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  |      Rashi is Simple Version 2.0                         |
  |      (C) Dr Hendel, Summer 2000                          |
  |       http://www.RashiYomi.Com                           |
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VERSE: Ex22-04b


RASHIS COVERED: Ex22-04b


COMMENT:
=======
This is a peach of a Rashi which uses many valuable principles
and techniques which we have advocated on this list. In
translating this verse the capped words represent translations
or coined terms of Rashi. Parenthetical words represent words
not in the text which are inserted to make the translation
smoother. The footnotes explain the coined terms. The Bible
is speaking about a person who lets his animal do animal
damage to another persons field: In such a case the animals
owner must pay. In Ex22-04a we have explained that the coined
term >the animal ANIMALS< refers to an animal doing >typical
animal activity< liked trampling.


TRANSLATION OF Ex22-04
======================
>When a person >ANIMALS< a field or vineyard
--*2---------------:by letting his animal go (or)
--*2---------------:(the animal) >ANIMALS< the field of another
-then from the best real estate will the owner pay damages<


NOTES
-----

*2 The indentation of the verse follows the rules of Rabbi
   Ishmael which we have developed in our so called EXAMPLE
   series. One of the contributions of this email list is
   to show that Biblical verses are interpreted LITERALLY
   or BROADLY depending on the STYLE of the verse. Furthermore
   Rabbi Ishmaels 13 rules of literary interpretation are really
   rules of style.

   In this verse we are using the GENERAL-DETAIL style which
   was discussed in http://www.RashiYomi.Com/example5.htm.
   This style states that when a verse starts with a general
   statement and then repeats a more detailed version then
   we are required to focus on the detailed re-statement
   and interpret the verse literally.

   Thus we have in Ex22-04
   >GENERAL: If a person ANIMALS a field or vineyard
   >DETAIL:--------by letting his ANIMAL go
   >DETAIL:--------or by the animal ANIMALING in someones field

   Now we understand Rashis interpretation which we rephrase
   as follows:

   >Because of the GENERAL-DETAIL form we are REQUIRED to
   interpret the details strictly. A person is responsible
   to pay for normal damages of his animal NO MATTER HOW
   THIS ANIMAL DAMAGE OCCURS eg
   ---by the owner Letting his animal go or
   ---by the animal of its own accord going to the field<

   Some people erroneously think that Rashi is being picky.
   This is because they are used to thinking in the Nechama
   Leibowitz school which emphasized grammatical derivations.

   But in this verse there is nothing grammatically peculiar
   about the repeated phrase >and he lets his animal go or
   the animal animals in another field <

   Rather what is forcing Rashi to be picky is the GENERAL-DETAIL
   style which by itself requires a picky interpretation. This
   style requires that we >SEE< in the phrases >let the animal
   go and do animal damage in another field< all aspects of
   normal animal damage which includes both
   --damage thru typical animal habits (like damaging while
     walking, wagging its tail etc). The Bible calls this
     >letting his animal go<

   --as well as damage thru satisfying of typical animal needs
   (like rubbing, eating, defecating etc). The Bible calls this
   >the animal animals in another field (by itself without the
   owner letting it go)<

   Thus in summary while there is nothing grammatically peculiar
   the Bible is saying that an owner is responsible for all
   normal animal damage WHETHER THE ANIMAL WAS LET GO BY THE
   OWNER OR IT WENT THERE ITSELF.

   In passing we note that these two methods of damage correspond
   to the two classical approaches to animal conditioning

   ---pavlovian conditioning (eg ringing a bell before a dog
   eats will cause the dog to salivate when it hears the bell)

   ---operant conditioning (eg teaching a dog to press the lever
   marked "B" after it sees the picture "A").

   Modern theory has confirmed Ex22-04 and regards these two
   types of conditioning which were thought to be distinct as
   fundamentally the same mathematically and physically.

   Finally we close by pointing out that the Bible by its general
   paragraph structure distinguishes between
   ---Ex22-04 which discusses NORMAL animal damage
   ---Ex21-35 & Ex21-28:32 which discusses damage thru goring
      which is ABNORMAL for an animal


COMMENT ON RASHIS STYLE
-----------------------
Another contribution of this list is to insist that when Rashi
gives two explanations he really preferred the second one. Thus
in this verse Rashis first interpretation corresponds to the
interpretation of the sentence BY ITSELF without using Rabbi
Ishmaels rules: The Bible is simply describing letting an
animal go and do animal activity in someones field.

But the second interpretation uses the Rules of Rabbi Ishmael
which require a picky interpretation: The Bible is describing
normal damages EITHER thru the owner letting the animal go
OR by the animal of its own accord causing the damage.

Thus our approach is to identify Rashis first explanation with
>an interpretation of the verse by itself without regard
to context and without regard to the rules of style< and to
then identify the second explanation with >an interpretation
of the verse in context or using the rules of style< Rashi
prefers the second explanation because it is holistic.
By contrast the first explanation is not a >simple< explanation
but rather a >simplistic< explanation which does not pay
attention to context or rules of style.


RASHI RULE USED: EXAMPLE5
---------------------------------------------------
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 11


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