The table below presents an aligned extract of verses or verselets in Gn25-18a, Gn16-12 Both verses/verselets discuss that Arabs dwell all over the world. The alignment justifies the Rashi comment that: While Ishmael was alive the Arabs were more respected and hence are described as dwelling all over. However after Ishmael's death the Arabs were less respected and hence are described as falling all over. (Falling is a more pejorative term then dwelling.)

Verse	Text of Verse	Rashi comment
Gn16-11:12	And the angel of the Lord said to her, Behold, you are with child, and shall bear a son, and shall call his name Ishmael; because the Lord has heard your affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every manÆs hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brothers.	While Ishmael was alive the Arabs were more respected and hence are described as dwelling all over. However after Ishmael's death the Arabs were less respected and hence are described as falling all over. (Falling is a more pejorative term then dwelling.)
Gn25-16:18a	These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their encampments; twelve princes according to their nations. And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, a hundred and thirty seven years; and he expired and died; and was gathered to his people. And they lived from Havilah to Shur, that is before Egypt, as you go toward Assyria; and he fell in the presence of all his brothers.

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.

Verse Gn23-01b discussing Sarah's life states states
• General Theme: This is the life of Sarah
• Detail:
  • The 100-year life [maturity],
  • The 20-year life [the young-adult life]
  • The 7-year life [innocence]
• General: The years of Sarah's life

Rashi comments on the Theme-Detail-Theme form which creates the illusion of an entire paragraph. Although her life had 3 distinct aspects - maturity, young-adulthood, innocence - nevertheless these 3 aspects were illustrative of her life as a whole. That is her life had a unified theme of personal-fulfillment and growth.

Advanced Rashi: We have not explained why we translated the verse as the 100 year life, the 20 year life, the 7 year life. This is in fact the subject of another Rashi. We are simply not covering it today. However it will be justified, possibly next year. We also seem to have taken sides on what the 100 year, 20 year and 7 year life mean. There is considerable controversy among Rashi-ists on this point. We will explain this also next year. Right now, we are focusing on the general-theme-General form which justifies that the three stages be nevertheless perceived as aspects of one whole life.

The Formatting rule includes the methods of writing consecutive paragraph or sentences. Just as a paragraph is a collection of sentences unified by a topic sentence and developed by supporting sentences, so too, a chapter very often has a theme that is developed by a skillfully sequenced set of paragraphs. Rashi knew of 3 methods of writing consecutive paragraphs
• Cause-effect: The second paragraph is the effect of the first paragraph. The first paragraph is the cause of the second paragraph.
• Contrast: The two paragraphs illustrate contrasting sides of a theme.
• Unified theme: The two or more paragraphs illustrate a common theme. For example a common theme may be illustrated by a sequence of paragraphs each of which exemplifies and illustrates the theme idea.
The above three principles indicate methods for paragraph development into chapters as well as method for sentence development into paragraphs.

We formerly classified paragraph and chapter development under the grammar rule. However we think it more proper to devote the grammar rule to the relation between meaning and form, for example how verb conjugational forms indicates meaning. As indicated above the formatting rule governs use of sequence to indicate climax and paragraph sequencing.

Rashi on Gn24-67b explains the sequence in two paragraphs/sentences indicating a cause-effect relationship.
• Gn24-67b. And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her.
• Gn24-67b And Isaac was comforted for his mother.

Advanced Rashi: Rashi can be further understood with the following Zohar: In a mature husband-wife relationship the wife functions in three ways: a) as co-spouse, b) maternally (caring and nuturing) and c) as student and disciple. So I think Rashi's intent here is that Rivkah assumed the maternal caring role of Sarah and consequently since someone else is caring for him - in those situations where caring was needed - therefore, he was comforted on his mother's deat.

We ask the following database query: What does bowing symbolically affirm in the Bible? 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: Bowing can symbolically affirm 4 items:
1. A greeting of 'Hello.'
2. Expression of Thanks
3. Acknowledgement of Power
4. Worship
The list below presents the results of the database query and shows examples.

