The 10 RashiYomi Rules
Their presence in Rashis on Parshath BEHAR
Volume 16, Number 11
This weeks Weekly Rashi with Hebrew/English source tables
Is accessible at http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1611.htm
(c) RashiYomi Incorporated, Dr. Hendel, President, May 12th, 2011
Visit the Rashi website http://www.Rashiyomi.com

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. Although I frequently use my own English translations of biblical verses and Rashi comments, the Hebrew and English translations in the source tables are derived from online parshah files at chabad.org who in turn acknowledges the Judaica Press Complete Tanach, copyright by Judaica Press.

    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 Lv25-10d
    URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/w33n18;
    Brief Summary: The RETURN TO POSSESSIONS (Lv25-10d) refers the right of landowners who sell property to redeem and reacquire (Lv25-28)

Verse Lv25-10d
Hebrew Verse ְקִדַּשְׁתֶּם אֵת שְׁנַת הַחֲמִשִּׁים שָׁנָה וּקְרָאתֶם דְּרוֹר בָּאָרֶץ לְכָל יֹשְׁבֶיהָ יוֹבֵל הִוא תִּהְיֶה לָכֶם וְשַׁבְתֶּם אִישׁ אֶל אֲחֻזָּתוֹ וְאִישׁ אֶל מִשְׁפַּחְתּוֹ תָּשֻׁבוּ:
English Verse And you shall sanctify the fiftieth year, and proclaim freedom [for slaves] throughout the land for all who live on it. It shall be a Jubilee for you, and you shall return, each man to his property,_ and you shall return, each man to his family.
Rashi Header Hebrew ושבתם איש אל אחזתו
Rashi Text Hebrew שהשדות חוזרות לבעליהן:
Rashi Header Enlish and you shall return, each man to his property
Rashi Text English that the fields revert to their owners. [This verse does not mean that the owner must return to his field, but that the ownership of the field returns to the one who had sold it (Mesiach Illemim)].

Verse Lv25-10d discussing the freedom obtained during the Jubilee year states And you shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all the inhabitants of it; it shall be a jubilee to you; and you shall return every man to his possession, and you shall return every man to his family. Rashi clarifies the underlined words you shall return every man to his possession by referencing verse(s) Lv25-28 which states But 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. Hence the Rashi comment: As the underlined words show the statement that you shall return every man to his possession refers to the redemption process and return-of-land rights that all landowners who sell their land have. These rights are mentioned later in the chapter such as at Lv25-28.

Text of Target verse Lv25-10d Text of Reference Verse Lv25-28
And you shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all the inhabitants of it; it shall be a jubilee to you; and you shall return every man to his possession, and you shall return every man to his family. But 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.
Rashi comments: As the underlined words show the statement that you shall return every man to his possession refers to the redemption process and return-of-land rights that all landowners who sell their land have. These rights are mentioned later in the chapter such as at Lv25-28.

      2. RASHI METHOD: WORD MEANING
      BRIEF EXPLANATION: The meaning of words can be explained either by
      • (2a) translating an idiom, a group of words whose collective meaning transcends the meaning of its individual component words,
      • (2b) explaining the nuances and commonality of synonyms-homographs,
      • (2c) describing the usages of connective words like also,because,if-then, when,
      • (2d) indicating how grammatical conjugation can change word meaning
      • (2e) changing word meaning using the figures of speech common to all languages such as irony and oxymorons.
      This examples applies to Rashis Lv25-09a
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1217.htm
      Brief Summary: PASS the SHOFAR BLAST THROUGHOUT the land means ANNOUNCE BY SHOFAR BLAST.

Verse Lv25-09a
Hebrew Verse וְהַעֲבַרְתָּ שׁוֹפַר תְּרוּעָה בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִעִי בֶּעָשׂוֹר לַחֹדֶשׁ בְּיוֹם הַכִּפֻּרִים תַּעֲבִירוּ שׁוֹפָר בְּכָל אַרְצְכֶם:
English Verse You shall proclaim [with] the shofar blasts, in the seventh month, on the tenth of the month; on the Day of Atonement, you shall sound the shofar throughout your land.
Rashi Header Hebrew והעברת
Rashi Text Hebrew לשון (שמות לו ו) ויעבירו קול במחנה, לשון הכרזה:
Rashi Header Enlish You shall proclaim
Rashi Text English Heb. וַהַעֲבַרְתָּ, [lit., “you shall pass” something from one place to another. But here, this term] stems from [the similar expression in the verse], “and they proclaimed (וַיַּעֲבִירוּ קוֹל) throughout the camp” (Exod. 36:6), an expression of proclamation. — [R.H. 34a]

