#######################################################
#       12 YEAR Ayelet DAILY-RASHI-YOMI CYCLE         #
#                    May 15, 2007                     #
#                    YEAR 8 of 12                     #
#                                                     #
#           VISIT THE RASHI YOMI ARCHIVES             #
#           -----------------------------             #
#         HOME   http://www.RashiYomi.Com             #
# WEEKLY RASHI   http://www.RashiYomi.Com/rule.htm    #
#  DAILY RASHI   http://www.RashiYomi.Com/calendar.htm#
#                                                     #
#  Reprinted with permission from WEEKLY RASHI,       #
#  (c) 1999-2007, RashiYomi Inc., Dr Hendel President #
#   Permission to reprint with this header PROVIDED   #
#          it is not printed for profit               #
#                                                     #
#######################################################
#*#*# (C) RashiYomi Inc. 2007, Dr. Hendel, President #*#*#
    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 Lv12-07a
    URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/lv12-07a.htm
    Brief Summary: Bring UP and SIN offerings; offer IT [SIN offering]...and purify

    A simple exegetical grammatical method, readily understood by everyone, is the skillful use of singular- plural. Verses Lv12-07:08 states And when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter,
    • she shall bring a lamb of the first year for an up offering, and
    • a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering, to the door of the Tent of Meeting, to the priest;
    The priest
    • shall offer it before the Lord,
    and make an atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the issue of her blood.

Rashi comments on the singular pronoun, it, versus the plural up, sin offerings: She brings two offerings; but only one of them is needed to achieve ritual cleansing.

Note that the Scriptural text does not identify which offering - up or sin - effects ritual cleansing. Rashi therefore makes a reasonable conjecture: [Most probably] It is the sin offering which effects ritual cleansing since sin offerings are typically brought for atonement [which is a synonym for ritual cleansing].

Advanced Rashi: This Rashi is typical: Rashi first makes a clear inference from the Biblical text based on a sound grammatical foundation. Rashi then conjectures on the applicability of this inference. Thus in this example Rashi first infers that only one of the two offerings is required for ritual cleansing. Rashi makes this inference from the contrast of the singular pronoun, it vs. the plural reference up,sin offering. Then Rashi applies this inference of one offering effects ritual cleansing to the sin offering since sin offerings are typically brought to effect atonement which is a synonym for ritual cleansing.

The idea that Rashis should be understood in stages was first advocated in my paper Simple and Exegetical Meaning: A New Approach. This principle of stages facilitates the appreciation of many Rashis as being the simple intended meaning of the Biblical text.


#*#*#*# (C) RashiYomi Inc., 2007, Dr. Hendel, President #*#*#*#*#