The 10 RashiYomi Rules
Their presence in Rashis on Parshath Ki TayTzaY
Volume 17, Number 3
This weeks Weekly Rashi with Hebrew/English source tables
Is accessible at http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1703.htm
(c) RashiYomi Incorporated, Dr. Hendel, President, September 8 st, 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 Dt25-18d
    URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/w33n4.htm
    Brief Summary: The statement that 'YOU WERE THIRSTY and exhausted' cross references the DROUGHT mentioned at Ex17-03

Verse Dt25-18d
Hebrew Verse אֲשֶׁר קָרְךָ בַּדֶּרֶךְ וַיְזַנֵּב בְּךָ כָּל הַנֶּחֱשָׁלִים אַחֲרֶיךָ וְאַתָּה עָיֵף וְיָגֵעַ וְלֹא יָרֵא אֱ־לֹהִים:
English Verse how he happened upon you on the way and cut off all the stragglers at your rear, when you were faint and weary, and he did not fear God.
Rashi Header Hebrew ואתה עיף ויגע
Rashi Text Hebrew עיף בצמא, דכתיב (שמות יז ג) ויצמא שם העם למים, וכתיב אחריו ויבא עמלק:
Rashi Header Enlish you were faint and weary
Rashi Text English faint from thirst, as it is written, “The people thirsted there for water” (Exod. 17:3), and [immediately] afterwards it says,“Amalek came [and fought with Israel]” (verse 17:8). - [Tanchuma 10]

Verse Dt25-18 states that the Amalyk attacked the Jews who were thirsty and exhausted Rashi clarifies that this cross reference alludes to Ex17-03, which discusses the drought prior to the Amalayk attack.

Text of Target Verse Dt25-17:18 Text of Reference Verse Ex17-03
Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way as ye came forth out of Egypt; how he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, all that were enfeebled in thy rear, when thou wast drought stricken and weary; and he feared not G-d. And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said: 'Wherefore hast thou brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?'
Rashi comments: The underlined phrase though was drought stricken in Dt18-01 references the underlined phrase thirsted there for water in Nu18-20

      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 Dt25-18b
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/w34n10.htm
      Brief Summary: For a country to TAIL another country means for it to perform terrorist actions;snip at tail end of nation

Verse Dt25-18b
Hebrew Verse אֲשֶׁר קָרְךָ בַּדֶּרֶךְ וַיְזַנֵּב בְּךָ כָּל הַנֶּחֱשָׁלִים אַחֲרֶיךָ וְאַתָּה עָיֵף וְיָגֵעַ וְלֹא יָרֵא אֱ־לֹהִים:
English Verse how he happened upon you on the way and cut off all the stragglers at your rear, when you were faint and weary, and he did not fear God.
Rashi Header Hebrew ויזנב בך
Rashi Text Hebrew מכת זנב, חותך מילות וזורק כלפי מעלה:
Rashi Header Enlish and cut off
Rashi Text English [The word וַיְזַנֵּב is derived from the word זָנָב, meaning “tail.” Thus, the verse means: Amalek] “cut off the tail.” This refers to the fact that Amalek cut off the members [of the male Jews,] where they had been circumcised, and cast them up [provocatively] towards Heaven [exclaiming to God: “You see! What good has Your commandment of circumcision done for them?”]- [Tanchuma 9]

Todays Rashi rule could be classified as either the grammar or meaning method.

    Although most conjugation rules refer to the conjugation of verbs, there are also conjugation rules for transfroming nouns into verbs. We list several common methods for transforming nouns into verbs:
  • create the noun: e.g. to flower
  • remove the noun: e.g. to dust; cf. Nu04-13a, to ash the altar.
  • use the noun: e.g. to hammer
  • the verb(activity) done to this noun: e.g. Dt21-04b: neck the calf, in other words kill it with a blow to the neck

We can apply the above Rashi rule to verse Nu25-18b which states How he [Amalayk] met you by the way, and tailed you, all who were feeble behind you, when you were faint and weary; and he did not fear God. Here we have followed our practice in this email list of embedding the Rashi comment in the translation of the verse. The Rashi comment focues on transforming the noun tail into the verb to tail which means to perform terrorist like actions, to snip at the tail end of the people.

