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      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 Nu18-20a
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1222.htm
      Brief Summary: GENERAL: Priests/Levites receive all gifts DETAIL: For example, They shall not inherit GENERAL: God is his Portion RASHI: They neither inherit NOR divide war conquests.

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.

    Verse Nu18-19:20 discussing the possessional rights of the Priests / Levites states #####
  • Detail: And the Lord spoke to Aaron, You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any part among them
  • General: I am your part and your inheritance among the people of Israel.

Rashi generalizes the detail clause You shall have no inheritance in their land as illustrative of the general clause, All the raised gifts of the Temple objects have I given you and states: You shall not have an initial portion in the division of Israel and also you will not divide booty in future defensive wars in which territory is captured. We believe this comment evident and consistent with the Rabbi Ishmael style guidelines.

Advanced Rashi: To strengthen our understanding of this Rashi we present an almost identical general-theme-general derivation on the same topic but from a Deuteronomy verse.

    Verse Dt18-01:02 discussing the possessional rights of the Priests / Levites states
  • General: The priests the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel;
  • Detail: They shall eat the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and his inheritance;Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their brothers;
  • General: The Lord is their inheritance, as he has said to them.

Rashi generalizes the detail clause They shall eat the offerings of the Lord made by fire as illustrative of the general clause, shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel and states: The detail clause explains the general clause. The reason the Levites have no inheritance in Israel is because they obtain all their needs from the sacrificial fires. It immediately follows that all the Levite needs are obtained from the Temple objects and therefore they have no need for wars to obtain additional land. We believe this comment evident and consistent with the Rabbi Ishmael style guidelines.

    Traditional Rashi-ists typically emphasize redundancy. We do not use redundancy as a rule as we consider it vague. But it is instructive to use other Rashi rules equivalent to redundancy to provide alternative derivations to the Rashi comment. Accordingly we present an alignment in verse Nu18-20.
    • You shall have no inheritance in their land
    • neither shall you have any portion among them;
    Rashi might comment: The contrast of the aligned phrases, - inheritance in their land vs. portion among them - suggests the applicability of the law to both the initial inheritance of Canaan as well as apportionment of future conquests. As indicated above this alignment approach is similar to the traditional redundancy approach of modern Rashi-ists.

I chose to derive the Rashi from style rather than from alignment. I did this to negate the idea that the most important thing in learning Rashi is counting superfluity and redundancy. While this is one component of learning Rashi there are equally important approaches which require intuiting general feel and direction and generalizing verses. 


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