32a.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 meaning. 

Compare the following two verses both of which speak about the cities of the Levites
•	Lv25-32a However the cities of the Levites, and the houses of the cities of their possession---[these cities] the Levites may redeem at any time.
•	Nu35-01:08 And the Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying; Command the people of Israel, that they give to the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to live in; and you shall also give to the Levites an open ground around the cities. And they shall have the cities to live in; and their open ground shall be for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their beasts. And the open ground around the cities, that you shall give to the Levites, shall reach from the wall of the city outward a thousand cubits around. And you shall measure from outside the city on the east side two thousand cubits, and on the south side two thousand cubits, and on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits, and the city shall be in the midst. This shall be to them the open ground of the cities. And the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be six cities of refuge, which you shall appoint for the man slayer that he may flee there; and to them you shall add forty two cities. So all the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be forty eight cities; both them and their open grounds. And the cities that you shall give shall be from the possession of the people of Israel; from those who have many you shall give many; and from those who have few you shall give few. Each one shall give of the cities to the Levites according to his inheritance which he inherits.

Rashi (paraphrased):  The reference to the cities of the Levites in Lv25-32a is clarified by the OTHER VERSE, Nu35-01:08, which explains that the Levites were given 42 cities to settle in.

2. RASHI METHOD: WORD MEANINGS / new meanings 
This example applies to Rashis Lv25-23b
URL reference:(c) http://www.RashiYomi.com/lv25-23b.htm

The word meaning method seeks to present dictionary meaning. Rashi uses 10 vehicles to infer word meaning.  
A major word meaning submethod is the idiom or new meaning method. An idiom is a group of words whose meaning is different than the sum of the meanings of its component words.

For example the biblical phrase don't stick a sale or the similar biblical phrase the sale of the house will rise stuck to the owner is considered an idiom meaning permanence of sale. As indicated in Lv25 many sales have the option of redemption: That is, a seller who acquires money may buy back his property. By contrast a stuck sale is permanent and cannot be redeemed.

3. RASHI METHOD: GRAMMAR / conjugation
This example applies to Rashis  Lv25-46a
URL reference:(c) http://www.RashiYomi.com/ex34-09b.htm

The grammar method seeks to apply and teach Hebrew grammar.  One component of grammar deals with verb conjugation. It is well known that verbs change their meaning based on conjugation.  Today we study the biblical root Nun-Cheth-Lamed, which can mean, depending on the conjugation, a) to inherit, b) to distribute, c) to develop estate assets. The following verses illustrate these usages.

•	Nu34-18a And you shall take one prince of every tribe, to [represent you when you] inherit the land. In this verse the root Nun-Cheth-Lamed is in the ordinary active mode (Kal) and means inherit.
•	Nu34-29a These are they whom the Lord commanded to divide the inheritance to the people of Israel in the land of Canaan. In this verse the root Nun-Cheth-Lamed is in the intensive (Piel) mode. Hebrew grammar books teach us that the intensive mode can be used to indicate causation. Here the tribe leaders are dividing the inheritance; that is, they are causing the people to inherit, by the process of division.
•	Lv25-46a  And you shall take them[non-Jewish slaves] to develop an estate for your children after you, so that they may inherit them; they[non-Jewish slaves] shall be your slaves for ever; but over your brothers, the people of Israel, you shall not rule one over another with rigor. In this verse the root Nun-Cheth-Lamed is in the interactive(Hithpael) mode and means to develop an estate.

4. RASHI METHOD: ALIGNMENT
This example applies to Rashis  Lv25-32b Lv25-19b Lv25-15b
URL reference:(c) http://www.RashiYomi.com/lv25-32b.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 either to a) two cases, b) several nuances, or c) an equality of the verses which leads to an understanding in meaning.

Today we contrast several verses which speak about redemption rights. When a person, because of monetary need, sells an important asset, he may have buy-back rights, that is, the right to redeem the object back should he or a friend acquire money with which to redeem the object. Compare the following verses which discuss three cases of potential redemption:

•	Lv25-25:28 If your brother becomes poor, and has sold away some of his inheritance, and if any of his kin comes to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold. And if the man have none to redeem it, and himself is able to redeem it; Then let him count the years since he sold it, and restore the overpayment to the man to whom he sold it; that he may return to his possession if he is not able to restore it to him, then that which is sold shall remain in the hand of him who has bought it until the year of jubilee; and in the jubilee it shall be released, and he shall return to his possession
•	Lv25-29:30  And if a man sells a dwelling house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold; within a full year may he redeem it. And if it is not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house that is in the walled city shall become the permanent property of he who bought it throughout his generations; it shall not go out in the jubilee
•	Lv25-32b However the cities of the Levites, and the houses of the cities of their possession, the Levites may redeem at any time.

