The weekly Torah reading of Toledoth starts
out with a statement of genealogy. Many Torah
portions start out with a statement of genealogy and
dive immediately into the genealogy statement. Some
portions however have interruptions of the statement
of genealogy. Rashi
treats any such interruption as material related
to the people involved.
First we present some examples of ordinary,
no-interruption genealogy.
- Gn10-01:02,
Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth; and to them were sons born after the flood.
The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.
- Gn11-10,
These are the generations of Shem; Shem was a hundred years old, and fathered Arphaxad two years after the flood;
- Gn25-12:13,
Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maidservant, bore to Abraham;
And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations; the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,
Next we present examples of genealogy with
interruption. Each underlined interruption is accompanied
by the Rashi text interpreting the interruption
as related to the people spoken about.
- Nu03-01
These are the generations of Aaron and Moses
on the day that the Lord spoke with Moses in Mount Sinai.
And these are the names of the sons of Aaron; Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
Rashi:
The genealogy only lists Aaron's children. However Moses
is mentioned because he taught them the Torah of God that
was given
on the day that the Lord spoke with Moses in Mount Sinai.
From this we infer that the teacher of a child is considered like a father
who gave birth to them.
- Gn06-09:10
These are the generations of Noah;
Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
And Noah fathered three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Rashi:
A person's first child is himself. A person must raise
himself the same way he raises his children. We infer this
from the above text that declares a listing of the
generations of Noah and then continues not with Noah's children
but with a description of Noah himself
Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations,
- Gn25-19
And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son;
Abraham fathered Isaac;
....
...
... Esau. ... Jacob....
Rashi:
The repetition that Abraham fathered Isaac emphasizes
that Abraham was the true father. The alternate view,
that Sarah became pregnant from the various kings that abducted her,
is refuted and rejected by the repeated
emphasis inside the genealogy chapter that Abraham was the father.
Advanced Rashi: Rashi goes further:
Isaac resembled Abraham; this proved that Abraham was
the real father. Rashi does not derive this from
the text. All Rashi derives from the text is an emphasis
that Abraham is the real father. However Rashi then uses
the spreadsheet method to give a reasonable,plausible
explanation of why people would suspect that Abraham was not
the father and how people knew that Abraham was the real father.
Rashi mentions all the abductions that Sarah went through as
a reason why people would suspect that Abraham was not the real
father. Rashi also mentions the face-resemblance of Isaac
and Abraham as a reasonable method that would prove that Abraham
is the real father.
We believe the above approach, separating the Rashi inferences
into those derived from the text and those derived from logic
greatly enhances the plausibility of the Rashi.