      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 Dt22-21c
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1306.htm
      Brief Summary: She has done a vile thing in Israel to prostitute [while in] her father's house

Verse Dt22-21c
Hebrew Verse וְהוֹצִיאוּ אֶת הַנַּעֲרָ אֶל פֶּתַח בֵּית אָבִיהָ וּסְקָלוּהָ אַנְשֵׁי עִירָהּ בָּאֲבָנִים וָמֵתָה כִּי עָשְׂתָה נְבָלָה בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל לִזְנוֹת בֵּית אָבִיהָ וּבִעַרְתָּ הָרָע מִקִּרְבֶּךָ:
English Verse they shall take the girl out to the entrance of her father's house, and the men of her city shall pelt her with stones, and she shall die, for she did a disgraceful thing in Israel, to commit adultery [in] her father's house. So shall you clear away the evil from among you.
Rashi Header Hebrew לזנות בית אביה
Rashi Text Hebrew כמו בבית אביה:
Rashi Header Enlish the men of her city
Rashi Text English [I.e.,] in the presence of all the men of her city. — [Sifrei 22:100]

Today Hebrew grammar is well understood and there are many books on it. Rashi, however, lived before the age of grammar books. A major Rashi method is therefore the teaching of basic grammar.

Many students belittle this aspect of Rashi. They erroneously think that because of modern methods we know more. However Rashi will frequently focus on rare grammatical points not covered in conventional textbooks.

    There are many classical aspects to grammar whether in Hebrew or other languages. They include
  • The rules for conjugating verbs. These rules govern how you differentiate person, plurality, tense, mode, gender, mood, and designation of the objects and indirect objects of the verb. For example how do you conjugate, in any language, I sang, we will sing, we wish to sing, she sang it.
  • Rules of agreement. For example agreement of subject and verb, of noun and adjective; whether agreement in gender or plurality.
  • Rules of Pronoun reference.
  • Rules of word sequence. This is a beautiful topic which is not always covered in classical grammatical textbooks.

    Today we use two rules, one from meaning and one from grammar.
  • The synechdoche rule says we name items by good examples of them. So honey can refer to anything sweet and father can refer to any good caring leader.
  • The verb-noun principle states that a noun (a thing) can be transformed into a verb meaning making the thing. For example, to flower converts the noun plant into the verb meaning to make plants, to build takes the noun building and converts it into the verb meaning to make buildings.

Using these rules we explain verse Dt22-21c which discusses the death penalty for a adultery. In describing the execution the Bible declares ....for she has done a vile thing in Israel to prostitute her father's house. Rashi explains the awkward sounding phrase to prostitute her father's house as meaning to prostitute while in her father's house.

    In explaining this Rashi we make use of the two principles mentioned above.
  • The Hebrew word Nun-Beth-Lamed-Hey, Nevalah means dead carcass
  • However the dead carcass is a Good example of something vile and disgusting. This uses the synechdoche principle which names things by good examples. So honey can mean sweet and dead carcass can mean vile.
  • But then isn't prostitution another good example of something vile? So the word prostitute can also mean vile.
  • Next we use the verb-noun principle: to plant converts the noun plant into the verb meaning to make plants, to build takes the noun building and converts it into the verb meaning to make buildings, and so to prostitute takes the noun prostitute which we just saw means something vile and converts it into the verb meaning to make vile.
  • But the verb to make vile takes a direct object. Hence the verse says to prostitute her father's house which we translate to make vile her father's house.
  • So the whole verse together has a delicious double pun on the vileness of adultery. The entire verse would mean ...she is stoned....because she has done something vile [literally, a dead carcass] in Israel to vile [literally, to prostitute] her father's house.

    Good puns have overtones, flavors and scents which enrich, beautify and deliver punchy points. Here the Bible attacks the sympathies we may have towards adulterous sinners.
  • We tend to see adultery as an act of passion. We imagine lovers and tempting beautiful bodies, and so the Bible deliberately uses the word dead carcass as a pun describing the bodies of the adulterers.
  • We tend to see adultery as a sin between consenting adults and so the Bible reminds us that the woman viles her father's house indicating that the adultery has implications and ramifications for those who brought up the woman - she is not doing something private but rather publicly affecting other peoople.

Advanced Rashi: We tend to look at the Bible as a legal book of laws and exhortations. We forget that the Bible is capable of irony, puns, inuendos - paintings with words and connotations. I hope the above example shows the potential richness in any Biblical verse. The above example also shows how Biblical grammar when properly used is not technical but romantic, poetic and full of nuances.

