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VERSE: Ex02-05c

================== Ex02-05c ====================

COMMENT: Welcome to the New Year and a new
-------- Compact form. Hope you like it


QUESTION (Yitz Lowenstein-Baltimore)
--------
You claim that Rashi only gives simple meaning.
But Ex02-05c states PHAROHS DAUGHTER SENT HER
MAID TO GET THE CHILD while Rashi cites a
talmudic translation PHAROHS DAUGHTER STRETCHED
HER HAND TO TAKE THE CHILD. Rashi then refutes
this talmudic interpretation. Doesnt this prove
that the Talmudic interpretation is not the
simple meaning.

ANSWER
------
Good question. Actually however the Talmudic
interpretation IS the simple meaning. Here is
how Rashi interprets the verse
- PHAROHS DAUGHTERS MAIDS
- WERE WALKING BY THE NILE
- PHAROHS DAUGHTER SAW THE ARK WITH THE BABY
- AND SHE SENT HER [PERSONAL] MAID TO TAKE IT
Notice how the first part of the verse speaks
about PHAROHS MAIDS (plural) while the 2nd part
of the verse speaks about her MAID (Singular).
So Rashi-is-Simple: The MAID she sent was her
personal maid that she trusted with risky tasks
(The King had forbidden saving Jewish babies and
hence only a special maid could be used). Chazal
use the term HAND MAID to indicate PERSONAL MAID*1
==================================================
ITEM                     DETAIL
======================== =========================
RASHI RULE CLASS:        GRAMMAR
RASHI SUBRULE CLASS:     PLURAL SINGULAR
RASHI WORKBOOK PRINCIPLE #9
SEE BELOW                LIST003a:
A list of inferences     from contrasting plurality

NOTES
-----
*1 The way I have explained Rashi makes the
   meaning of the text simple. Here is a recap
   of problems and solutions

   - (a) Chazal state that Pharohs daughter
   stretched forth her HAND

   - RESPONSE: They mean that Pharohs daughter
   used her PERSONAL MAID. Cf the English HANDMAID
   Rashi simply points out that grammatically
   Chazal COULD NOT have meant that Pharohs
   daughter stretched forth her hand Hence
   I interpret HAND as HAND MAID (Ones personal
   maid)

   - (b) Rashi reads HER MAIDS WERE WALKING
   to mean HER MAIDS WERE WALKING TO THEIR
   DEATH (For violating Pharohs daughters wish
   to save the baby) Rashi cites verses where
   walking can mean WALKING TO DEATH

   - RESPONSE: We need not be literal here.
   As I indicated Rashi derives his opinions
   from the contrast of SINGULAR and PLURAL.
   It is then reasonable that because this
   was a difficult task (because saving a
   Jewish baby was forbidden) therefore only
   her personal trusted hand maid could be
   given the assignment. Thus the reference
   to a verse where WALK means WALK TO DEATH
   is simply a pun--the real reason is
   Grammar as indicated above.
=================================================

================== LIST003a =======================
 Inferences based on plural-singular contrast
 See posting Ex02-05c
 Pharohs daughter had many maidS but she only
 sent one maid(singular) to get the baby on the
 Nile
====================================================
VERSE     VERSE TEXT     POINT OF PLURAL-SINGULAR
========= ============== ===========================
Ex02-05c  One maid sent  Others werent trustworthy*1
Lv05-24b  Return fifthS  eg For multiple thefts*2
Ex19-02b  Nation camped  In a unified fashion*3
Gn14-14c  They SplitS    Army divide/conquer*4
Gn49-04   fathers bedS   Reuven swapped beds*5

NOTES
-----
*1 So: Many maids went down to the river
   But PHarohs daughter only trusted one maid
   to get the baby

*2 If you steal once you pay a fifth fine
   If you steal the SAME object many times
   then you pay many fifths (Plural)

*3 The entire nation(plural) campled(singluar)
   They acted as a unified whole

*4 First the army went out as a unit
   Then they split into groups(Hence the
   singular plural contrast)

*5  Cf Gn35-22a which accuses Reuven of incest
    Gn49-04 clarifies this: Reuven would swap
    bedspreads when his father wanted to sleep
    with Bilhah Reuven would swap her bedspread
    with Leah(Leah was a full wife while Bilhah
    was a maid...hence Reuven felt it was legit
    to intefer with his fathers private life)
=================================================================
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Volume 16 Number 11


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