    The FFF submethod states that words can be named by Form, Feel, and Function.
  • Some examples of naming words by Form include (a) the leg of a chair, (b) the handle of a pot, (c) the branch of a family tree, (d) surfing the net or (e) brainstorming Some of these examples illustrate naming objects by form while other examples illustrate naming activities by form.
  • A good punchy example distinguishing naming by form vs. function is pentagon-UN. The pentagon is named after the shape and form of the building while the United Nations is named after the function and purpose of the building. Although both these buildings have as a purpose world peace they are named differently.
  • Examples of naming by feel/substance are glasses, hardship, ironing-board, plaster etc.

The FFF principle is a special case of the literary techniques of synechdoche-metonomy. These literary principles, universal to all languages, state that items can be named by related items, by parts of those items, or by good examples of those items. For example honey refers to anything sweet since honey is a good example of something sweet. Similarly hot refers to matters of love since the two are related. Todays Rashi can best be understood by applying these principles.

Verse Lv25-09a discussing the requirements connected with the Jubilee year states ...pass a shofar blast ...throughout the land.....proclaim freedom throughtout the land. Rashi explains the passing of the shofar-blast metonomycally as meaning Announce the proclamation of freedom throughout the land by shofar blast. This interpretation names an activity - announcing the proclamation of freedom by shofar blast - by its form - the non physical shofar blasts appear to have the form of traveling / passing throughout the land.

      3. RASHI METHOD: GRAMMAR
      BRIEF EXPLANATION: Rashi explains verses using grammar principles, that is, rules which relate reproducable word form to word meaning. Grammatical rules neatly fall into 3 categories
      • (a) the rules governing conjugation of individual words,Biblical roots,
      • (b) the rules governing collections of words,clauses, sentences
      • (c) miscellaneous grammatical, or form-meaning, rules.
      This examples applies to Rashis Lv25-30b
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1217.htm
      Brief Summary: The Biblical text is WRITTEN: ...the city WITH a wall; the text is READ ...the NO WALL city. This creates a pun THE CITY with a WALL EVEN IF CURRENTLY it has NO WALL

Verse Lv25-30b
Hebrew Verse ְאִם לֹא יִגָּאֵל עַד מְלֹאת לוֹ שָׁנָה תְמִימָה וְקָם הַבַּיִת אֲשֶׁר בָּעִיר אֲשֶׁר [לא] לוֹ חֹמָה לַצְּמִיתֻת לַקֹּנֶה אֹתוֹ לְדֹרֹתָיו לֹא יֵצֵא בַּיֹּבֵל:
English Verse But if it is not redeemed by the end of a complete year, then that house which is in the city that has a wall, shall remain permanently [the property] of the one who purchased it throughout his generations. It will not leave [his possession] in the Jubilee.
Rashi Header Hebrew אשר לא חמה
Rashi Text Hebrew לו קרינן, אמרו רזל אף על פי שאין לו עכשיו, הואיל והיתה לו קודם לכן. ועיר נקבה היא והוצרך לכתוב לה, אלא מתוך שצריך לכתוב לא בפנים, תקנו לו במסורת, זה נופל על זה:
Rashi Header Enlish that has a wall
Rashi Text English Heb. חֹמָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא, [meaning “which has no wall”]. [However, Oral Tradition teaches us that] we read לוֹ, [meaning “to him” or “to it,” [hence, “a city that has a wall”]. Our Rabbis of blessed memory said: [The written version of this phrase namely, בָָּעִיר אֲשֶׁר לֹא חֹמָה teaches us that] even if [the city] does not (לֹא) have a wall now, since it had one before [from the days of Joshua, the laws of our passage still apply to it]. — [Arachin 32a] [Since the word] עִיר is grammatically feminine, Scripture should have written בָָּעִיר אֲשֶׁר לָהּ חֹמָה, [לָהּ being the feminine form of “to it”]. However, since לֹא had to be written inside [i.e., in the written text of the Torah, our Rabbis] set this word to be read according to the Oral Tradition as לוֹ, because they match [in pronunciation, unlike לָהּ].

