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  |      Rashi is Simple Version 2.0                         |
  |      (C) Dr Hendel, Summer 2000                          |
  |       http://www.RashiYomi.Com                           |
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VERSE: Dt18-01b


RASHIS COVERED: Dt18-01b Dt18-01c
                Dt18-01d Dt18-01e Dt18-02a Dt18-02b


BACKGROUND:
----------
Nu18-01b
--------
The Bible is discussing what the Priests and Levites inherit.
Note that although this verse is complicated it is cross
referenced by an explicit OTHER VERSE Nu18-21:24

I have given the TITHES to the Levites...but they will not
inherit with the rest of the Jewish people"

RULE:
----
The basic idea is that
* The Priests and Levites have rights in the Temply/Holy things
* The Priests and Levites have no rights in the conquest of Israel
Rashi orders these laws in a hierarchy showing 3 prerequisites to
becoming a Godly person.



EXAMPLES (of relations to possessions leading to GODLINESS)
--------


----------------------------------------------------------
  STEP 1 TOWARDS GODLINESS: Renounce material possessions
----------------------------------------------------------

1) Dt18-01b: Levites will have no PORTION
2) Dt18-01c   ......or INHERITANCE
   RASHI: Levites don't have a share in Israel(NO INHERITANCE)
          Levites don't have a PORTION in RELIGIOUS WARS(*1)





--------------------------------------------------------------
  STEP 2 TOWARDS GODLINESS: Associate with the Godly community
--------------------------------------------------------------

3) Dt18-01d Levites will have the FIRES GOD & the
4) Dt18-01e .... INHERITANCE of God
   RASHI: FIRES of GOD = The Sacrifices (Cf Nu18-08:20)
          INHERITANCE of GOD = The Tithes (Cf Nu18-21:24)*2





---------------------------------------------------------------
  STEP 3 TOWARDS GODLINESS: Be EXCLUSIVELY associated with
             the Godly community. Don't have extra activites
---------------------------------------------------------------

5) Dt18-02a Levites will not have any INHERITANCE
   RASHI: Even in permissable wars (Rashi contrasts the
          mandatory inheritance in Israel by the
          majority of the Jews to the optional inheritance
          in the trans-jordan by the Reubenites & Gadites.)

          So the implication is if you want to become a Godly
          person it is not enough to be part of the Godly
          community and renounce material things; you must
          also renounce occasional extra ventures into material
          things..You must be known as EXCLUSIVELY belonging
          to God.*3 *4


SUMMARY:
-------
To become a Godly person you should
--avoid MATERIAL things
--associate with the GODLY community
--be EXCLUSIVE to this Godly community
You will then be known as a Godly person.



NOTES
-----
*1 eg In 1Sam30-24 the word PORTION refers to APORTIONMENT
      in a religious war (Also see Nu31-36)


*2 We again emphasize that the specific interpretation of
   FIRES OF GOD and INHERITANCE OF GOD comes from the
   cross referenced text in Nu18. We refer to this
   technique of cross referencing as the technique
   of OTHER VERSES.


*3 We have derived the above meaning by using the principle
   of climax. An alternative derivation would use the
   RabbiIshmael principle of GENERAL-PARTICULAR-GENERAL.

   Note that this chapter has this form

   GENERAL: Levites do NOT have portion or INHERITANCE
   PARTICULAR: They DO have FIRE OF GOD and His inheritance
   GENERAL: They do NOT participate in INHERITANCE

   Recall that the GENERAL-PARTICULAR-GENERAL rules is
   interpreted by generalizing the PARTICULAR PHRASE which
   in this case refers to the "FIRES OF GOD and HIS INHERITANCE"

   So quite simply the Levites are entitled to ANYTHING that
   resembles FIRES OF GOD and HIS INHERITANCE.

   This includes all items mentioned in Nu18--Sacrificial
   objects and Tithes (items which must be eaten in a holy
   state). However we exclude all material possessions which
   even if Given by God (Eg a religious war) nevertheless
   need not be consumed in holiness.

   Perhaps this alternative interpretation sheds more light.

*4 In a rare move Rashi gives a lengthy textual discussions
   of the Sifrah. Rashi shows that certain language used by
   the Sifrah refers to a) the conquest of Israel by the
   majority of the Jews b) the conquest of transjordan for
   the 2.5 tribes who wanted it.

   However the emphasis in this email list has been on
   conceptual derivations. Hence we have presented the
   above conceptual explanation based on OTHER VERSES
   and the CLIMACTIC development.

RULE USED: CLIMAX
---------------------------------------------------
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Volume 7 Number 10


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