Examining the boldface and underlined passages we identify three types of sales and three periods
As the boldface words indicate the Bible speaks about the sale of
•	inheritance--that is, real estate like fields
•	houses in walled cities
•	fields or houses in Levite cities

As the underlined words indicate the Bible, in the above passages, identifies three periods for possible buy-back and redemption
•	the first year
•	from year 1 till the Jubilee
•	the Jubilee year.

Here are the rules as presented in the above verses
•	Fields and houses of Levite cities can be redeemed in all  time periods
•	Houses in walled cities can only be redeemed during the first year after the sale; They cannot be redeemed at any other time, even at the Jubilee. 
•	fields, at least according to the above verses, can be redeemed at Jubilee and also at other times.  It seems as if fields have the same status as Levite city houses and fields, that is, they can always be redeemed.  Notice however that the tone is more emphatic by the Levite-city houses and fields:the Levites may redeem at any time. We in fact learn from an other verse that fields cannot be redeemed the first two years while Levite-city fields and houses can even be redeemed the first two years. For the source of this distinction see rule #7 below, formatting.

Note that additional detail is present in the verses: For example Lv25-31 states that houses in unwalled cities have the same status as fields: But the houses of the villages which have no wall around them shall be counted as the fields of the country; they may be redeemed, and they shall go out in the Jubilee.

We just summarized by the objects being redeemed. We can also summarize by periods (and include the extra details just indicated).
•	During the first year: Houses in walled cities, and Levite houses and fields can be redeemed; fields, and houses in unwalled cities cannot be redeemed
•	During the second year: Only Levite houses and fields can be redeemed (Again: The prohibition of redeeming fields the first two years comes from another verse, not from the underlined verses above)
•	During years 2 to Jubilee: Fields, houses in unwalled cities and Levite houses and fields can be redeemed but not houses in walled cities.
•	During the Jubilee: Everything can be redeemed except for houses in walled cities.

In reviewing the above the important point to emphasize is that Rashi is making the inferences by aligning verses and noting the differences between them.

5. RASHI METHOD: CONTRADICTION
This example applies to Rashis  Lv25-41a
URL reference:(c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/ex21-03c.htm

The contradiction method seeks to derive Biblical content by assuming a resolution to contradictory verses. Rashi had 3 main methods to resolve contradiction: The two contradictory verses could be speaking about a) two stages of one process, b) two aspects or attributes of one entity, or c) the contradictory verses could be resolved assuming a broad or literal interpretation of the words causing the contradiction. 

Today we examine contradictory statements about slavery:
Lv25-39:43 And if your brother who dwells by you becomes poor, and is sold to you; you shall not compel him to serve as a slave; But as a hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with you, and shall serve you to the year of jubilee; And then shall he depart from you, both he and his children with him, and shall return to his own family, and to the possession of his fathers shall he return. For they are my servants, which I brought forth out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as slaves. You shall not rule over him with rigor; but shall fear your God.

By reviewing the underlined phrases we see the contradiction that
•	your brother (one person) sells himself
•	both he and his children go free
Furthermore the Bible prohibits selling people as slaves--it cannot be imagined that the children just automatically get sold.

Rashi resolves the contradiction by seeing the contradictory verses as speaking about two aspects of the same process:
•	Your brother sells himself and he both works for you and is supported by you (Room and board)
•	your brother and his children leave you at Jubilee---that is, you are no longer required to support them.

Here Rashi resolves the contradictory verses by dealing with two aspects of the sale
•	Who works for the buyer?--only the brother, the person who sells himself
•	Who is supported by the buyer?--both the brother, the person who sells himself, and his children.

6. RASHI METHOD: STYLE
This example applies to Rashis  Lv25-25a
URL reference:(c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/lv25-14a.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?  

Today we examine the verses which describe typical situations; the style rules require we generalize them.
Lv25-25a If your brother becomes poor, and has sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin comes to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold

Rashi (paraphrased): The law of redemption applies even if your brother, the seller, did not become poor but sold his possession while rich. The Biblical phrase if your brother becomes poor simply describes the typical situation that would motivate a person to sell real estate: a person typically does not sell real estate unless they become poor. Furthermore, by phrasing the verse this way the Bible teaches us, in passing, proper behavior: A person should not sell yield-producing assets, such as fields, unless he becomes poor.

