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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 Dt15-20a
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/w34n8.htm
      Brief Summary: The future conjugation can be used to indicate the habitual present: The FIRST BORN is EATEN before God in Jerusalem (However you yourself NEED NOT EAT IT)

Most people are aware of three tenses - past, present, and future. But Hebrew and English really have 14 tenses. The sentence I walk to synagogue daily indicates what grammarians call the habitual present. The intent of the statement is not to tell something that happened, that is happening, or that will happen. The intent is to tell my habits. I have a habit of walking to the synagogue. But I may not walk every day. Another example might be the sentence When thirsty one drinks water. Again this indicates a grammatical conditional habitual present. The emphasis is on how you quench your thirst - with water. The emphasis is not on what you are actually doing - drinking water.

In Hebrew the same grammatical form or conjugation may indicate two meanings. In particular the future conjugation, indicated by prefixing a root with the letter tauv can indicate either a future activity or a habitual activity. Let us see how this applies to Dt15-19:20.

If we interpret this verse as a future activity then we would translate All the firstling males that come of your herd and of your flock you shall sanctify to the Lord your God; you shall do no work with the firstling of your bulls, nor shear the firstling of your sheep. You shall eat it before the Lord your God year by year in the place which the Lord shall choose, you and your household. In other words, you yourself must eat the firstborn in Jerusalem. However since the future conjugation in Hebrew can also have a meaning of habitual present we can translate the verses as follows: All the firstling males that come of your herd and of your flock you shall sanctify to the Lord your God; you shall do no work with the firstling of your bulls, nor shear the firstling of your sheep. One eats it before the Lord your God year by year in the place which the Lord shall choose, you and your household. In other words When the firstborn is eaten it is eaten in Jerusalem. Like other habitual presents the emphasis is on the how of the habit rather then on who should do the activity in the future.

As we shall see below in rule 5 the firstborn is a priestly gift which is eaten by the Priests. So the owner does not eat it! Rather the Priest eats it. For this reason Rashi translates the verse One eats the firstborn in Jerusalem.

This Rashi is continued in rule #5, contradiction below.


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