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#*#*# (C) RashiYomi Inc. 2010, Dr. Hendel, President #*#*#
      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 Ex35-22a
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1406.htm
      Brief Summary: The word Ayin-Lamed typically means ON. However it can also mean WITH or AFTER. So Ex35-22 is translated THE MEN CAME AFTER THE WOMAN (with donations)

    The special word method deals with the few dozen special connective words that exist in all languages. Familiar examples are also, when, that, if, then, all, because, only, this,.... These words are typically
    • adverbs such as all,also or connective words, either
    • conjunctions such as if, then, because or
    • articles or demonstrative or abstract pronouns such as the, this, that or
    • propositional connectives such as in,on,to,from.
    Rashi's job, when he comments on a special connective words, is to enumeratively list the nuances and usages of the word.

The most famous example of the special word method is the Hebrew word Kaph Yud which can mean because, that, when, perhaps, rather, if. Sometimes Rashi explicitly gives all meanings of a connective word as happens with Kaph Yud while at other times Rashi does not give all meanings at once. In such a case the Rashi student must gather all the meanings together from various places.

One can classify the special word method as either a meaning sub-method or grammar sub-method.

    Today we deal with the Hebrew special word Ayin-Lamed,AL which can have any of the following meanings.
  • on for example, Gn03-14 you, snake, will crawl, on your belly
  • with for example, Ex12-09e eat the Pascal lamb with Matzoh and bitter herbs
  • in for example, Ex29-03 Place the Matzoh in the basket
  • to for example, 1S01-10 Channah prayed to God
  • near for example, Gn18-08 Abraham stood near his guests
  • after for example, Lv03-05a Offer the Peace offering after the daily offering.

Applying this rule to the translation of Ex35-22a we obtain And the men came after/with the women; as many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and ear rings, and rings, and bracelets, all jewels of gold; and every man who offered offered an offering of gold to the Lord. As is our practice we have embedded the Rashi translation in the verse.

Advanced Rashi: For further examples of Rashis on the Hebrew word Ayin-Lamed visit http://www.Rashiyomi.com/al-5.htm. Better still visit the RashiYomi calendar at http://www.Rashiyomi.com/calendar1.htm and click on the al series which you can find beginning April 24 2001 and ending April 29, 2001.

Note: Either of the translations with, after would work in this verse. Personally I think (but have not yet checked) that all translations of Al meaning with should be replaced with after. If fact after is in time as on is in space; that is the statement B is on A means that A is placed first and B is placed on top spatially; similarly the statement B is after A means that A takes place first while B temporally takes place afterwards. 


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