Today, students of the Bible learn grammar from Biblical Hebrew grammar textbooks. These textbooks organize material by topics. Grammatical topics include a) verb mood and conjugation, b) plurality and gender agreement, c) pronoun reference, d) subject-verb-object sequencing, e) sentence structure and type, f) the possessive and g) connective words, and many other topics.

However in Rashi's time gramamr was just beginning. There were no official grammatical textbooks and tables. One of Rashi's functions was to teach grammar. Rashi did not write a grammar textbook but instead left grammatical explanations appended to each verse.

One component of grammar deals with puns. Puns are a universal literary phenomenon in all languages: Puns indicate a deliberate distortion of the text in order to impart relevant secondary meaning. For more information on puns see my article http://www.Rashiyomi.com/puns.pdf on the world wide web.

One method of puns is the so call read-spoken method. When using this method the Biblical Author will write the text one way but the reader is instructed to read it with an alternate different reading. Such a read-write passage creates what is called in literature a pun. Puns are a universal literary device used in all languages. Many scholars regard puns as simply another grammatical tool to convey messages intended by the author (See the above article for further details and references).

Todays example, Lv25-30, contains such a pun. The written text says And if it is not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house that is in the city with a wall shall become the permanent property of he who bought it throughout his generations; it shall not go out in the jubilee. while the text is read as stating And if it is not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house that is in the no-wall city shall become the permanent property of he who bought it throughout his generations; it shall not go out in the jubilee. The written-read text creates a pun. The Author intended that the text convey the message these laws apply to a house sold in a city [initially] with a wall but [currently] without a wall.

We will continue discussion of this interesting Rashi in rule #5, contradiction below. There we will present the explanation hinted at by the bracketed phrases that laws governing a house sold in a city with a wall apply even when the wall is no longer present. These laws are inferred from the pun created by the written-read text.

Advanced Rashi: Rashi makes one additional grammatical comment. The textual phrase city ...it has a wall uses a masculine form of it even though city is a feminine noun. The Bible changed the gender of the word city in order to accomodate the pun since in Hebrew the word for no and the masculine word for it are both pronounced the same. This Rashi stating that grammar can be changed for the sake of a pun is important and seems to have been overlooked by scholars.

    4. RASHI METHOD: ALIGNMENT
    BRIEF EXPLANATION: Aligning two almost identically worded verselets can suggest
    • (4a) 2 cases of the same incident or law
    • (4b) emphasis on the nuances of a case
    • (4c) use of broad vs literal usage of words
    This examples applies to Rashis Lv25-40b,Lv25-41b
    URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/w33n18.htm
    Brief Summary: The Bible speaks about a RETURN a) To one's POSESSIONS b) To one's FAMILY. Jubilee frees sold LAND and sold PEOPLE

Verse Lv25-41b
Hebrew Verse וְיָצָא מֵעִמָּךְ הוּא וּבָנָיו עִמּוֹ וְשָׁב אֶל מִשְׁפַּחְתּוֹ וְאֶל אֲחֻזַּת אֲבֹתָיו יָשׁוּב:
English Verse Then, he shall leave you he, and his children with him, and he shall return to his family and resume the status of his fathers.
Rashi Header Hebrew ואל אחזת אבתיו
Rashi Text Hebrew אל כבוד אבותיו, ואין לזלזלו בכך:
Rashi Header Enlish the status of his fathers
Rashi Text English To his fathers’ [former] honor, and he must not be degraded for it [i.e., for having been a servant]. - [Mak. 13a and Rashi there] [Thus,] אֲחֻזַּת - [means here:] “The status of.” - [Mak. 13a and Rashi there]

The table below presents an aligned extract of verselets in Lv25-41. Both verselets discuss the right of return. The alignment justifies the Rashi assertions that Just as at Jubilee land is returned to its owner even if (s)he could not redeem it, so to slave people return to their free status at Jubilee, even if they could not redeem themselves. Just as the return of land is uncondtional (the owner can do whatever they want even though before hand they were poor) so too the return to freedom is unconditional (the person regains his former social status and recognition even though he was a slave inbetween).