    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 Dt24-05b
    URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1306.htm
    Brief Summary: A person who got married within the first year: 1) Doesn't do army service 2) Doesn't do national service (substitute army service)

Verse Dt24-05b
Hebrew Verse כִּי יִקַּח אִישׁ אִשָּׁה חֲדָשָׁה לֹא יֵצֵא בַּצָּבָא וְלֹא יַעֲבֹר עָלָיו לְכָל דָּבָר נָקִי יִהְיֶה לְבֵיתוֹ שָׁנָה אֶחָת וְשִׂמַּח אֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר לָקָח:
English Verse When a man takes a new wife, he shall not go out in the army, nor shall he be subjected to anything associated with it. He shall remain free for his home for one year and delight his wife, whom he has taken.
Rashi Header Hebrew ולא יעבור עליו
Rashi Text Hebrew דבר הצבא:
Rashi Header Enlish nor shall he be subjected
Rashi Text English lit., nor shall it pass over him, [referring to] the order of the army.

The table below presents an aligned extract of verses or verselets in Dt24-05b. Both verses/verselets discuss the exemption rights of a groom during the first year of marriage. The alignment justifies the Rashi comment that: The groom is exempt from both army service and national service. (National service (like in Israel)is a substitute communal service done by people who don't serve in the army). This double exemption is indicated in the verse by the aligned phrases: he won't go out in the army and he won't go out for any other matter. By contrast the person who just built a house is exempt from army service but not national service. (Because the Bible just exempts him from being in the army).

Verse Text of Verse Rashi comment
Dt24-05b
    When a man taketh a new wife,
  • he shall not go out in the army,
  • neither shall he do national service;
      rather he shall be free for his house one year, and shall cheer his wife whom he hath taken.
The groom is exempt from both army service and national service. (National service (like in Israel)is a substitute communal service done by people who don't serve in the army). This double exemption is indicated in the verse by the aligned phrases: he won't go out in the army and he won't go out for any other matter. By contrast the person who just built a house is exempt from army service but not national service. (Because the Bible just exempts him from being in the army).
Dt24-05b
    When a man taketh a new wife,
  • he shall not go out in the army,
  • neither shall he do national service;
      rather he shall be free for his house one year, and shall cheer his wife whom he hath taken.

Advanced Rashi: Rashi also mentions that the four exemptions in Biblical paragraph, Dt20-01:09, - the person who just built a house, or just got engaged, or just planted a vineyard, or who is a coward - these four exemptions are only from the army and hence by aligned comparison with Dt24-05b, the person just married, these 4 exemptions can be made to do national service.

We have classified this Rashi as an alignment. But it can also be classified as an instance of the formatting rule. Here we would simply focus on the repeating keyword will not go out. The repeating keyword is treated like a bulleted list and creates an unspecified emphasis that two exemptions are mentioned. It is then easy to fill in that one exemption is army service while the other exemption would be other service which we would immediately recognize as national service.

      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 examples applies to Rashis Dt21-07a
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1305.htm
      Brief Summary: 1)No one knows who killed this person 2)The elders say...we didn't kill this person RASHI We didn't accidentally kill him by abstaining from hospitality which led to a road mugging.

Verse Dt21-07a
Hebrew Verse וְעָנוּ וְאָמְרוּ יָדֵינוּ לֹא [שפכה] שָׁפְכוּ אֶת הַדָּם הַזֶּה וְעֵינֵינוּ לֹא רָאוּ:
English Verse And they shall announce and say, Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see [this crime].
Rashi Header Hebrew ידינו לא שפכה
Rashi Text Hebrew וכי עלתה על לב שזקני בית דין שופכי דמים הם, אלא לא ראינוהו ופטרנוהו בלא מזונות ובלא לויה. והכהנים אומרים כפר לעמך ישראל:
Rashi Header Enlish Our hands did not shed [this blood]
Rashi Text English But would it enter one’s mind that the elders of the court are murderers? Rather, [they declare:] We [ourselves] did not see him and let him depart without food or escort [which would have indirectly caused his death, leaving this man to the elements and to robbers]. — [Sifrei ; Sotah 45a] The kohanim then say:

