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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 Gn43-15a
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/w34n24.htm
      Brief Summary: TAKE can refer to a) physical transfer of an object b) social transfer of a person to a cause.

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.

    The Heberw Biblical root Lamed-Kuph-Cheth has a fundamental meaning of take. Hence this Biblical root can mean
  • Grab: to physically take an object
  • Accompany: to socially take people to a cause
  • Deal: to economically acquire

Applying the above translation to Gn43-15c discussing the children's reaction to Jacob's advice to bring Joseph a gift and a second payment when bringing Benjamin we obtain And the men grabbed that present, and they accompanied double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph. In providing this English translation notice that we have used the English idioms grabbed, accompany which mirrors the Hebrew take objects, take people since grab, accompany and take are semantically close.

Advanced Rashi: The careful reader will note that technically the brothers did not grab the present, which connotes a snatching, rather they took it. Similarly the verse uses one verb, Lamed-Kuph-Cheth to refer to both the money and benjamin. Hence there is no single translation that captures all nuances. In fact Rashi was motivated by the aramaic translation: The aramaic translation translates the two occurrences of Lamed Kupth Cheth differently since in aramaic the word for taking a person differs from the word for taking an object.

The proper perspective is the following: We are not claiming that grab and accompany are superior translations to take. Rather we are using the translation as a vehicle to highlight the different nuances in the two occurrences of take.

Finally we point out that there are several other usages of take: Nu16-01 Korach took hold of himself.....and stood up to Moses.... Pr04-02 For a good deal have I given you, do not forsake my Torah. Here we see the utility of using punchy English translations.


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