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      2. RASHI METHOD: WORD MEANING
      BRIEF EXPLANATION: The meaning of words can be explained either by
      • (2a) translating an idiom, a group of words whose collective meaning transcends the meaning of its individual component words,
      • (2b) explaining the nuances and commonality of synonyms-homographs,
      • (2c) describing the usages of connective words like also,because,if-then, when,
      • (2d) indicating how grammatical conjugation can change word meaning
      • (2e) changing word meaning using the figures of speech common to all languages such as irony and oxymorons.
      This examples applies to Rashis Ex31-14c
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/w33n9.htm
      Brief Summary: CHETH-LAMED refers to sand. Hence it means a) descecrate (cf. English: treat like "dirt").

When Rashi uses, what we may losely call, the hononym method, Rashi does not explain new meaning but rather shows an underlying unity in disparate meanings. Rashi will frequently do this by showing an underlying unity in the varied meanings of a Biblical root.

In my article Peshat and Derash found on the world wide web at http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rashi.pdf. I advocate enriching the Rashi explanation using a technique of parallel nifty translations in modern English. Today's examples show this.

    Today we illustrate with the Biblical root Cheth-Lamed, corresponding to the traditional three letter roots, Cheth-Lamed-Lamed, Cheth-Lamed-Hey, Cheth-Vav-Lamed. The fundamental unifying meaning is sand (Cheth-Lamed). From this fundamental meaning we have the following rich set of superficially disparate meanings:
  • Desecrate: To desecrate means (as in English) to treat like dirt (In Hebrew: Treat like sand)
  • Sick: A sick persons (as in English) "feels like dirt" (In Hebrew: feels like sand)
  • Dance-Flutes: Flutes (unlike lyrical violins) use rapid unconnected sounds that collectively appear like sand in the wind.
  • Corpse: A decayed corpse is non-cohesive like sand.
  • Begin Project: A typical project, creating a building, starts with a sand foundation and ends with the building. Consequently sand is archetypical of project beginnings.
  • Window: Ancient windows were holes in the wall, without glass, which allowed debris, sand and flies to enter.

Advanced Rashi: The secular scholars see the unifying meaning of Cheth Lamed as hollow. Well Dance-flutes and windows do have a hollow form but sick people and corpses aren't really hollow. Furthermore the secularists (as is typical) define objects by form, what they look like. But Hebrew and other languages typically define objects by function / effect. A Dance-Flute is not just some hollow object; it is rather an instrument that can create rapid scattered sounds that fill the musical atmosphere ###### ######

Sermonic Points: Some colleagues voice concern that the hononym method is a bit homiletic. I think however that by reviewing the above list one can appreciate the power and beauty of this method and rightfully see it as enriching the reading of the B 


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ible.