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#*#*# (C) RashiYomi Inc. 2009, Dr. Hendel, President #*#*#
      8. RASHI METHOD: DATABASES
      BRIEF EXPLANATION:Rashi makes inferences from Database queries. The precise definition of database query has been identified in modern times with the 8 operations of Sequential Query Language (SQL).
      This example applies to Rashis Dt05-16b
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/w34n6.htm
      Brief Summary: Most verses that state OBSERVE...AS GOD COMMANDED YOU refer to another Torah verse. There are 3 exceptions. They refer to the STATUTE taught in Marah.

This example continues rules #1, reference and #7, format.

Today we ask the database query: When a verse says As God...commanded you is there indeed a Torahitic cross reference? The query uncovers several dozen examples. An examination of these examples justifies the Rashi assertion that There are 4 commandments that state as God commanded you without any Torahitic cross reference. The references for these three commandments are presented in the table below. The table below presents results of the query along with illustrations of Rashi's comment.

Verse Text of Verse Cross reference Verse Rational for this Cross reference
Ex39-01 And of the blue, and purple, and scarlet, they made uniforms of service, to do service in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron; as the Lord commanded Moses. Ex28 The command to make Priestly garments is fully given in this chapter
Lv24-23 And Moses spoke to the people of Israel, that they should bring forth him who had cursed out of the camp, and stone him with stones. And the people of Israel did as the Lord commanded Moses. Lv24-14 This verse presents God's command to execute the blasphemer
Dt05-12 Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Ex16-29 This verse contains God's command to observe the Sabbath.
Dt05-16 Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you; that your days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with you, in the land which the Lord your God gives you Ex15-25 #####
Nu19-02 This is the ordinance of the Torah which the Lord has commanded, saying, Speak to the people of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without spot, which has no blemish, and upon which never came yoke Ex15-25 #####
Dt12-21 ##### Oral law The details of how to slaughter are nowhere found explicitly in the Torah but the Torah says as you are commanded implying an oral tradition!

    Advanced Rashi: We have been analyzing a single Rashi in rules #1,#7,#8.
  • In rule #1, reference, we showed how as God commanded refers back to an explicit command to observe the Sabbath
  • Then in Rule #7, formatting, we showed how the other as God commanded must, because of paragraph context, refer back to the same Pre-Sinaitic period. It therefore seems logical that the unspecified there was placed for them a statute and ordinance, refers to the as God commanded of the commandment to honor ones parents.
  • Then in rule #8, databases we saw the remarkable fact that only 4 verses using as God commanded have no cross-reference. We therefore took the red heiffer laws which also have as God commanded as referring back to the Pre-Sinaitic Marah.
  • Finally the as God commanded connected with the slaughter laws must refer to the oral law since we never find the law mentioned.

The use of 3 rules to explain this one Rashi should greatly clarify what goes into understanding a Rashi.

The above is a beautiful example of how methodological analysis of Rashi can beautifully lead to identification of proper Rashi texts. We do not need more manuscripts to know what Rashi really said. We need instead a better of understanding of Rashi's methodology!


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