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VERSE: Ex13-17b
RASHIS COVERED: Ex13-17b Ex13-18a Ex14-08a Ex14-25a Ex14-25b
========================= Ex13-17b ==============================
SUCCINT SUMMARY:
----------------
One of Rashis 5 main goals is the explanation of grammar
similar to the explanations we find in modern textbooks. We
call this the Rashi rule of GRAMMAR.
Most people are familiar with those parts of grammar that
deal with the individual word--for example, the rules of verb
conjugation.
However an equally important part of grammar are the rules
of development in paragraphs: Given a paragraph theme what
types of sentences can exist in that paragraph and what are
their relations to the central theme. The rules of paragraph
development also apply to chapter development: How are the
constituent paragraphs of a chapter related to the central
theme. For this reason we call this Rashi subrule, the rule
of CONSECUTIVE PARAGRAPHS.
Rashi knew 4 means of relating consecutive sentences or
consecutive paragraphs in a paragraph or chapter:
- CAUSE
- CONTRAST
- ENABLEMENT
- UNIFYING THEME.
EXAMPLE Ex13-17b Ex13-18 Ex13-16:18
-----------------------------------
The complete Biblical text is as follows
----------------------------------------------
When Pharoh let the Jews go
God did not guide them thru Philistine land
Because it was a near route
Because if they saw war [AND WERE NEAR EGYPT] they might turn back
[INSTEAD OF LETTING THEM GO THE NEAR-ROUTE]
God turned them to go by the wilderness route
-----------------------------------------------
Rashi makes the comments we have placed in brackets
----------------------------------------------------
The Biblical phrase
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
God turned them by the wilderness
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
is a CONTRASTIVE phrase.
- Instead of the JEWS taking the NEAR-ROUTE
- they will take the WILDERNESS ROUTE(Which is not near)
---------------------------------------------------------
Similarly Rashi makes the following comment
----------------------------------------------------------
The Biblical phrase
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Because it was a near route
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
should be seen as ENABLING or FACILITATING the turning back
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Because if they saw war [AND WERE NEAR EGYPT] they might turn back
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
----------------------------------------------------------
Here Rashi takes two phrases
- because it is a near route
- God turned them towards the wilderness
Rashi does not explain the WORD MEANING of these phrases
Rather Rashi explains the PARAGRAPH CONTEXT of these phrases.
One phrase is CONTRASTIVE; the other phrase is FACILITATING
In other words Rashi explains how these phrases, WHOSE MEANING
WE ALREADY UNDERSTAND, fits in with the paragraph. For this
reason we classify these Rashis as GRAMMATICAL.
EXAMPLE 2: Ex14-08a Ex14-04:08
------------------------------
The Biblical text states
--------------------------------------------
Pharoh found out that the Jews had fled
And he changed his mind about the Jews
He said: What have we done to send the Jews away
He fixed his chariot
He took his nation
He took 600 chosen chariots
and the whole Egyptian army
and appointed leaders on all
[For]God had hardened Pharohs heart
and he pursued the Jews
But the Jews left brazenly and unafraid
----------------------------------------------
Rashi comments
-----------------------------------------
This Biblical phrase
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
God had hardened his heart
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
should be seen as contrastive to the
following Biblical phrases which suggest
doubt
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
And he changed his mind about the Jews
He said: What have we done to send the Jews away
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-----------------------------------------
Here Rashi infers nuance from the paragraph structure.