Verse Text of Verse Rashi comment
Lv25-41 ...(s)He shall return to this family ...(s)He shall return to his father's possessions Just as at Jubilee land is returned to its owner even if (s)he could not redeem it, so to slave people return to their free status at Jubilee, even if they could not redeem themselves. Just as the return of land is uncondtional (the owner can do whatever they want even though before hand they were poor) so too the return to freedom is unconditional (the person regains his former social status and recognition even though he was a slave inbetween).
Lv25-41 ...(s)He shall return to this family ...(s)He shall return to his father's possessions Just as at Jubilee land is returned to its owner even if (s)he could not redeem it, so to slave people return to their free status at Jubilee, even if they could not redeem themselves. Just as the return of land is uncondtional (the owner can do whatever they want even though before hand they were poor) so too the return to freedom is unconditional (the person regains his former social status and recognition even though he was a slave inbetween).

Advanced Rashi: Those familiar with Talmudic studies will recognize this as the analogy method (hekesh). It is a powerful Talmudic tool which adds insight and novelty to laws.

      5. RASHI METHOD: CONTRADICTION
      BRIEF EXPLANATION:Rashi resolves contradictory verses using 3 methods.
      • (5a) Resolution using two aspects of the same event
      • (5b) Resolution using two stages of the same process
      • (5c) Resolution using broad-literal interpretation.
      This example applies to Rashis Lv25-30b
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1217.htm
      Brief Summary: The WALLED-CITY property redemption laws apply even if the city wall is no longer present.

Verse Lv25-30b
Hebrew Verse ְאִם לֹא יִגָּאֵל עַד מְלֹאת לוֹ שָׁנָה תְמִימָה וְקָם הַבַּיִת אֲשֶׁר בָּעִיר אֲשֶׁר [לא] לוֹ חֹמָה לַצְּמִיתֻת לַקֹּנֶה אֹתוֹ לְדֹרֹתָיו לֹא יֵצֵא בַּיֹּבֵל:
English Verse But if it is not redeemed by the end of a complete year, then that house which is in the city that has a wall, shall remain permanently [the property] of the one who purchased it throughout his generations. It will not leave [his possession] in the Jubilee.
Rashi Header Hebrew אשר לא חמה
Rashi Text Hebrew לו קרינן, אמרו רזל אף על פי שאין לו עכשיו, הואיל והיתה לו קודם לכן. ועיר נקבה היא והוצרך לכתוב לה, אלא מתוך שצריך לכתוב לא בפנים, תקנו לו במסורת, זה נופל על זה:
Rashi Header Enlish that has a wall
Rashi Text English Heb. חֹמָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא, [meaning “which has no wall”]. [However, Oral Tradition teaches us that] we read לוֹ, [meaning “to him” or “to it,” [hence, “a city that has a wall”]. Our Rabbis of blessed memory said: [The written version of this phrase namely, בָָּעִיר אֲשֶׁר לֹא חֹמָה teaches us that] even if [the city] does not (לֹא) have a wall now, since it had one before [from the days of Joshua, the laws of our passage still apply to it]. — [Arachin 32a] [Since the word] עִיר is grammatically feminine, Scripture should have written בָָּעִיר אֲשֶׁר לָהּ חֹמָה, [לָהּ being the feminine form of “to it”]. However, since לֹא had to be written inside [i.e., in the written text of the Torah, our Rabbis] set this word to be read according to the Oral Tradition as לוֹ, because they match [in pronunciation, unlike לָהּ].

Note: Today's example of the contradiction method is unusual in that the contradiction is between a read and written text. We have explained the read-written method in rule #3, grammar and urge the reader, if (s)he hasn't read it yet, to read it first.

The table below presents presents two contradictory verses. Both verses talk about redemption rights on houses sold in a walled city The underlined words highlight the contradiction. One verse says these redemption rights apply to a walled city while the other verse says these redemption rights apply to a non-walled city. Which is it? Do the laws in question apply to walled or non-walled city. Rashi simply resolves this using the 2 Stages method: (1) The laws apply to houses sold in cities that initially had a wall around it (2) The laws apply even if currently that wall no longer surrounds the city.

Summary Verse / Source Text of verse / Source
The city has a wall Lv25-30b And if it is not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house that is in the city with a wall shall become the permanent property of he who bought it throughout his generations; it shall not go out in the jubilee.
The city has no wall Lv25-30b And if it is not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house that is in the no-wall city shall become the permanent property of he who bought it throughout his generations; it shall not go out in the jubilee.
Resolution: 2 Stages: (1) The laws apply to houses sold in cities that initially had a wall around it (2) The laws apply even if currently that wall no longer surrounds the city.