Meaning of Bowing	A Supportive Verse	Text of Verse
Greeting of Hello	Ex18-07	And Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and bowed down and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came into the tent
Expression of Thanks	Gn24-52	And it came to pass, that, when Abraham's servant heard their words, he bowed himself down to the earth unto the LORD
Acknowledgement of Power	Gn37-10	he told it to his father, and to his brethren; and his father rebuked him, and said unto him: 'What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down to thee to the earth?'
Worship	Ex24-01	And unto Moses He said: 'Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and bow ye afar off;

Verse Gn24-44b discussing how Eliezer would recognize a future wife for Isaac states and she shall say to me: Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels; she is the woman whom God has proven for my master's son. Rashi's task is to explain how Rivkah's offering of water to Eliezer and his camels proves she is Isaac's future wife: Rashi solves this problem, not by citing verses, but by Filling in with logical and world facts. Rashi argues that Charitable men need charitable wives. Hence a woman who gave water to Eliezer and his camels was charitable and worthy of being Isaac's wife. Here Rashi uses a fill in method to explain why provision of water is a proof. This is typical of the fill in method.

Verse Gn24-22c discussing the gifts that Eliezer gave Rivkah states And it came to pass, as the camels finished drinking, that the man took
• a golden ear ring of half a dollar value, and
• two bracelets for her hands of
• ten shekels weight of gold;

The Rashi symbolic interpretations of these gifts seems strange:
• a golden ear ring of half a dollar value, [Rashi: corresponding to the Biblical commandment to give a half-dollar]
• two bracelets for her hands of [Rashi: Corresponding to the 10 commandments given on two stones]
• ten shekels weight of gold; [Rashi: Corresponding to the 10 commandments]

This Rashi is strange because it implies that Eliezer is prophesying that Rebekkah will be a matriarch to a people who will receive the 10 commandments and be commanded on the giving of the half-dollar. Rebekkah was in no position to know this at this stage of her life.

However the Rashi interpretations can be made plausible if we use one simple Rashi rule: Rashi does not speak using abstract concepts but rather Rashi speaks using examples of these concepts. Hence
• The concept of caring about the little man in the street is symbolized by the half dollar vs. say the $100 bill. The half dollar symbolism is also used in the commandment for every Jew to give a half dolloar symbolizing that all the little people in the nation count. Consequently instead of using the abstract concept of the little man in the street Rashi uses an example of this concept: The commandment to give a half dollar. Here we have used our understanding of Rashi's style to make his commentary plausible.
• The abstract concept of a dual emphasis on commandments between man-and-man vs. commandments between man-and-God is exemplified by the two tablets containing the ten commandments since one side the ten commandments contains commandments between man-and-God while the other side contains commandments between man-and-man.
• The abstract concept of community is symbolized by the plural number ten. One example of this is the quorom of people needed for a religious service,10, since the service must be delivered by the community. Another example might be the 10 commandments which contain the basic laws and ethics needed by the community.

Using this principle that Rashi expresses abstract concepts by using examples of them we can translate the Rashi symbolism into traditional abstract language. Rashi is explaining what Eliezer liked about Rivkah which would make her a good wife for Isaac:
• a golden ear ring of half a dollar value, [Rashi: She cared about the little man; Eliezer knew this since she gave a slave water to drink]
• two bracelets for her hands of [Rashi: She had a dual caring about both people and God---since she cared about the person, Eliezer, and also showed caring behavior to his animals(a man-God commandment)
• ten shekels weight of gold; [Rashi: Corresponding to her concerns for the community since she fed the camels which were presumably carrying commercial loads for community business]

As shown the Rashi symbolic interpretation is plausible and not far fetched. The sole tool we used to make Rashi plausible is replacing examples by the abstract concepts they exemplify. Rashi was not attributing prophetic knowledge to Rivkah or Eliezer. Rather Rashi was explaining how the events which just happened indictated personality traits desirable in a mate.