The two Biblical phrases
- Pharoh changed his heart--he said What have we done
- God hardened his heart and he pursued them
should be seen as contrastive. The first phrase
does not connote a decision but rather connotes
DOUBT. The second phrase--God hardened his heart---
connotes RESOLVE WITHOUT DOUBT
EXAMPLE 3: Ex14-25a Ex14-25b
----------------------------
The Biblical text states
----------------------------------------
God turned against the Egyptians
He removed a wheel from their chariots
He made their drive heavy and difficult
And the Egyptians said:
Lets get out of here
God is fighting for the Jews
----------------------------------------
Rashi comments
----------------------------------------
The successive phrases in the verse
illustrate successful levels of causation
- God removes a chariot wheel--THIS CAUSES
- Heavy riding--THIS CAUSES
- awareness that God is fighting for the Jews
----------------------------------------
Again we emphasize:
- we know the meaning of the words
- GOD REMOVES A WHEEL
- So Rashi explains not MEANING
- but rather GRAMMATICAL CONTEXT
It is for this reason that we have
classified all these examples as GRAMMATICAL
LIST061b below presents several Rashis exhibiting contrast
between verses. LIST061a presents Rashis exhibiting CAUSAL
or FACILITATION in connecting verses.
============================================================
ITEM DETAIL
======================== ===================================
RASHI RULE CLASS: GRAMMAR
RASHI SUBRULE CLASS: CONSECUTIVE CHAPTERS
RASHI WORKBOOK PRINCIPLE #9
SEE BELOW LIST061b
A list of paragraphs having a CONTRASTING connection
----------------------- ----------------------------------
SEE BELOW LIST061a
A list of paragraphs having a CAUSAL connection
============================================================
======================== LIST061b =================================
A list of paragraphs having a CONTRASTING connection
===================================================================
# VERSE TOPIC IN 1st CHAPTER TOPIC IN 2nd CHAPTER
==== ========== ======================== ==========================
(--) Ex13-18a Dont take NEAR ROUTE Take wilderness(FAR ROUTE)
(--) Ex14-08a Pharoh DOUBTS-let em go? God HARDENS;Pharoh pursues
(--) Ex04-11a Moses cant speak Moses did speak-Ex02-11:14
(--) Ex04-11b Moses afraid of Pharoh God protected Mshe-Ex02-15
(--) Gn47-25a*8 20% Tax:80% Yours Thank you...Good deal
(--) Gn42-10a JOE: You are spies BROTHERS:NO-we are not.*7
(09) Lv26-01a Being a slave to Non Jew Prohibition of Idolatry*1
(10) Dt29-12a Curses We are before God*2
(11) Lv19-03c Fear Parents Watch Sabbaths*3
(12) Dt22-12a No Shaatnez Tzitzith*4
(--) Dt09, Dt10 Jews rebel against God But God still loves Jews*5
(--) Gn31-13d I will go GENTLY You will PASS ME*6
NOTES
-----
*1 Rashi not only connects 2 paragraphs. He also connects
all Biblical paragraphs in this chapter. See
footnote *10 for further details
*2 Dt28 gives a long list of curses if the Jews violate
the commandments.
Dt29-12 says "You are all STANDING before God today" In
other words despite the curses for disobediance you are
still here before God(The implication being that no
matter how angry God gets he will not destroy you)
A further support for this theme can come from the
General-particular-General form
Dt28 GENERAL: Curses for disobediance
Dt29-12 PARTICULAR: You are standing here before God
Dt29-19 GENERAL: Curses for disobediance
Thus the General-Particular-General form shows that Gods
curses still allow us to "Stand before him"--in other
words they are educative curses not punitive.
*3 In other words (always) "Observe the Sabbaths"
DESPITE a request to the contrary "By your parents"
This can happen if eg your parents ask you to
desecrate the Sabbath. You must observe the
Sabbath even if your parents request to
the contrary.
And this can be generalized to all Torah laws(that
they take precedence over your parents request)
*4 Wear Tzitzith DESPITE the fact that they may have Shaatnez
Wool and linen together (In the priestly garments made of
Linen the Tzitzith were made of wool--thus the commandment
of Tzitzith OVERRIDES the prohibtion of wearing wool and
linen)
*5 More specifically Rashi (Dt10-12a) states
---------------------------------------------
Despite the 5 rebellions that the Jews did
against God, nevertheless, God still loves
the Jews. In fact Dt10-12 states that all
the Jews need do to earn this love is to
revere God
---------------------------------------------
*6 Rashis point is that Jacob did not ask Esauv
----------------------------
Past me and leave me behind
----------------------------
Rather Jacob suggested contrast
------------------------------------------------
- I must go at a gentle pace
- you go at a normal pace
------------------------------------------------
A logical consequence of this contrast is that
Esauv would pass Jacob and leave him behind.