    6. RASHI METHOD: STYLE
    Rashi examines how rules of style influences inferences between general and detail statements in paragraphs.
    • Example: Every solo example stated by the Bible must be broadly generalized;
    • Theme-Detail: A general principle followed by an example is interpreted restrictively---the general theme statement only applies in the case of the example;
    • Theme-Detail-Theme: A Theme-Detail-Theme unit is interpreted as a paragraph. Consequently the details of the paragraph are generalized so that they are seen as illustrative of the theme.
    This examples applies to Rashis Lv25-10b, Lv25-10e
    URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1413.htm
    Brief Summary: GENERAL: Jubilee. DETAIL: Freedom. GENERAL: Jubilee. DETAIL: Return land and people. GENERAL: Jubilee RASHI: Total freedom. All slaves - those whose term is not completed and those who refused to go free - are freed.

Verse Lv25-10b
Hebrew Verse ְקִדַּשְׁתֶּם אֵת שְׁנַת הַחֲמִשִּׁים שָׁנָה וּקְרָאתֶם דְּרוֹר בָּאָרֶץ לְכָל יֹשְׁבֶיהָ יוֹבֵל הִוא תִּהְיֶה לָכֶם וְשַׁבְתֶּם אִישׁ אֶל אֲחֻזָּתוֹ וְאִישׁ אֶל מִשְׁפַּחְתּוֹ תָּשֻׁבוּ:
English Verse And you shall sanctify the fiftieth year, and proclaim freedom [for slaves] throughout the land for all who live on it. It shall be a Jubilee for you, and you shall return, each man to his property,_ and you shall return, each man to his family.
Rashi Header Hebrew וקראתם דרור
Rashi Text Hebrew לעבדים, בין נרצע, בין שלא כלו לו שש שנים משנמכר. אמר ר' יהודה מהו לשון דרור, כמדייר בי דיירא ומסחר בכל מדינה וכו', שדר בכל מקום שהוא רוצה ואינו ברשות אחרים:
Rashi Header Enlish and proclaim freedom
Rashi Text English for slaves, whether a נִרְצָע [a Jewish slave who chose to remain with his master even after his being permitted to go free at the end of six years and who therefore had to have his ear bored (see Exod. 21:16) or a slave] for whom his six-year period since having been sold has not yet elapsed. Said Rabbi Judah: What does this term דְּרוֹר mean? As one who dwells (כִּמְדַייֵר) in a dwelling (בֵּי דַייְרָא) etc., who dwells wherever he wishes, and is not under the domain of others [thus, the term דְּרוֹר denotes “freedom”]. — [Torath Kohanim 25:18, R.H. 9b and see Rashi there]

Many readers are familiar with the 13 exegetical principles of Rabbi Ishmael which occur in the daily prayer books in the morning prayer. In this email newsletter I have called these rules the style rules. It is important to clarify what the Rabbi Ishmael rules focus on. After all they are distinct from rules of meaning grammar and alignment. What are they?

We have explained in our article Biblical Formatting located on the world wide web at http://www.Rashiyomi.com/biblicalformatting.pdf that the Rabbi Ishmael style rules are rules governing the interpretation of examples. In other words if the Biblical text gives a specific example, as a law or narrative, does the Author intend that the law or narrative exhaust its meaning in that particular example, or, does the Author intend the example as a mere example which should be understood by the reader as a paradigmatic example which should be generalized.

Here is a good example. Dt25-04 states don't muzzle an ox while threshing. The Rabbi Ishmael generalization rule requires that we do not see this example as exhaustive of the law but rather as requiring generalization. Hence Jewish law interprets this to mean Don't muzzle any animal while it is doing its typical work. Actually the law prohibits not only muzzling but any type of inteference with the animal eating.

In this particular case we used the generalization style. Sometimes however we use the restrictive style and interpret the example as exhaustive of the law-- the example is all the law says.

Most of the Rabbi Ishmael style rules are known: They include: Generalization, Theme-Detail, Detail-Theme, and Theme-Detail-Theme. Today however we encounter a rare form, not listed any place: The Theme-Detail-Theme-Detail-Theme-Detail-Theme-Detail-Theme-Detail style. Let us see how Rashi interprets it.

