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  |      Rashi is Simple Version 2.0                         |
  |      (C) Dr Hendel, Summer 2000                          |
  |       http://www.RashiYomi.Com                           |
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VERSE: Ex01-11e

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
===============
To Baal Koray Yossi Zoiman who raised the issue of whether
>Ra-Me-Sayth< and >Ra-aM-Sayth< are 2 or 1 cities. The
answer turns out to be a controversy between a definite
Rashi vs a possible suggestion of the Masoretic Commentary the
Minchat Shai. We show below that Rashi answered and
refuted this suggestion of the Minchat Shai.


RULE
====
The Bible frequently refers to the same person with 2 or
more names. The extra names frequently signify important
events or changes in the persons life.


REFERENCE: http://www.RashiYomi.Com/ex18-01b.htm
=========


EXAMPLES:
--------
{LIST}
Biblical Figures who had 2 different names: As the footnotes
show the new names can correspond to important events and
changes in the persons life
============================================================
(#) 1st-NAME    VERSE           WAS RENAMED      2nd-NAME
=== ========    ==============  ===========      ========
(1) AVRAM       Gn17-5          was renamed      AVRAHAM*1
(2) SARAY       Gn17-15         was renamed      SARA(H)*1
(3) HShYaH      Nu03-16         was renamed      YeHoShuAh*2
(4) YTR         Ex04-18;Ex18-1  was renamed      YTHRO
(5) Jacob       Gn32-28         was renamed      Yisroel*3
(6) DeUel	Nu01-13,Nu02-14 was renamed      ReUel

NOTES
=====
*1 Renamed because of the circumcision and the convenant
*2 Renamed on the occasion of Joshua joining the spies
*3 Renamed because Jacob fought with an angel(and won)
{END OF LIST}


RASHI ON Ex01-11e
=================
The land of >RAAMSAYTH< is mentioned 5 times in the Bible.
As the list below shows there are two pronounciations.
The list also shows the plausibility that these two
pronounciatins refer to one and the same place.



{LIST}
The 5 Biblical verses that mention the Egyptian city of
>RaamSayth<. As the footnotes show(*1) these verses in
and of themselves suggest that only one city is referred to
=================================================================
VERSE    PRONOUNCED   TEXT OF VERSE
=======  ===========  ===========================================
Gn47-11  RA-Me-SayTh  Pharoh gave Jews good Land, RamSayTh
Ex12-37  RA-Me-SayTh  Jews left (Egypt) from RamSayTh
Nu33-03  Ra-Me-SayTh  Jews left (Egypt) from RamSayth
Nu33-05  Ra-Me-SayTh  Jews left (Egypt) from RamSayth
Ex01-11*1RA-AM-SayTh  Pharoh taxed Jews--made Jews build RamSayth

NOTES
=====
*1 The Torah is very clear that
   --The Jews >ENTERED< Egypt at RamSayTh
   --The Jews >LEFT< Egypt at RamSayth
   --The Jews >DURING< their Egyptian stay Built RamSayth
   This suggests that there is only one RamSayth

   As can be seen, however, from the above list, there are
   two pronounciations: RA-AM-Sayth vs RA-Me-Sayth
{END OF LIST}



SUMMARY:
=======
The Minchat Shai, a masoretic commentary states on Gn47-11:
>Since there are two pronounciations perhaps there are 2 places<

Rashi answers the Minchat Shai as follows:
--It is normal to rename something when an important event
  or change happens
--Originally, RAAMSAYTH was simply Pasture land for the Jews
--However Pharoh >REMADE< the cities from Shepard cities into
  FORTIFIED CITIES(Ex01-11). On this occasion the cities were
  renamed: They were no longer called >Ra-Me-Sayth< but instead
  were called >Ra-Am-Sayth<.
--This renaming is consistent with the general Biblical pattern
  of renaming
--The idea that these two pronounciations refer to the same
  place is consistent with the fact that >RAAMSAYTH< is
  identified with the ENTRY POINT, DURATION, and DEPARTURE
  POINT of the Jews in Egypt.



Since the Minchat Shai only SUGGESTED that there were 2
distinct cities, and since Rashi EXPLICITLY states there
was 1, and since this is consistent with Biblical style
it would seem reasonable to say that Rashi refuted the
suggestion of the Minchat Shai.


COMMENT
=======
Note that Rashi learns the fact that they rededicated the
cities as FORTIFIED cities, from the multiple verses and
multiple names of the city--in fact the changed pronounciation
is explicitly linked (Ex01-11) to the important event that
the cities were now to be fortified cities (Rashi does not
derive this from eg some hidden subtle nuance in the root BNH).


RASHI RULE USED: DOUBLE PARSHAS
---------------------------------------------------
WARNING: The following additional references may be too wordy
However they frequently contain additional information & lists
The hyperlinks only work on the main website

Volume 8 Number 24


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