*7 The full Biblical text shows two rounds of dialogs
between Moses and Joseph
The Biblical text states as follows
----------------------------------------------------
Gn42-09 1 JOE: You are Spies
Gn42-10:11 1 BROHTERS: NO(Contrast)--We are simple people
Gn42-12 2 JOE: NO(Contrast) you are spies
Gn42-13 2 BROTHERS: We are 12 sons;we came for food
----------------------------------------------------
*8 Gn47-25b and Gn47-25a both deal with the contrast of offer
vs Thank you.
---------------------- LONGER FOOTNOTES ----------------------
*10
On a superficial level Rashi seems to be connecting 2
verses.
Avoid idolatry DESPITE your being a slave to a non jew
(who encourages its violation). Do not think "I will
worship idols now and when I am free I will go
back to believing in God"
On a profound level Rashi sees a unifying theme to this
whole chapter. The chapter encourages observing the
shimitah laws which encourage abstaining from agriculture
once every 7 years so that people can devote themselves
to God and study. If one violates these laws he is
progressively punished. Here is the sequence of
punishments
{LIST} {Paragraphs in BEHAR}
-------------------------------------------------------
VERSE LAW
------------ ------------------------------------------
Lv25-01:12 Observe the 7 and 50 year Land sabbaticals
Lv25-13:24 If not you will have to sell your MOVABLES
Lv25-25:28 If not you will have to sell your LAND
Lv25-29:34 If not you will have to sell your HOUSE
Lv25-35:38 If not you will have to LOAN
Lv25-39:46 If not you will have to become a SLAVE
Lv25-47:54 If not you'll become a NONJEWISH SLAVE
Lv26-01:03 If not you'll be tempted to IDOLATRY
---------------------------------------------------------
Thus Rashi does not merely teach juxtaposition of verses
but he also teaches juxtaposition of ALL paragraphs in
the chapter.
================================================================
================= LIST061a ================================
A list of paragraphs having CAUSAL connection
===========================================================
VERSE TOPIC IN 1st CHAPTER TOPIC IN 2nd CHAPTER
======== ===================== ============================
Ex14-25a Remove wheel Heavy driving--God fights
Ex14-25b Heavy Driving God fights*10
Ex13-17b Avoid NEAR-ROUTE Nearness facilitates return
Gn35-01a Dinah is raped Prophetic order to leave*6
Gn33-13c Young Sheep IF pushed they will die*7
Gn29-01a God WITH Jacob Jacob travelled SMOOTHLY*5
Nu06-02a Adulterous wife rite Nazaarite from wine*1
Gn38-01a Brothers sell Joseph Judah leaves brothers*1
Gn23-03c Abraham offers Isaac Sarah dies*1
Gn02-20a Adam Eve are Naked Snake gives Eve Apple*2
Lv10-02a Non-allowed sac Death of Aarons sons*3
Lv10-02a Death of Aarons sons No wine to serving priest*3
Lv10-03d Death of Righteous God honored*4
NOTES
-----
*1 Thus "whoever see the humiliating Adulterous wife rite"
will be so shocked that he will abstain from wine
Similarly "Judah advised his brothers to sell Joseph"
and so when they regretted it they blaimed him and he
had to "separate from them."
Similarly "Sarah died" from the shock that "Abraham
offered Isaac."
*2 In other words because the snake saw Adam and Eve naked
therefore he became Jealous and wanted Adam killed so
he could marry Eve.
ALthough this sounds a bit wild there is strong supporting
evidence. Gn04-01 uses the past perfect form
"And Adam HAD BEEN FAMILIAR with his wife & they had
a child"
So the sequence of chapters is
"Adam was lonely"
"God makes Eve"
"Adam and Eve are naked"
------------------------"Snake tempts Eve"
"Adam has a child with Eve"
Thus the sequence of chapters (Naked--->child) is
clearly interrupted by the Snake story.
