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#*#*# (C) RashiYomi Inc. 2008, Dr. Hendel, President #*#*#
    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 Lv14-09a
    URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/w6n20.htm
    Brief Summary: Shave BEARD and EYEBROW hair-hair that is DENSE and VISIBLE

Certain Biblical paragraphs are stated in a Theme-Development-Theme form. In other words a broad general idea is stated first followed by the development of this broad general theme in specific details. The paragraph-like unit is then closed with a repetition of the broad theme. The Theme-Detail-Theme form creates a unified paragraph. The detailed section of this paragraph is therefore seen as an extension of the general theme sentences. Today's example illustrates this as shown immediately below.

    Biblical verse Lv14-09 discussing the purification procedure of the lepor is written in a Theme-Detailed-Theme style. This verse states But it shall be on the seventh day,
    • Theme: that he shall shave all his hair off
    • Detail:
      • his head and
      • his beard
      • and his eyebrows,
    • Theme: all his hair he shall shave off; and he shall wash his clothes, also he shall wash his flesh in water, and he shall be clean.

    Hence the Rashi comment: Beard, head, eyebrows have hair that is dense and visible. So only dense, visible here is shaven. This excludes
  • arm-hair, which is visible but not dense,
  • armpit-hair, which is not visible but dense
  • nose-hair, which is not visible and not dense.

Advanced Rashi: If you look carefully at the verse above you will see that the word all is bolded. The word all always requires generalization. Hence the additional Rashi comment: The actual law requires shaving the arm and armpit hair. In other words all hair is shaven except the nose-hair which is neither visible nor dense.

This derivation is quite complex. My contribution is to see the derivation as emanating from two Rashi methods: The theme-detail-theme method and the special word- all method.

Sermonic Points: There is a symbolic meaning to the shaving of hair given by Rabbbi Samson Raphael Hirsch: Based on several required shaving procedures Rav Hirsch points out that a shaven person looks female. Recall that the lepor is a slanderer. One way of curing the lepor is to urge a feminine trait of responsiveness - let them learn to listen to the person they are dealing with instead of trying to manage them. Such a listening attitude is one step in curing slander.


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