The table below presents two contradictory verses. Both verses talk about the killer of a dead person found in the field. The underlined words highlight the contradiction. One verse says it is not known who killed him while the other verse says we [the elders of the city] didn't kill him Which is it? Is the murder unknown or did the elders kill him? Rashi simply resolves this using the Broad-Literal method method: 1) The killer is unknown 2) We also (besides not directly killing the person) didn't indirectly kill him by abstaining from hospitality leading to the murdered wandering the roads and getting killed

Summary Verse / Source Text of verse / Source
Sanctify the firstborn Dt21-01 If one is found slain in the land which the Lord your God gives you to possess, lying in the field, and it is not known who has slain him;
We (the elders) didn't kill him Dt21-07a And they [the elders] shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, nor have our eyes seen it
Resolution: Broad-Literal 1) The killer is unknown 2) We also (besides not directly killing the person) didn't indirectly kill him by abstaining from hospitality leading to the murdered wandering the roads and getting killed

Advanced Rashi: Rashi literally says Did anyone think that the elders killed him that the verse should say We have not killed him? I have added to Rashi (who based the contradiction on logic) by finding a verse which supports the contradiction since it explicitly says it is not known who killed him.

    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 Dt24-16a
    URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1306.htm
    Brief Summary: Each person shall die based on his own record of sin (Independent of behavior of children and parents). So a) Parents shall not be EXECUTED for children's CRIMES and also b) Parents shall not be CONVICTED account of children's TESTIMONIES.

Verse Dt24-16a
Hebrew Verse לֹא יוּמְתוּ אָבוֹת עַל בָּנִים וּבָנִים לֹא יוּמְתוּ עַל אָבוֹת אִישׁ בְּחֶטְאוֹ יוּמָתוּ:
English Verse Fathers shall not be put to death because of sons, nor shall sons be put to death because of fathers; each man shall be put to death for his own transgression.
Rashi Header Hebrew לא יומתו אבות על בנים
Rashi Text Hebrew בעדות בנים. ואם תאמר בעון בנים, כבר נאמר איש בחטאו יומתו, אבל מי שאינו איש מת בעון אביו, הקטנים מתים בעון אבותם בידי שמים:
Rashi Header Enlish Fathers shall not be put to death because of sons
Rashi Text English [I.e.,] by the testimony of [their] sons. But, if you say [that it means that fathers shall not be put to death] because of the sins of their sons, it has already been stated, “each man shall be put to death for his own transgression.” However, one who is not yet a man may die on account of his father’s transgressions. [Therefore,] minors may die at the hands of Heaven on account of their parents’ sins. — [Sifrei 24:147, Shab. 32b]

Certain Biblical paragraphs are stated in a Example-General form. In other words several particular examples are stated followed by a general theme. The Detail-Theme form creates a unified paragraph and consequently the examples are interpreted broadly as illustrating multiple aspects of the general theme. Today's example illustrates this as shown below.

    Verses Dt24-16a discussing the requirement that people die for their own sins states
    • Detail:
      • Parents shall not die account of children and
      • Children shall not die account of parents
    • Detail: every person shall die because of his own sins.
    The detail clause states parents shall not die account of children and could mean parents shall not die account of the sins/crimes of their children. For example, if the family is a criminal family it is still prohibited to kill the parent for the crimes of their children (to make an example of them) The General clause provides an all exclusive principle and requires that the detail clause should be interpreted broadly: The statement parents shall not die account of their children means the restrictive parents shall be be executed account of their childrens sins and also means more broadly parents shall be be convicted account of their childrens testimonies. It is important to emphasize what Rashi is and is not saying. Rashi is not saying that the simple meaning of parents shall not die account of their children is parents shall be be convicted account of their childrens testimonies. Rather Rashi is saying that because there is a terminal general clause we should see the example clauses as illustrating all examples of this general clause. The driving force of this broad interpretation is the paragraph structure which teaches us that the example clause is not the only example of the theme but rather one of many examples of the theme. Hence the paragraph as a whole even though it doesn't explicitly say so teaches us that parents aren't executed for children's sins and parents aren't convicted by children's testimonies.