*3 As explained above Rashi sees these two views as
complementary
- First they drank wine and got drunk
- While drunk they thought it permissable to offer
sacrifices which should not be offered
Hence they died for both crimes
*4 Rashi explains the Causal connection
- when the masses see that God EVEN kills the righteous
for sins
- then they are aware how they must also observe
Gods commandments
- This leads to more honor for God
*5 So GOOD NEWS facilitates/causes SMOOTH TRAVEL(Rashi)
*6 The full sequence of chapters is as follows
--------------------------------------------
- Gn31 God orders Jacob to return to his fathers house
- Gn32 But Jacob is afraid of Being with Brother Esauv
- Gn33 Jacob journeys instead to Succoth
- Gn34 Dinah gets raped
- Gn35 God tells Jacob to return to BethEl
-------------------------------------------
Rashi notes that
-----------------------------
If Jacob had IMMEDIATELY fulfilled the order
of Travelling to his fathers house he
wouldnt have stayed in Succoth and his
Daughter would not have gotten raped.
------------------------------
Thus Rashi sees a CAUSAL connection
between the chapters. Dinah was raped
because Jacob did not IMMEDIATELY fulfill
the prophetic order.
Note Rashi expresses the same theme
-------------------------------------------------
Because he delayed doing the prophecy immediately
therefore he was punished that certain bad
occurrences happened to him
-------------------------------------------------
Rashi expresses this same theme on Gn35-22a
where we find that Reuven inteferred with his
fathers marital life.
*7 Rashi can be better understood with the EXPORT-IMPORT LAW
of logic. The EXPORT-IMPORT law states that
----------------------------------------------------
IF [it rains] then if [I go out] THEN [I will get wet]
----------------------------------------------------
has the same meaning as
----------------------------------------------------
IF [it rains] and [I go out] THEN [I will get wet]
----------------------------------------------------
In other words Rashi identifies the two sentence forms
- IF p THEN IF q THEN r
- IF p & q THEN r
This identification of NESTED CONDITIONALS with a
CONJUNCTIVE HYPOTHESIS is called the EXPORT-IMPORT law.
The actual Biblical text reads
---------------------------------------------
The cattle is young
AND they will be pushed one day
AND they will die
---------------------------------------------
Rashi simply points out (Using EXPORT-IMPORT) that
we can interpret this as either
---------------------------------------------
[IF] The cattle is young
AND they will be pushed one day
THEN they will die
---------------------------------------------
or
---------------------------------------------
IF The cattle is young
IF they will be pushed one day
THEN they will die
---------------------------------------------
The above two translations use the well known Biblical
principle that the Hebrew letter VAV can refer to
any connective.
-------------------------- LONGER FOOTNOTES -------------------
*10 Rashi also states
--------------------------------------------------
The HEAVY DRIVING (that God made the Egyptians do
by removing chariot wheel) was a punishment for
their making HEAVY their hearts
--------------------------------------------------
I would strengthen these associations
--------------------------------------------------
The HEAVY DRIVING is a punishment for the HEAVY
work that the Egyptians placed on the Jews
--------------------------------------------------
These comments of Rashi or me also indicate
-- HEAVY DRIVING causes/facilitated
-- Egyptians seeing that God was fighting for them
Indeed: We know that one of the way God fights
is to punish people according to what they have done
(See Rashi on Ex18-11- Jethro said: Now I know that
God is the true God because He returns to people
what they have done)
Hence this particular punishment (making the
Egyptians drive heavy vs killing them) showed
the Egyptians (CAUSED them to be aware) that
God was fighting.
=================================================================
---------------------------------------------------
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Volume 24 Number 18
#*#*#*#*# (C) 2001, RashiYomi Inc. Dr Hendel President #*#*#*#*#
Volume 24 Number 18