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THE SUBJUNCTIVE |
EXAMPLE 7: Ex33-07b Moses WOULD pitch tent outside camp
EXAMPLE 8: Ex33-08a When Moses WOULD go out, people WOULD stand
EXAMPLE 9: Ex33-09a God WOULD speak to Moses face to face
EXAMPLE 10: Ex33-11a After God WOULD speak with Moses
EXAMPLE 11: Ex33-11c Moses WOULD return to the camp*
BACKGROUND
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One of Rashis functions is to advise us on grammatical rules.
In this posting Rashi presents rules on unusual grammatical forms
for tenses. Recall the fact that there are 3 basic tenses:
PAST, PRESENT, and FUTURE.
THE SUBJUNCTIVE
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Consider the tense of the verb SEE in the following sentences
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Upon SEEING a red light, you stop.
When you WILL SEE a red light, you stop.
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THE RASHI
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The verb SEE in these sentences is said to be in the
SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD. Although one sentence seems to be in
the FUTURE (If you WILL SEE) it is nevertheless, not talking
about ONE event that will happen sometime in the future,
but rather is describing the consequences ANY TIME this
event happens.
THE RULE
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Accordingly,
IF
-- we deal with a COMPOUND sentence
-- describing attributes of an ONGOING or REPEATED activity
THEN
-- we translate this sentence either
------using the SUBJUNCTIVE (WOULD) or
------using a GERUND(Word ending in ING denoting ONGOINGness)
-- & we use either the past or future grammatical form.
THE LIST
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The list below contains 5 subjunctive verbs from the paragraph
Ex33-07:11. This whole paragraph is in the subjunctive
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| VERSE |
TEXT OF VERSE WITH FUTURE/PAST TRANSLATED AS GERUND |
| Ex33-07b |
Moses WOULD pitch tent outside camp for people to come |
| Ex33-08a |
When Moses WOULD go out, people WOULD stand for him |
| Ex33-09a |
God WOULD speak to Moses face to face like friends*12 |
| Ex33-11a |
After God WOULD speak with Moses |
| Ex33-11c |
Moses WOULD return to the camp*13 |
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COMMENTS |
*12 Rashi makes 2 points here. First Rashi explains that
the text is SUBJUNCTIVE (God WOULD speak to Moses)
Rashi also explains 2 forms of the root to SPEAK
- SPEAK WITH means a Dialogue between 2 people
- SPEAK OF means only 1 person does the speaking TO the other
In this posting we focus on the SUBJUNCTIVE.
In a future posting we will focus on the two USAGES of SPEAK
*13 On this verse Rashi presents two ideas
-- a GRAMMATICAL idea: The verse uses the SUBJUNCTIVE
It should be translated as GOD WOULD SPEAK TO MOSES
-- a MORAL motif: Moses staying with God was always
temporary to enable him to go back to the people
and pray for them.
Thus when the Midrash states
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God told Moses to go back to the Camp. God said:
Moses--I am angry with them...if you are angry also
who will intercede for them
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The Midrash is not commenting on WHY the Biblical phrase
YOU WILL RETURN TO THE CAMP is in the future but rather
Midrash is supplying a REASON why the verse emphasizes that
talkings to God were followed by Moses returning to camp
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