1. RASHI METHOD: REFERENCES BRIEF EXPLANATION: Commentary on a verse is provided thru a cross-reference to another verse. The cross references can either provide (1a) further details, (1b) confirm citations, or (1c) clarify word meaning. This examples applies to Rashis Gn25-01a, Gn25-06a URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/h33n5.htm Brief Summary: 1C01-32 speaks about Keturah, Abraham's concubine. Hence we infer that Abraham had one concubine with 2 names KETURAH, HAGAR.

Every language has a set of words that function as connectives. Examples of such words are in, on, because, that, also, rather, .... Frequently such connective words have multiple meanings. Rashi will list the meanings of each word.

In the verses below, AYIN-LAMED which normally means on is translated as by or with. We have incorporated the Rashi translation into each verse.
• Gn27-40a And with thy sword shalt thou live, and thou shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt break loose, that thou shalt shake his yoke from off thy neck.
• Ex12-09e Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; its head with its legs and with the inwards thereof
• Ex35-22a And the men came with the women, as many as were willing-hearted, and brought nose-rings, and ear-rings, and signet-rings, and girdles, all jewels of gold; even every man that brought an offering of gold unto the LORD.
• Gn30-40 And Jacob separated the lambs--he also set the faces of the flocks toward the streaked and all the dark in the flock of Laban--and put his own droves apart, and put them not with Laban's flock
• Ex29-17a And thou shalt cut the ram into its pieces, and wash its inwards, with its legs, and put them with its pieces, and with its head

Verse Gn25-23b discussing Rivkah's pregnancy with twins states And HaShem said unto her: Two People are in thy womb, and two peoples shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. Here we have mirrored the Hebrew pun with an English pun. The underlined word should say two peoples but instead says two People with a capital P and in the singular. This suggests that
• two nations (peoples) will come from the pregnancy
• Also two individual great People (hence the singular P)
Rashi further explains: From Jacob came the Jews and from Esauv came the militant nations. Both the Jews and militant nations had great people, of greath wealth and social influence such as Rabbi Judah the Head of Court and Antiyochus.

We have mirrored the Hebrew pun with an English pun. The actual Hebrew pun looks at the Hebrew word which is pronounced Gimel-Vav-Yud-Mem, meaning nations but written, misspelled Gimel-Yud-Yud-Mem, meaning great people. The use of deliberate misspelllings to communicate secondary nuances is known as metaplasmus.

The table below presents an aligned extract of verses in Gn25-24a, Gn38-27 Both verses discuss pregnant women giving birth. The alignment justifies the Rashi assertion that Rivkah had a full 9 month pregnancy while Tamar had 7 month pregnancy. In the sermonic points section we provide further details.

Verse	Text of Verse	Rashi comment
Gn25-24	And when her pregnancy was full , behold, there were twins in her womb.	when full versus when she delivered implies a full 9 month pregnancy.
Gn38-27	And it came to pass at the time of her delivery, that, behold, twins were in her womb.	when she delivered vs. when full implies a possibly premature birth.

Sermonic points: Rivkah had a pregnancy through marriage while Tamar had a pregnancy through an affair. The stresses of out-of-marriage pregnancy can prevent a normal gestation period and contribute to a premature birth. A pregnancy through marriage encourages normal delivery patterns.

Certain Biblical paragraphs are stated in a Theme-Development-Theme form. In other words a broad general idea is stated first followed by the development of this broad general theme in specific details. The paragraph-like unit is then closed with a repetition of the broad theme. The Theme-Detail-Theme form creates a unified paragraph. The detailed section of this paragraph is therefore seen as an extension of the general theme sentences. Today's example illustrates this as shown immediately below.

Note the theme-detail-theme structure of the following Biblical paragraph, Gn25-31:34 which states And Jacob said, Sell me this day your birthright.
• Theme: And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point of death; and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
• Detail: And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he swore to him; and he sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and he did eat and drink,
• Theme: and rose up, and went his way; thus Esau despised his birthright.

Hence the Rashis on the above paragraph: Esauv lived a life of eating and drinking. Such a lifestyle is inconsistent with the Priesthood which required a life of abstention. As a simple example a priest who served while intoxicated could be liable to a death penalty.

The driving force behind Rashi is the re-interpretation of the Biblical phrase eat and drink as developmental details of the Biblical phrase did not want the birthright. Precisely because of the paragraph structure Rashi perceives the eating and drinking not as incidental items but as reflections and clarifications of did not want the priesthood. This is the essence of the style method.

Sermonic Points: Rashi teaches us basic etiquette. Jacob could have said: Look the Priesthood will be given to me and not to you; why don't you just cooperate and willfully give it to me; that way it looks better for you. This is an argument based on politics, power and authority. Instead the Bible approaches this as an argument based on lifestyle. Jacob's lifestyle belonged with the Priesthood; Esauv's lifestyle did not. It is always best to approach appointments based on merit instead of authority.

We ask the following database query: Does God communicate prophecy explicitly or thru symbols? The reader is encouraged to perform the query using a standard Biblical Konnkordance or search engine. This database query yields the list below. The list justifies the inference that God communicates prophecy through symbolic items. The list below presents the results of the database query and provides examples.

Verse	Symbol mentioned	Meaning of symbol
Jr01-13:14	Burning pot in north	Burning anti-semitism of Northern nations
Ex17-11	Jews were victorious when Moses raised his hands	Jews were victorious when they responded to his call for prayer
Is20-02:06	Isiah walks naked 3 years	Egypt will be exiled and its citizens will be without clothes
Gn25-22:26	2 infants fight in womb	2 nations at war with each other [Jews vs Esauv]
Gn25-22:26	One infant is hairy and ruddy	One nation fights like an animal
Gn25-22:26	Jacob holding heal of Esauv	Weaker nation will hold more powerful nation at bay

Verse Gn26-08a discussing how Avimelech found out that Rivkah was his wife, not sister, states And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife. Rashi fills in and explains how length of time leads to lowering of guard: When Isaac came to the town he was worried that someone would take his wife. But after a few years, with no one making overtures to her, Isaac lowered his guard. By playing with her publicly Avimelech knew she was his wife not his sister. Here we see how prolonged time can often lead to a lowering of guard.

Please see rule #8, Databases above. There we explained that God communciates prophecy thru symbolism. We also explained the symbolism of Rivkah's pregnancy.
• Two infants fighting = two nations fighting
• One infant hairy and ruddy = one nation fights like an animal
• The younger infant grabbed the heal of the hairy infant = the weaker nation will hold the more powerful nation at bay.

For further details and examples please see rule #8 above.