    Verse Lv25-10:13 discussing the Jubilee states
    • General: Sanctify the 50th year
    • Detail: proclaim freedom throughout the land
    • ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    • General: It is the Jubilee
    • Detail: People return to their a) home and b) to their land
    • ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    • General: It is Jubilee, the 50th year
    • Detail: Don't sow, don't reap....
    • ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    • General: For it is the Jubilee...
    • Detail: Eat from the fields
    • ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    • General: In this Jubilee ....
    • Detail: every person returns to his land
    • ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Rashi comments: The continual alternation between General and detail clauses requires a broad generalization of the detail clause. This motif of generalization is similar to the treatment of the general-detail-general style. Consequently the Torah requests freeing slaves in all situations. This includes a) slaves who refused to leave upon completion of their term of service as well as b) slaves who didn't yet complete their term of service.

Advanced Rashi: Similar Rashi comments apply to freeing land (in many circumstances). I should note that an alternative treatment of the Rashi would focus on repetition instead of on style. That is certain Rashi expositors would count the number of times freedom of slaves is mentioned. Since freedom of slaves is mentioned twice they would argue that two slave situations - those who have not yet completed their term of service as well as those who have so completed - are indicated. This counting approach to Rashi is quite popular. Personally I believe it is a better approach to explain Rashi on the basis of style. Since a General-detail-General... style is used the text requires a broad generalization. The fact that two types of slaves must be freed (and that two repetitions are mentioned) is a coincidence. The real driving force of the exegesis is the style.

      7. RASHI METHOD: FORMATTING
      BRIEF EXPLANATION:Inferences from Biblical formatting: #NAME?
      • Use of repetition to indicate formatting effects: bold,italics,...;
      • use of repeated keywords to indicate a bullet effect;
      • rules governing use and interpretation of climactic sequence;
      • rules governing paragraph development and discourse
      This example applies to Rashis Lv25-06d
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/w33n18.htm
      Brief Summary: The 7th year land rest applies to a) you b) servants c) workers (even non-Jew) d) righteous non-Jewish citizens e) animal life.

Verse Lv25-06d
Hebrew Verse וְהָיְתָה שַׁבַּת הָאָרֶץ לָכֶם לְאָכְלָה לְךָ וּלְעַבְדְּךָ וְלַאֲמָתֶךָ וְלִשְׂכִירְךָ וּלְתוֹשָׁבְךָ הַגָּרִים עִמָּךְ:
English Verse And [the produce of] the Sabbath of the land shall be yours to eat for you, for your male and female slaves, and for your hired worker and resident who live with you,
Rashi Header Hebrew ולשכירך ולתושבך
Rashi Text Hebrew אף הגוים:
Rashi Header Enlish for you, for your male and female slaves
Rashi Text English Since Scripture says [regarding Shemittah], “and the poor of your people shall eat [it]” (Exod. 23:11), one might think that it [the produce of the Shemittah year] is prohibited to be eaten by wealthy people. Scripture, therefore, says here, “for you, for your male and female slaves,”-we see that the [wealthy] owners and the male and female slaves are included here [to permit them also to eat of the Shemittah year produce]. — [Torath Kohanim 25:12 and see Sefer Hazikkaron]

We have explained in our article Biblical Formatting located on the world wide web at http://www.Rashiyomi.com/biblicalformatting.pdf, that the Biblical Author indicated bullets by using repeating keywords.

That is, if a modern author wanted to get a point across using bullets - a list of similar but contrastive items - then the Biblical Author would use repeating keywords. Today's verse illustrates this principle.

    Verse Lv25-06:07 discussing those who enjoy the land-rest years states And the sabbath produce of the land shall be food for you;
  • for you, and
  • for your servant, and
  • for your maid, and
  • for your workers ([even non-jewish workers], and
  • for the resident non-jews who sojourns with you, And
  • for your cattle, and
  • for the beast that are in your land, shall all its produce be food.

The repeated underlined word, for, creates a bulleted list effect as shown. The bulleted list in turn justifies the perception that each member of the bulleted list contains a distinct item with a distinct message(this is in fact how all authors in all languages use bullets.). Rashi's application of this principle is embedded above in our translation: The inclusion of workers and resident non-Jews clearly justifies the Rashi assertion that The sabbath-land law applies to all non-Jews whether they are residents and accepted Noachidic law or whether they are just ordinary non-Jews who are hired help.

