SUCCINCT SUMMARY
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One of Rashis 5 main goals is the explanation of words,
similar to the goals of a dictionary. We call this the
Rashi method of WORD MEANINGS.
Rashi had 10 vehicles by which to explain words. When
Rashi explains the NEW MEANINGS of a collection of words,
which differs from the sum of the component words, we call
this the Rashi SUBRULE of NEW MEANINGS. It could also be
called the Rashi SUBRULE of IDIOMS.
EXAMPLE Ex10-11a NOT SO
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The Biblical text at Ex10-10:11 states
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MOSES SAID: We will go to God with our elders and children
PHAROH SAID: NOT SO---Only the men should go for a service
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Rashi commenting on the multi-word phrase NOT SO states
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NOT SO is an idiom meaning ON THE CONTRARY
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In other words Rashi would reinterpret the verse as follows
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MOSES SAID: We will go to God with our elders and children
PHAROH SAID: ON THE CONTRARY---Only the men should go ....
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EXAMPLE Dt18-14 NOT SO
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The Biblical text surrounding Dt18-14 states
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The non-Jewish nations you are coming to
seek seance readers and superstitious signs
But You--ON THE CONTRARY did God give you
[For] I will raise to you a prophet...
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The literal translation of the CAPPED phrase
is NOT SO....Rashi interprets this to mean
ON THE CONTRARY
EXAMPLE Nu14-28a Nu14-28b Nu14-28c
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The Biblical text surrounding Nu14-28 states
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GOD: I am destroying this nation for their slander of ME
MOSES: Please forgive them
GOD: I forgive as you asked
GOD: But as I LIVE
NOT SO
[to them ]As they said
They will die in the wilderness and know my anger
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Rashi states
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The phrase AS I LIVE indicates an OATH
It is like a person saying AS LONG AS I LIVE I WILL
DEVOTE MYSELF TO SUCH AND SUCH
The phrase NOT SO means ON THE CONTRARY
The phrase AS THEY SAID refers to their
statement in Nu14-02
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
JEWS TO MOSES [after hearing how powerful
the Canaanites were]: ...if so why did we
leave Egypt...wouldn-t it have been better
if we died in the Egypt or in this wilderness
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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In other words Rashi reinterprets Nu14-28 as follows
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GOD: But I SWEAR
TO THE CONTRARY [of my forgiving them]
As they said
They will die in the wilderness and know my anger
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In other words God is clarifying his FORGIVENESS.
- God did not ABSOLUTELY forgive them from death
- Rather God forgave them from total IMMEDIATE destruction
- But God did TO THE CONTRARY of His Forgiving them
he was going to destroy them
Notice that Rashi explained why the phrase AS I LIVE
connotes an oath. We call this the Rashi SUBMETHOD of
SYNONYMS. LIST955g below collects several expressions
which connote OATHS.
LIST854y lists several Biblical idioms.
Notice that Rashi explained AS THEY SAID by citing
an OTHER VERSE, Nu14-02. We call this the Rashi
METHOD of OTHER VERSES. When the other verse in
question is being CITED, we call this the Rashi
submethod of CITATION.
Furthermore, when Rashi uses the OTHER VERSE to
INFER MEANING we can this the Rashi submethod
of INFERRED MEANING.
EXAMPLE Ex12-05a PERFECT = UNBLEMISHED
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The Biblical text at Ex12-05a states
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...for the Passover take a PERFECT lamb
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Rashi states
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The word PERFECT means UNBLEMISED
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Rashi undoubtedly derived his equation, PERFECT=UNBLEMISHED
from the OTHER VERSE Lv22-21
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When you offer a sacrifice it shall
be PERFECT FOR PLEASING
-- [i.e.] there shall not be ANY BLEMISH in it
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Hence this verse identifies PERFECT with NO BLEMISH
And even though Rashi appears simple here, doing the job
of a dictionary, nevertheless, Rashi is deep and recondite.
For he is using one of the Rabbi Ishmael Exegetical rules
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Any item [like PERFECT] which has an exceptional
verse [like Lv22-21 which identifies PERFECT with
UNBLEMISHED]--the item as a whole [all occurrences
of PERFECT] inherits the properties of the exceptional
verse [so PERFECT always means UNBLEMISHED]
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On the one hand Rashi appears to have a childlike
simplicity, explaning the meaning of a word by citing
a verse where it is explained. But on a deeper level
Rashi is using a sophisticated database method to infer
meaning and using one of the basic exegetical principles
of our traditions.
Praise be He who chose them and their learning.
LIST250a presents other examples of OTHER VERSES used
for inferring meaning. Some of these examples also illustrate
the Rabbi Ishmael principle mentioned above. LIST270a presents
further examples of verse pairs with one verse citing the other.
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