7. RASHI METHOD: Formatting
This example applies to Rashis  Lv22-13b
URL reference:(c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/lv22-13b.htm
 
Modern typesetting has a variety of formatting vehicles which the writer uses to either create emphasis or point to an underlying unity. Three common examples of modern typesetting are (a) bold-italic-underline, (b) paragraph indentation including use of line spaces, (c) bulleted lists. The modern author uses bold-italic-underline to indicate emphasis; the Biblical authors use repetition to create emphasis.

In reviewing Lv25-15 we note the following repetition indicated by the underlined words. 
Lv25-15 According to the number of years after the jubilee you shall buy from your neighbor, and according to the number of years of the fruits he shall sell to you

Rashi (paraphrased): Without the repetition the verse has a simple meaning. The simple meaning is that the worth of the field is computed by multiplying the annual expected yield of the field times the number of years the buyer expects to keep it. For example, if you sold the field one year before the Jubilee then the buyer knows that the field will revert to the original owner, the seller, next year. So the worth of the field to him is one year of annual expected yield. If however you sell the field right after the Jubilee then the buyer expects to keep the field for 50 years so the worth of the field to him is 50 times the annual expected yield

The above interpretation of this verse can be nicely illustrated using spreadsheets. Please see rule #9 below, spreadsheets, for further clarification.

Rashi points out that any other meanings imparted to the verse, are in addition to the above meaning. Rashi then analyzes the meaning implied by the repetition. The repetition in modern formatting would be indicated by an underline as shown above in the verse citation. The underline in turn creates emphasis. The emphasis suggests a literal restrictive interpretation.

Rashi: The Bible speaks about the number of years after the Jubilee. Since the Bible uses the plural years we infer that any sale must be for at least two years (You cannot sell a field and redeem it back one year later--the buyer has rights also).

We can strengthen Rashi's point by using rule #6, style. The style rule states that all Biblical examples are generalized. For example, if the Bible talks about payments for goring oxen then we interpret the rule as applying to all animals that damage, not just oxen. Similarly if the Bible speaks about a sale for years it was simply giving the typical case and we would generalize this example to also include one year sales. The only reason we don't so generalize is because of the repetition which creates emphasis which requires a restrictive literal meaning.

This -- the difference between the generalization approach and the literal approach -- is a a fundamental distinction in understanding Rashi. Every serious student of Midrash should fully understand it.

9. RASHI METHOD: SPREADSHEETS
This example applies to Rashis  Lv25-16a Lv25-16b
URL reference:(c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/lv25-16a.htm

The spreadsheet method seeks to explain complicated biblical inferences using geometry, algebra and spreadsheets.  We use the term spreadsheet loosely to denote anything specific (not tone) and complicated. The Rashi need not use algebra and geometry. Rashi might simply illustrate a complicated example.

Today we show how algebra or spreadsheets can clarify the meaning of Lv25-16a

Lv25-14:16 And if you sell something to your neighbor, or buy something from your neighbor’s hand, you shall not defraud one another; 
•	According to the number of years after the jubilee you shall buy from your neighbor, and 
•	according to the number of years of the fruits he shall sell to you; 
•	According to the multitude of years you shall increase its price, and 
•	According to the smallness of years you shall diminish its price; 
•	for according to the number of the years of the fruits does he sell to you

Rashi (Paraphrased):  The following spreadsheet clarifies this Rashi. We consider 
•	A Field that produces $1000 of fruit per year
•	This field reverts to its original owner in the Jubilee year (year 50).

Hence 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When you sell the field  How many years can field yield    Hence field is worth
-----------------------  ------------------------------  -------------------------------
if you sell in year 49   The buyer uses it for 1 year	  The field is worth/yields $1000 
if you sell in year 48   The buyer uses it for 2 years	  The field is worth/yields $2000
if you sell in year 47   The buyer uses it for 3 years	  The field is worth/yields $3000
if you sell in year 46   The buyer uses it for 4 years	  The field is worth/yields $4000
if you sell in year 45   The buyer uses it for 5 years	  The field is worth/yields $5000
...
if you sell in year 0    The buyer uses it for 50 years  The field is worth $50000 to him
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As can be seen this spreadsheet clarifies the underlined biblical textual phrases according to the multitude of years you shall increase its price, and according to the smallness of years you shall diminish its price; for according to the number of the years of the fruits does he sell to you

 
Conclusion

This week's parshah contains no examples of the database or symbolism method. This concludes this weeks edition. Visit the RashiYomi website at http://www.Rashiyomi.com/ for further details and examples.