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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 Ex38-08b
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/w33n10.htm
      Brief Summary: The Hebrew TZADE-BETH-ALEPH means AFFILIATIONS.

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 Tzade-Lamed-Aleph. This root is traditionally translated as army. We think a better translation is affiliations. According to the dictionary the word affiliation is closely related to nuances of organization. This pair - affiliation / organization will be used in the translations we present below of some typical verses.

######
  • Gn26-26 Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahu9ath one of his friends, and Pikol the chief of affiliations [i.e. Army].
  • Ex07-04 But Pharaoh shall not listen to you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth My affiliates, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. [affiliation has a connotation of organization perhaps poking fun at the contrast between the lack of family life in Egypt vs. the family affiliations of the Jews. Here the word affiliation indicates nuances of organization.]
  • Ex38-08 And he made the basin of bronze, and its pedestal of bronze, from the mirrors of the affiliated women who affiliated at the door of the Tent of Meeting. [the nuances here are that the women affiliated for purposes of organized donations.]
  • Jb14-14 If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my affiliation will I wait, till my reward comes. [Job looks at his life as an assignment against his will to an affiliation from which his only wish is to escape.]
  • 2K21-03 For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he erected altars for Baal, and made an Ashera, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshipped all the affiliates of heaven, and served them. [Here affiliates of heaven refers to the constellations and star clusters]

    Advanced Rashi: Returning to Ex38-08b we would translate this using the other verse alluded to above: ..he made the basin of copper ...from the mirrors of the affiliated women who affiliated at the door of the temple for the purpose of giving donations. As remarked earlier we will visit this verse in the following rules: other verses, meaning, and formatting. 

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