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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 Dt28-68d
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/w34n11.htm
      Brief Summary: Mem-Caph-Resh means DISGUISE. Mem-Caph-Resh Lamed...means TO FAWN APPEARANCE.

Most people are aware that Hebrew verbs come from three-letter roots. Each root is conjugated in the 8 dimensions of person, gender,plurality, tense, activity, modality, direct-object, and prepositional connective. For example the root Shin Mem Resh means to watch. The conjugations Shin-Mem-Resh-Tauv-Yud and Nun-Shin-Mem-Resh-Nun-Vav mean I watched and we were watched respectively.

The rules for Hebrew grammar are carefully described in many modern books and are well known. Rashi will sometimes comment when a verse is using a rare conjugation of an odd grammatical form.

When presenting grammatical Rashis my favorite reference is the appendix in volume 5 of the Ibn Shoshan dictionary. This very short appendix lists most conjugations.

We should emphasize that the great 19th century commentator, Malbim, introduced the powerful grammatical observation that the same root can change meaning solely based on the prepositional connectives used with it. From time to time we present intriguing examples illustrating this rule.

The Hebrew root Mem-Caph-Resh means, in the interactive mode (Hitpael) to disguise. However when combined with the preposition Lamed meaning to the combination means to fawn appearance. Hence we translate Dt28-52 as follows And the Lord shall bring you into Egypt... and there you shall fawn slave appearance to your enemies but no man shall buy you [because they will prefer to murder you].

    This verse is analyzed in 3,5 and 9.
  • In rule 3 we explain that the root Mem-Caph-Resh means to fawn appearance.
  • In rule 5 we further support this translation of the root Mem-Caph-Resh by showing that this root couldn't mean to sell or to attempt to sell because it states explicitly no one will by you.
  • In rule 9 we explain why no one buys you: because your enemies prefer to kill you. 


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