      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 Dt25-02c
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1306.htm
      Brief Summary: Lashes are given a) According to the degree of wickedness and b) According to measure (of capacity)

Verse Dt25-02c
Hebrew Verse וְהָיָה אִם בִּן הַכּוֹת הָרָשָׁע וְהִפִּילוֹ הַשֹּׁפֵט וְהִכָּהוּ לְפָנָיו כְּדֵי רִשְׁעָתוֹ בְּמִסְפָּר:
English Verse and it shall be, if the guilty one has incurred [the penalty of] lashes, that the judge shall make him lean over and flog him in front of him, commensurate with his crime, in number.
Rashi Header Hebrew במספר
Rashi Text Hebrew ואינו נקוד במספר, למד שהוא דבוק, לומר במספר ארבעים ולא ארבעים שלמים, אלא מנין שהוא סוכם ומשלים לארבעים, והן ארבעים חסר אחת:
Rashi Header Enlish in number
Rashi Text English Heb. בְּמִסְפָּר, but it is not vowelized בַּמִּסְפָּר, in the number. This teaches us that the word בְּמִסְפָּר is in the construct state, [qualifying the word following it which is the first word of the next verse, namely, אַרְבָּעִים], to read: בְּמִסְפָּר אַרְבָּעִים, that is, “[and flog him…] the number of forty,” but not quite a full quota of forty, but the number that leads up to the full total of forty, i. e.,“forty-minus-one.” - [Mak. 22b]

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.

Bullets whether indicated through modern notation or through the Biblical method of repeating keywords always indicate contrastive emphasis - that is, each bullet is presumed to be a distinct item contrasted to the other items on the list. Very often the bullets are also used to indicate that the entire list is exhaustive of some spectrum.

    Verse(s) Dt25-02c discussing the administration of lashes to a person who violated Torah law states
      then it shall be, if the wicked man deserve to be lashed, that the judge shall cause him to lie down, and to be beaten before his face,
    • according to the measure of his wickedness,
    • by number.
    40 lashes but not more....less he be lashed more...and your brother will be humiliated
    The repeated underlined phrase according / by creates a bullet effect. The bullet effect in turn creates an emphasis on the distinctness of all enumerated items. Rashi interprets the distinctness as follows To give lashes you must ascertain two things: a) How wicked was the sin and b) what number of lashes can the convicted endure [The lashes must be suggestive of rehabilitation and not be so strong as to humiliate and degrade the person]

Advanced Rashi: Rambam gives numerous laws that follow from this principle. For example 1) The lashes were administered by a person of medium strength; it was prohibited to administer the lashes by a powerful person; 2) Physiological signs of extreme fright exempted the person from further lashes 3) re-estimations of capacity justified lowering the number of lashes 4) the number of lashes even in someone who could withstand it never exceeds 40 (and to play it safe never exceeded 39), 5) lashes were administered in triplets so as not to accidentally lose count (See Rambam Sandendrin, Chapters 16,17,18).

      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 Dt24-19d
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/w34n8.htm
      Brief Summary: 7 commandments have a reward of long life (Covers all: don't eat blood (Would do it anyway), honor bird parent(easy)...

Verse Dt24-19d
Hebrew Verse כִּי תִקְצֹר קְצִירְךָ בְשָׂדֶךָ וְשָׁכַחְתָּ עֹמֶר בַּשָּׂדֶה לֹא תָשׁוּב לְקַחְתּוֹ לַגֵּר לַיָּתוֹם וְלָאַלְמָנָה יִהְיֶה לְמַעַן יְבָרֶכְךָ יְ־הֹוָ־ה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּכֹל מַעֲשֵׂה יָדֶיךָ:
English Verse When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to take it; it shall be [left] for the stranger, the orphan, and the widow, so that the Lord, your God, will bless you in all that you do.
Rashi Header Hebrew למען יברכך
Rashi Text Hebrew ואף על פי שבאת לידו שלא במתכוין, קל וחומר לעושה במתכוין. אמור מעתה, נפלה סלע מידו ומצאה עני ונתפרנס בה הרי הוא מתברך עליה:
Rashi Header Enlish so that [the Lord, your God,] will bless you
Rashi Text English Although [the forgotten sheaf came into his hand without intention [of the owner]. How how much more so [will one be blessed] if he did it liberately! Hence, you must say that if someone dropped a sela, and a poor man found it and was sustained by it, then he [who lost the coin] will be blessed on its account. — [Sifrei 24:149]

    Today we ask the database query: Which commandments mention a reward of long life or becoming well off for performing them? The query uncovers half a dozen major examples. An examination of these examples justifies the Rashi assertion that 7 commandments mention the reward of a long life or becoming well. These commandments cover the entire spectrum of commandments
    • Thus there are easy commandments (like letting the mother bird escape when capturing its young),
    • commandments whose violation is disgusting (like eating blood),
    • communal commandments (like have good justice), etc.
    Because these commandments cover the entire spectrum therefore we infer that all commandments if observed will provide a reward of long life.
    The table below presents results of the query along with illustrations of Rashi's comment.

