RASHIS COVERED: Nu13-20a Do they have a TREE=SPIRITUAL LEADER

VERY BRIEF SUMMARY
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Nu13-18:20 relates Moses request to the spies to scout Israel
-- Seek the LAND -- is it STRONG-WEAK, MANY-FEW
-- Seek the LAND -- is it GOOD-BAD
-- Seek the CITIES- are they FORTIFIED-OPEN
-- Seek the LAND -- is it FAT-THIN
Note the skillful use of KEYWORDS (LAND-CITY-LAND). They create
an A-B-A pattern.The KEYWORD rule then suggests that this forms a
paragraph. The Rabbi Ishmael Style rules then require that the
WHOLE paragraph be interpreted around the middle clause: Are
the cities FORTIFIED. Further details are presented below.

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TODAYS RASHI RULE:       BULLETS
TODAYS RASHI SUBRULE:    THEME-DETAIL-THEME paragraph
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF RULE

Some Rashis deal with GRAMMAR or MEANING. But other Rashis
deal with STYLE.

In modern writing we indicate style using BULLETS, BOLD,
ITALICS, WHITE SPACE etc.

The Biblical author did not use BULLETS or BOLD but had
other vehicles to indicate GROUPING and EMPHASIS. One
such vehicle was the skillful use of KEYWORDS.

In particular if KEYWORDS are presented in an A-B-A
pattern then the Biblical Author is indicating
-- that the A-B-A verses form ONE UNIT(A paragraph)
-- that A is the paragraph THEME while B are the
paragraph DETAILS
The reader is then requested to interpret the whole
paragraph as a unified whole.

EXAMPLE

In the VERY BRIEF SUMMARY we have shown that the 5
clauses in Nu13-18:20 have
-- an A-B-A pattern (LAND CITY LAND)
-- a central theme of FORTIFIED CITIES vs OPEN CITIES
Rashi interprets all 5 clauses around this theme.

Today we finish the analysis begun in the last 2 days
by analyzing the phrase DO THEY HAVE A TREE