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      3. RASHI METHOD: GRAMMAR
      BRIEF EXPLANATION: Rashi explains verses using grammar principles, that is, rules which relate reproducable word form to word meaning. Grammatical rules neatly fall into 3 categories
      • (a) the rules governing conjugation of individual words,Biblical roots,
      • (b) the rules governing collections of words,clauses, sentences
      • (c) miscellaneous grammatical, or form-meaning, rules.
      This examples applies to Rashis Lv18-29a
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1411.htm
      Brief Summary: WHOever does any of these abominations THEY [male/female] will be cut off from their nation.

Today Hebrew grammar is well understood and there are many books on it. Rashi, however, lived before the age of grammar books. A major Rashi method is therefore the teaching of basic grammar.

Many students belittle this aspect of Rashi. They erroneously think that because of modern methods we know more. However Rashi will frequently focus on rare grammatical points not covered in conventional textbooks.

    There are many classical aspects to grammar whether in Hebrew or other languages. They include
  • The rules for conjugating verbs. These rules govern how you differentiate person, plurality, tense, mode, gender, mood, and designation of the objects and indirect objects of the verb. For example how do you conjugate, in any language, I sang, we will sing, we wish to sing, she sang it.
  • Rules of agreement. For example agreement of subject and verb, of noun and adjective; whether agreement in gender or plurality.
  • Rules of Pronoun reference.
  • Rules of word sequence. This is a beautiful topic which is not always covered in classical grammatical textbooks.

Today we deal with the topic of single-plural. Verse Lv18-29 concluding a long chapter prohibiting forbidden sexual relations, states For he who does any of the abominations - the people doing them, they will be cut of from their nation. Note the gentle but forceful change from singular to plural, emphasized by the underlined words - he, they, their. Rashi comments: By using the plural the Bible emphasizes that both males and females are liable.

Advanced Rashi: There is a subtlety to this Rashi. The previous chapter dealt with sexual sins. The various laws are introduced with a man a man shall not come close to exposing nakedness...whoever sleeps with his sister..... Thus I might think that only the man (who initiates sexual sin) is punished with cutoff. The Bible therefore emphasizes that the people doing these things, they will be cut off. This is further emphasized in e.g. Lv20-10 both the adulterer and adulteress shall be put to death. 


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