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 Dt24-16a URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1306.htm Brief Summary: Each person shall die based on his own record of sin (Independent of behavior of children and parents). So a) Parents shall not be EXECUTED for children's CRIMES and also b) Parents shall not be CONVICTED account of children's TESTIMONIES.

Certain Biblical paragraphs are stated in a Example-General form. In other words several particular examples are stated followed by a general theme. The Detail-Theme form creates a unified paragraph and consequently the examples are interpreted broadly as illustrating multiple aspects of the general theme. Today's example illustrates this as shown below.

Verses Dt24-16a discussing the requirement that people die for their own sins states
• Detail:
  • Parents shall not die account of children and
  • Children shall not die account of parents
• Theme / General: every person shall die because of his own sins.
The detail clause states parents shall not die account of children and could mean parents shall not die account of the sins/crimes of their children. For example, if the family is a criminal family it is still prohibited to kill the parent for the crimes of their children (to make an example of them) The General clause provides an all exclusive principle and requires that the detail clause should be interpreted broadly: The statement parents shall not die account of their children means two things, one restrictive and one broad. It means the restrictive parents shall not be executed account of their childrens sins and also means more broadly parents shall not be convicted account of their childrens testimonies. It is important to emphasize what Rashi is, and is not, saying. Rashi is not saying that the simple meaning of parents shall not die account of their children is parents shall not be convicted account of their childrens testimonies. Rather Rashi is saying that because there is a terminal general clause we should see the theme clause as illustrating all examples of this general theme clause. The driving force of this broad interpretation is the paragraph structure which teaches us that the theme clause is not the only example of the theme but rather one of many examples of the theme. Hence the paragraph as a whole even though it doesn't explicitly say so teaches us that (1) parents aren't executed for children's sins (the restrictive,literal meaning) and also teaches us parents aren't convicted by children's testimonies (the broad, non-literal meaning).