      8. RASHI METHOD: DATABASES
      BRIEF EXPLANATION:Rashi makes inferences from Database queries. The precise definition of database query has been identified in modern times with the 8 operations of Sequential Query Language (SQL).

      This example applies to Rashis Lv25-38b
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1217.htm
      Brief Summary: Remember Egypt: No a) inequality, b) impurity, c) bad business practices. d) God saved you.

Verse Lv25-38b
Hebrew Verse אֲנִי יְ־הֹוָ־ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִי אֶתְכֶם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם לָתֵת לָכֶם אֶת אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן לִהְיוֹת לָכֶם לֵאלֹהִים:
English Verse I am the Lord, your God, Who took you out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, to be a God to you.
Rashi Header Hebrew לתת לכם את ארץ כנען
Rashi Text Hebrew בשכר שתקבלו מצותי:
Rashi Header Enlish to give you the land of Canaan
Rashi Text English As a reward for accepting My commandments.

We ask the following database query: Which commandments mention that they should be observed becauase 'you are to remember that God took you out of Egypt'? 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 following Rashi inference: Commemoration of the salvation from Egypt is emphasized as a reason for commandment observance in laws prohibiting a) social inequality b) ritual impurity c) anxiety-business practices and d) acknowledgement of salvation from Egypt by God. The list below presents the results of the database query and shows examples

Verses Verse Content Theme Contradicts Egyptian practice of...
Dt15-15,Dt05-14a Dt16-12, Dt24-18 Treat slaves, orphans, widows nicely. Equality ..slavery.
Lv22-33, Lv11-45, Nu15-41, Ex29-46 Avoid the ritual impurity associated with contact with the dead Purity / holiness ...disassociating a person and destroying his will by continuous exposure to death.
Lv25-38, Lv19-36 Avoid anxiety producing business practices (imprecise weights, loaning on interest). Business atmosphere Disassociating a person and destroying his will by continuous exposure to anxiety producing business practices (like imprecise weights).
Ex20-01:03 / Ex29-46 Acknowledge God as having saved you from Egypt God Saves ...believing that any slave could escape from Egypt.

To understand this list we take a simple example: Dt05-14a:15. discussing the obligation to treat slaves and orphans nicely. This verse states but the seventh day is a sabbath unto HaShem thy G-d, in it thou shalt not do any manner of work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy man-servant and thy maid-servant may rest as well as thou. And thou shalt remember that thou was a slave in the land of Egypt, and HaShem thy G-d brought thee out thence by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore HaShem thy G-d commanded thee to keep the sabbath day. As can be seen by the underlined words, the Biblical obligation to let slaves/servants rest on the Sabbath is linked to remembering the Exodus. This linkage between the commandment and the exodus, does not occur at all commandments. However this linkage occurs here because the essence of Egypt consisted of a class society in which certain people were free and certain people were slaves. Consequently any commandment attacking class distinctions - such as the requirement to equally let owners and slaves rest on the Sabbath - will explicitly mention the Exodus.

The other examples are interpreted similarly. For example the linkage of commemorating the exodus from Egypt to the prohibition of taking interest is explained by the observation that causing anxiety was a hallmark of Egypt and encouraged destruction of the personality which enabled slavery. Two popular methods of causing anxiety were 1) using inaccurate weights and 2) charging interest in excess of expected profits thus nullifying the efficacy of small business loans (Because a person trying to loan for business purposes would find the interest they pay out more than the profit they take in)

    9. RASHI METHOD: NonVerse
    BRIEF EXPLANATION: The common denominator of the 3 submethods of the NonVerse method is that inferences are made from non textual material. The 3 submethods are as follows:
    • Spreadsheet: Rashi makes inferences of a numerical nature that can be summarized in a traditional spreadsheet
    • Geometric: Rashi clarifies a Biblical text using descriptions of geometric diagrams
    • Fill-ins: Rashi supplies either real-world background material or indicates real-world inferences from a verse. The emphasis here is on the real-world, non-textual nature of the material.
    This examples applies to Rashis Lv27-18b
    URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1413.htm
    Brief Summary: When redeeming a field one allocates the sales price proportionately on the remaining years of use. The proportionate allocation uses rounding (whether upwards or downwards).

