Rabbi Ishmael Example Method:#31 of 36
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BACKGROUND EXAMPLE
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Dt25-04a Dont muzzle an OX while threshing:
RASHI: Dont muzzle ANY ANIMAL
Lv01-02c Offer ANIMALS--Offer OXEN SHEEP
RASHI: You can **ONLY** offer OXEN and SHEEP
Dt18-03b These are the laws for those who offer sacrifices
Whether from Oxen or Sheep
RASHI: So these laws only apply to OXEN and SHEEP not to
beasts and birds
Why the difference? Why in one verse do we generalize OXEN to any
animal, while in the other verse we restrict the law to ONLY oxen
OVERVIEW
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This module (which we have called CLIMAX) deals with the rules
governing the interpretation of Biblical examples. If the Torah
for example said "Eat apple pies" how should this be interpretd?
--Should we say "Eat apple pies" means **ONLY** eat apple pies
--Should we say "Eat apple pies" means eat ANYTHING TASTY
--Should we say "Eat apple pies" means eat FRUIT pies
In other words, how do we interpret the Biblical EXAMPLE
apple pie. We now review the various methods of
interpreting "Don't eat apple pie" and cite supporting
Rashis.
-GRAND SUMMARY PART 3-
-IN METHOD 2 WE DONT GENERALIZE-
METHOD 2a: GENERAL-SPECIFIC-- The GENERAL WORD=The SPECIFIC word
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EXAMPLES
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Eat TASTY PIES--APPLE pies
CONCLUSION: So TASTY PIES **are** APPLE pies
Nu05-12d "She DESCECRATES marriage--SLEEPS with another man"
CONCLUSION: DESCECRATES marriage=Adultery*10
RULE: Sometimes a verse says the same thing twice--
1st) It first says it with a GENERAL vague term like
"TASTY", "DESCECRATES"
2nd) It then defines this GENERAL term with a SPECIFIC example
Thereby indicating the MEANING of the GENERAL term.
So in the examples above we infer that "APPLE PIE" is what
is meant by a TASTY pie; or we might infer that "ADULTERY"
is what is meant by "DESCECRATING A MARRIAGE"
EXAMPLES
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(10) Gn09-11a I will fulfill my CONVENANT with Noach (BY)
placing the rainbow in the clouds as a symbol
that I will NOT DESTROY the world
RASHI: Thus the verse identifes Gods CONVENANT with
placing a RAINBOW in the cloud as a symbol
that God will not destroy the world.
(11) Nu03-06a & The Levites will SERVE Aaron: (BY)
WATCHING the Temple
RASHI: Thus the verse identifies the SERVICE of the LEVITES
with the specific act of WATCHING the temple
(12) Nu05-12d & She DESECRATES her marriage: (BY)
Sleeping with another man
RASHI: In other words it is only for SLEEPING with
another man that we perform the 'suspected-
wife' ceremony mentioned in Nu05 (Eg if she
desecrated her marriage in some other way by
eg insulting her husband we do not perform
the ceremony)
(13) Dt02-04a ..Jews Watch yourself when you come to Esauv:(BY)
Not starting up with them
RASHI: So the verse identifies the GENERAL statement of
"WATCH YOURSELF with ESAUV" as
DO NOT START UP WITH THEM
(14) Dt06-06a You should love your Lord God (BY)
placing the Torah on your heart and making
sharp summaries
RASHI: In other words the only way to love God is by
placing the Torah on your heart and making
sharp summaries *1
(15) Dt11-28a "If you don't listen to Gods commandments"
"and you deviate from Gods path"----------GENERAL
"to serve other gods and worship them"----DETAIL
RASHI: Thus "Deviate from Gods path" (or "Don't
listen to commandments" are like headlines. The
details are "worshiping other Gods." In other
words the only way to violate **ALL** of Gods
commandments is to worship idolatry.
(16) Lv19-35a Don't pervert JUSTICE:
(THAT IS) in measures, in weights,in liquid measures
RASHI: First some background. From the context of this
chapter we see that they are talking about the
individual (not the courts)
While there are many crimes that an individual
can commit (like stealing) nevertheless the crime
of false weights is the only crime that is punished
like the crime of perverted judges (and leads to
destruction of the land) The reason for this is that
'false weights' is like a bad judge--you can't get
caught.*2
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In the following verses the general specific nature
of the verse flows naturally in the translation (which
was indicated by Rashi)
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(17) Gn45-23a & He sent as follows to his father: (NAMELY)
10 Mules etc ....*3
(18) Gn49-04b Your impetuousness prevents you from taking the
birthright... BECAUSE you played with your father's beds
(19) Dt04-33c ..Has anything this great happened?--(THAT IS)
Has a nation heard God
(20) Lv03-09a Offer Its "fat"-- GENERAL
(THAT IS) The tail DETAILS:
(21) Ex01-11b The Egyptians placed TAXES on the Jews...:
(THAT IS) They built cities*2
RASHI: Thus the taxes (only) consisted of
labor to build cities (RASHI also explains
the meaning of the words "TAXES"--but this
is well known.)
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In the following verses the GENERAL and DETAILS are
separated by several verses. As such the GENERAL
statement looks like a HEADLINE that hyperlinks to
the DETAILS below.
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(22) Gn02-08a
Gn01-27 And God created Man
Gn02-07:09 And God created man FROM earth and placed
him in the Garden of Eden and placed their trees
RASHI: It **looks** like there are two stories of creation
The 1st creation in Gn01-27 and the 2nd creation in
Gn02-07:09.
Actually however, following Rabbi Eliezers
(Son of Rabbi Yosi the Galileean) who had 32 styles
by which to interpret the Bible we see Gn01-27 as a
sort of HEADLINE that HYPERLINKS to Gn02-07 which gives
the story in complete detail (How did God make man--where
did He put him etc)
(23) Dt11-26a (HEADLINE) I give you today BLESSINGS,CURSES
Dt11-27 (DETAILS) The blessing: if you listen to God..
Dt11-28 (DETAILS) The curse: If you don't listen..*4
NOTES
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*1 This Rashi (and the corresonding Rambam Foundations of
Torah 2:1) are sometimes seen as homiletic and not the
simple meaning of the text. But in reality they are
the simple meaning of the text--for this paragraph has
a GENERAL-PARTICULAR form: Love thy Lord thy God BY learning
The Bible uses the GENERAL-PARTICULAR form as a vehicle to
show that LOVE of GOD is achieved by LEARNING.
*2 In other words the verse identifies the sin of false
weights with perversion of justice. The reason for
this identification is that if you steal you take
the risk of being caught. But a person who perverts
measures cannot be caught anymore than a judge who
perverts justice cannot be caught.
*3 Note the complicated explanation brought by
commentaries to this Rashi. Our way of taking it is
simple: Rashi simply explains the verse as indicating
what was sent
*4 NOTE: As the sifsay chachamim points out the Details are
scattered throughout the Bible
*5 This Rashi (and the corresonding Rambam Foundations of
Torah 2:1) are sometimes seen as homiletic and not the
simple meaning of the text. But in reality they are
the simple meaning of the text--for this paragraph has
a GENERAL-PARTICULAR form: Love thy Lord thy God BY learning
*10 It is interesting to compare Nu05-12 with Nu05-20. The Bible
speaks about DEVIATING, DESECRATING=IMPURITY, and SLEEPING.
So DESCECRATING a MARRIAGE=Making it impure=Sleeping with
somebody
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