Verse Verse Content Comments on commandment
Dt11-21a That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth. General Observance of commandments
Dt24-19d When you cut down your harvest in your field, and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go again to fetch it; it shall be for the non-citizen, for the orphan, and for the widow; that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. Leaving forgotten sheaves to indigent (No further action required)
Dt12-25b You shall not eat it; that it may go well with you, and with your children after you, when you shall do that which is right in the sight of the Lord. Prohibition of eating blood (But blood is disgusting and most people would abstain anyway)
Dt22-07a But you shall let the mother go, and take the young to you; that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days. Letting mother bird free when capturing young (An easy commandment)
Ex20-12a Honor your father and your mother; that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God gives you. Honoring parents (Easy commandment; all can do it)
Dt16-20b Justice, only justice shall you pursue, that you may live, and inherit the land which the Lord your God gives you. Communal justice
Dt17-20b That his heart be not lifted up above his brothers, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left; to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel. Requirements of King

    Notice how the commandments above span the entire spectrum
    • General commandments
    • Easy commandments
    • Commandments that would be done anyway
    • Communal commandments
    • Commandments peculiar to Royal house
    • Commandments without action
    Hence the Rashi comment: Observance of any commandment leads to reward. Note the interesting fact that although we have classified this as the database method it could equally be classified as coming from the Style rule of generalization from several verses.

    9. RASHI METHOD: SPREADSHEETS
    BRIEF EXPLANATION: The common denominator of the 3 submethods of the Spreadsheet 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 Dt21-17a
    URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/w34n10.htm
    Brief Summary: The eldest inherits DOUBLE - he inherits his own portion and a special portion made for the eldest.

Verse Dt21-17a
Hebrew Verse כִּי אֶת הַבְּכֹר בֶּן הַשְּׂנוּאָה יַכִּיר לָתֶת לוֹ פִּי שְׁנַיִם בְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר יִמָּצֵא לוֹ כִּי הוּא רֵאשִׁית אֹנוֹ לוֹ מִשְׁפַּט הַבְּכֹרָה:
English Verse Rather, he must acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the despised [wife] and give him a double share in all that he possesses, because he [this firstborn son] is the first of his strength, then he has the birthright entitlement.
Rashi Header Hebrew פי שנים
Rashi Text Hebrew כנגד שני אחים:
Rashi Header Enlish a double share
Rashi Text English [The firstborn son takes a share] equal to that of two brothers [together]. — [Sifrei 21:28]

When Rashi explains a complicated algebraic computation we say that Rashi is using the spreadsheet method. Spreadsheet Rashis have a more complicated flavor than other Rashis because of their algebraic technical nature.

Verse Dt21-17a lays down the requirements for promogeniture: But he shall acknowledge the firstborn son of ...., by giving him a double portion of all that he has; ... Rashi explains: For example if a person's estate has $1,000,000 and he has 3 children then we do as follows: We create a fictitious son so that the person now has 4 children, the 3 actual ones and the fictitious one. Each son inherits one fourth of the estate $250,000. The eldest son inherits both his share of $250,000 and the $250,000 of the fictitious son. Consequently the first born inherits $500,000 while the other 2 actual children inherit $250,000 each. It follows that the aggregate share of the firstborn, $500,000, is twice the $250,000 inherited by each non firstborn.

I have augmented Rashi's explanation with the examples used by the Rambam in Chapter 2 of Inheritances. The reader may wonder why the Rambam made obscure so simple a law. Why not simply let the variable x denote the unknown amount inherited by the non first born son. We see that each real son inherits x while the firstborn inherits 2x. Thus the firstborn inherits twice the amount of each non firstborn. Furthermore the sum of all the inheritances must exhaust the estate giving rise to the equation x + x + 2x = $1,000,000 which easily solves for x = $250,000 and 2x = $500,000.

The above algebraic approach is simpler for the general case. However Rambam gives a complicated example of a 3 child family where one of the non first born sons had an unnatural birth and is not counted for the share of the firstborn son, but does inherit. The interested reader can look up the Rambam's example in his great code.

We also brought the two approaches to illustrate how spreadsheet Rashis can be approached in a variety of manners.

Conclusion

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