Verse Lv27-18b
Hebrew Verse וְאִם אַחַר הַיֹּבֵל יַקְדִּישׁ שָׂדֵהוּ וְחִשַּׁב לוֹ הַכֹּהֵן אֶת הַכֶּסֶף עַל פִּי הַשָּׁנִים הַנּוֹתָרֹת עַד שְׁנַת הַיֹּבֵל וְנִגְרַע מֵעֶרְכֶּךָ:
English Verse But if he consecrates his field after the Jubilee, the kohen shall calculate the money for him, according to the remaining years until the [next] Jubilee year, and it shall be deducted from the valuation.
Rashi Header Hebrew וחשב לו הכהן את הכסף על פי השנים הנותרת
Rashi Text Hebrew כפי חשבון. כיצד, הרי קצב דמיה של ארבעים ותשע שנים חמשים שקל, הרי שקל לכל שנה, ושקל יתר בין כולן, והשקל ארבעים ושמנה פודיונין, הרי סלע ופונדיון לשנה אלא שחסר פונדיון אחד לכולן, ואמרו רבותינו שאותו פונדיון קלבון לפרוטרוט, והבא לגאול יתן סלע ופונדיון לכל שנה לשנים הנותרות עד שנת היובל:
Rashi Header Enlish the kohen shall calculate the money for him, according to the remaining years [until the (next) Jubi
Rashi Text English according to the rate. How? [Scripture] has stated the fixed value [of redemption for a field whose size is that stated in our verse,] for forty-nine years as fifty [silver] shekels, i.e., one shekel for each of the [49] years and an extra shekel [paid over] all the [49] years. Now, a shekel is equivalent to 48 pundyons . Thus, one sela [i.e., a shekel] and one pundyon for each year, except that one pundyon is missing for all of them [i.e., if we figure fifty shekels, we have only 49 shekels and 48 pundyons , which is less than a sela and a pundyon per year, but the redeemer is required to pay one extra pundyon per a 49-year period, for] our Rabbis taught (Bech. 50a) that, the [extra] pundyon is a surcharge for [currency exchange of] small coins [i.e., if someone comes to purchase a silver shekel with pundyons , he will be charged 49 of them, the extra pundyon being a surcharge for attaining the more significant single shekel coin rather than many small coins. This surcharge, then, is passed on to the one who wishes to redeem the field. Hence, at an annual rate of one shekel and one pundyon, the redeemer is actually paying one forty-ninth of a pundyon currency exchange surcharge every year]. And therefore, someone who comes to redeem [a field], must pay one sela [i.e., a shekel] and one pundyon for every year left until the next Jubilee year.

Verse Lv27-18b discussing the redemption of a field dedicated to the Temple states But if he sanctify his field after the jubilee, then the priest shall reckon unto him the money according to the years that remain unto the year of jubilee, and an abatement shall be made from thy valuation. Rashi explains the arithmetic of this redemption process using a proportionate method with rounding. In presenting the Rashi we supplement his example with extra illustrations to clarify each component of his comment.

Example 1: Suppose the field I dedicated was evaluated as worth $20. Suppose further there are 10 years left to the Jubilee. Then each year is assigned a worth of $20/10=$2. If I wish to redeem the field next year I must pay $18. If I wish to redeem the field in two years I must pay $16. And so forth. We can summarize this by saying that we use a proportionate method in redeeming the field.

Example 2: (Rashi)Suppose I dedicate my field right after the jubilee for $50. So the $50 spans 49 years. Suppose further (true in Talmudic times) that each $1 is worth 48 cents. Then the proportionate method requires that each year be assigned a worth of $50/49 = $49/49 + $1/49 = $1 + 48/49 cents. Rashi explains that this is rounded to $1 + 1 cent. So if the field is redeemed after 10 years the person pays $50 less $10 and 10 cents. We can summarize this by stating that redemption uses a proportionate method with rounding.

Because this Rashi clarified biblical content with arithmetic-spreadsheet methods we classified this Rashi as using the non-verse method.

Conclusion

This week's parshah does not contain examples of the Symbolism Rashi method(s). Visit the RashiYomi website at http://www.Rashiyomi.com for further details and examples.