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#*#*# (C) RashiYomi Inc. 2007, Dr. Hendel, President #*#*#
    6. RASHI METHOD: STYLE
    Rashi examines how rules of style influences inferences between general and detail statements in paragraphs.
    • Example: Every solo example stated by the Bible must be broadly generalized;
    • Theme-Detail: A general principle followed by an example is interpreted restrictively---the general theme statement only applies in the case of the example;
    • Theme-Detail-Theme: A Theme-Detail-Theme unit is interpreted as a paragraph. Consequently the details of the paragraph are generalized so that they are seen as illustrative of the theme.
    This examples applies to Rashis Ex30-12a
    URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/ex30-12a.htm

    Biblical verses Ex30-11:16 are written in a general-specific-general style as follows: And HaShem spoke unto Moses, saying:
  • General: When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel, according to their number, then shall they give every man an atonement for his soul unto HaShem, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them.
  • Detail: This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary--the shekel is twenty gerahs--half a shekel for an offering to HaShem. Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the offering of HaShem. The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when they give the offering of HaShem, to make atonement for your souls. ######

F

Rashi comments on the general - detail - general style: The General-detail-general style requires generalization of the detail clause to similar situations: Not only for purposes of the Temple count, but generally for any count of the Jewish people, the act of counting had to be done by counting coins (rather than by counting actual people).

Sermonic points: The reason why the counting could not be done directly (through counting of people) but instead was done indirectly (through counting of coins) is to symbolically affirm that God sends a blessing in uncounted items. After all if we know exactly how many people there are and how much food is available then we begin to make computations that prohibit more people. By avoiding counting the people we create a free atmosphere in which people are encouraged to reproduce as much as they want. For this reason the verse refers to the counting by coins as an atonement since it atones for the sin of counting and fixing the people. This Biblical attitude that we should freely reproduce and not compute people-vs-resources is diametrically opposite to many modern attitudes that people should control their environment and only reproduce at a rate that is proportional to the current availability of resources.


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