SUCCINCT SUMMARY
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One of Rashis 5 main goals is the explanation of meaning similar to the
way a dictionary explains meaning. We call this the Rashi rule of
WORD MEANING.

Rashi had 10 major vehicles by which to explain meaning. A major subrule
of MEANING is when Rashi paints a UNIFYING meaning to disparate meanings
of one root. We call this the method of UNIFYING MEANINGS.

Todays example is a peach of commentary showing the great intricacy
in explaining meaning

EXAMPLE Gn47-10a Gn47-07a
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The Biblical text at Gn47-10a and Gn47-07a
uses the Biblical root Beth-Resh-Caph. This root is
usually translated as BLESSED. Using this usual translation
the Biblical text is literally translated as
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Jacob BLESSED (Beth-resh-caph) Pharoh when he met him
Jacob BLESSED (Beth-REsh-caph) Pharoh and left
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Rashi in his commentary to both Gn47-10a and Gn47-07a states
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The root Beth-Resh-Caph, in these verses, connotes GREETING
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We can understand Rashi-s comment using the dictionary
principle of METONOMY. METONOMY refers to the process whereby
an object or process is named by something RELATED to it---
here the process of GREETING is named by the term BLESSING
since it is common when GREETING someone to WISH THEM WELL or
GIVE THEM SOME BLESSING. Ru02-04 gives a natural example of
this: When Boaz met the workers in his field he greeted them
with the blessing: MAY GOD BE WITH YOU.

We can gain further insight in the root Beth-Resh-Caph by
using the RADACK and RAV HIRSCH. RADACK in his book, BIBLICAL
ROOTS, presents all meaning of the root Beth-Resh-Caph.
Rabbi Hirsch in his commentary on the Bible
suggests that the meaning KNEE is the UNIFYING theme
to all meanings of the root Beth-Resh-Caph. Let us examine

BRK MEANS
- KNEE
- TO KNEE THE CAMELS (= to make them rest on knees)
- POND - because you get on your knees to sip from a pond
- BLESS - Rav Hirsch argues that just as you EYE a scene, or
SMELL a situation or HAND an object so too you can
KNEE-IZE A PERSON IN HIS PATH OF LIFE--here KNEE-IZE
simply means to LEND THE PERSON A KNEE...the KNEE-S
fucntion is to facilitate movement so that KNEE-IZING
A PERSON means BLESSING HIM--facilitating travel on
his path in life
From the meaning of BLESS we get 3 other meanings

- CURSE   The PIEL grammatical mode can NEGATE a meaning--hence curse
- GREET   FREQUENTLY you greet with a BLESSING (Hope all is well with
you)
- GIFT    You frequently BLESS by giving a GIFT and BLESSING for more

Here we have used the principle of METONOMY which states that an
item (GREETING, GIFT) can be named by something RELATED TO IT.

LIST863O below summarizes these meanings and their relation to knee.

Some readers may not concur with Rav Hirsch-s analysis. The LIST863O
below also presents verses where Beth-Resh-Caph means GREETING. This
should suffice to explain the Rashi.

List of verses with      Root BRK meaning KNEE--bless,pond,curse,greet,bless