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 Gn33-11a
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The Biblical text states
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Esauv, Please take from me, Jacob,
the BLESSING (BRK) brought to you
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Rashi explains that
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The Hebrew root BRK besides meaning
BLESSING can also mean GIFT.
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Rashi says no more although he does give supportive verses.
But we can fully understand Rashi by using the resources provided
by other Jewish commentators.

First we use the RADACK who in his book ROOTS gives all meanings of
the root BRK.  Second we borrow from the writings of Rabbi Hirsch
who suggests that the meaning KNEE is UNIFYING 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
KNEEIZE A PERSON IN HIS PATH OF LIFE--here KNEEIZE
simply means to LEND THE PERSON A KNEE...the KNEES
fucntion is to facilitate movement so that KNEEIZING
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 (GREET GIFT) can be named by something RELATED TO IT.

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