#*#*#*#*# (C) 2001, RashiYomi Inc. Dr Hendel President #*#*#*#*#
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VERSE: Ex30-12a
RASHIS COVERED: Ex30-12a Ex30-15a Ex30-16a Ex30-16b
==================== ALL CENSUSES DONE BY COUNTING MONEY ======
BACKGROUND
----------
One of the 6 major Rashi methods is the method of STYLE.
According to this method certain Biblical STYLES indicate HOW a
set of verses should be interpreted. Some styles indicate that
a set of verses should be interpreted GENERALLY & BROADLY while
other styles indicate that a set of verses should be interpreted
specifically.
REFERENCE
---------
The Rabbi Ishmael rules of style may be found at
http://www.Rashiyomi.com/ishmael.htm
THE TEXT
--------
Ex30-11:16 speaks about the annual HALF-DOLLAR tax that the Jews
paid for the temple support and maintenance. The text indicates
that every Jew should give HALF A DOLLAR to the temple. The text
also indicates that the census of the Jews was then inferred from
the amount of money collected.
THE RASHI
---------
This paragraph is stated in a GENERAL-SPECIFIC-GENERAL style
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--- GENERAL: -- Counting Jews is done by counting ATONEMENT MONEY
----- SPECIFIC: All adults give exactly a half dollar
--- GENERAL: -- The MONEY is used for ATONEMENT
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The GENERAL-SPECIFIC-GENERAL style indicates a BROAD or GENERAL
interpretation: All censuses of PEOPLE are done by counting MONEY
THE style APPROACH vs THE word-picking APPROACH
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Rashi further notes on these verses
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The idea of TAKING money for the temple is mentioned
several times. In fact there were 3 such taxes
-- a voluntary gift to BUILD the temple
-- a half dollar tax to build SILVER TEMPLE UTENSILS
-- a half dollar tax for SACRIFICES
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Rashi seems to derive MULTIPLE TAXES from MULTIPLE STATEMENTS
Each statement corresponds to a different tax. This is the
EXTRA WORD approach-- in this approach every extra word in
the Biblical text justifies an inference. Rabbi Boncheck &
many other Rashi scholars use this approach.
But we use a STYLE approach -- the GENERAL-SPECIFIC-STYLE
requires a BROAD interpretation -- EVERY census is done
by collecting half dollars. HENCE since there were 2-3 censuses
in the wilderness therefore there are 2-3 taxes for a half
dollar. Rashi learns of the 2-3 censuses from explicit verses*11
Rashi similarly learns of the voluntary tax from an explicit
verse*12 But all Ex30-11:16 teaches us is the principle that
EVERY CENSUS IS DONE BY COUNTING MONEY. The multiple statements
create a style and atmosphere which requires generalizing this
principle
THE LIST
--------
In the list below we present the chapter of Ex30-11:16 rewritten
in GENERAL-SPECIFIC-GENERAL style.
REFERENCE
---------
See http://www.RashiYomi.com/ex25-02d.htm which complements
this posting--it to deals with multiple taxes but uses different
methods and arrives at complementary conclusions.
==================================================================
TYPE TEXT
======== =========================================================
GENERAL If you wish*1 to take a census,count by ATONEMENT*2 money
SPECIFIC ------------- Give half a temple dollar
SPECIFIC ------------- All adults, 20 and above, should give
SPECIFIC ------------- The half-dollar tax is UNIFORM
GENERAL Use the ATONEMENT money FOR the temple to ATONE*2
NOTES
-----
*1 Rashi states (Ex30-12a) that the Hebrew text means
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WHEN/IF YOU wish to count PEOPLE, THEN count them by money
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As indicated above the paragraph Ex30-11:16 is in a
GENERAL-SPECIFIC-GENERAL format and therefore refers to
ANY census, whether the one done now or ones that will be done
in the future. HENCE, Rashi interprets the Hebrew word KI
as meaning IF-THEN*10.
*2 Note how both the introductory and closing GENERAL clause use
the word ATONE. Additionally the closing clause mentions
[USING THE MONEY FOR THE TEMPLE]. Accordingly Rashi interprets
the verses as indicating that these temple taxes can be used
to purchase any item connected with the TEMPLE OR ATONEMENT.
Either (a) purchasing materials for the temple (b) or
purchasing sacrifices for the poor.*11
----------------------- LONGER FOOTNOTES ------------------------
*10 The Hebrew word KI has 7 meanings and can mean IF, WHEN etc
See http://www.RashiYomi.Com/ki-11.htm.
Note that Rashi was not interpreting the Hebrew word [TISAH]
as [WISH] since [TISAH] very clearly means [COUNT] (E.g.
Nu04-21). Thus the most reasonable approach to Rashi is
that he is interpreting the word [KI] as [WHEN/IF]
A further point will clarify Rashi. I could have interpreted
the verse as an IF-AND [IF you will count AND take taxes...]
The structure of the paragraph however requires IF-THEN
[IF you count THEN do it by taking taxes]
*11 The idea that Sacrifices ATONE is clear. The idea that
temple materials atone is not that clear. Rashi derives
this by using the TECHNIQUE of OTHER VERSES.
In fact Ex38-25:26 explicitly states that the half-dollar
taxes were used to purchase all silver for the temple sockets
and hooks.
Since the Temple was erected on Month 1 Day 1(Ex40-02)
while the 1st explicit census of the Jews happened on
Month 2 Day 1 (Nu01-01) we infer from Ex38-25:26 that there
must have been another census prior to the building of the
temple. The money from that census was used for making the
silver items in Ex38-25:26 which according to Ex30-11:16
atones
Notice the careful flow of logic here
-- I know from Ex30-11:16 that every census is done by money
-- I know from Ex38-25:26 that census tax purchased silver
-- But I know from Ex30-11:16 that census tax ATONES.
Hence I conclude that
-- purchasing temple MATERIALS atones and
-- there was a hidden census prior to the census in Nu01-01
This census was used for building the temple.
It is then natural to inquire why this census was hidden
and when did it happen. Rashi rightly conjectures that it
happened after the sin of the golden calf which resulted
in a civil war with a loss of people. The census was to find
how many were left. It is then clear why this was hushed up.
The above analysis exploiting the OVERALL STRUCTURE of
Ex30-11:16 allows several inferences:
-The Rashi on Ex35-15a mentioning the SEVERAL taxes
-The Rashi on Ex35-16b mentioning using the census
tax money for the silver material purchased in Ex38-25:26
-The Rashi on Ex35-16a mentioning the hidden census
after the Golden calf.
Again we have derived all the above by overall structure
without using the EXTRA WORD principle.
*12 Eg Ex25-02 or Ex35-29.
=================================================================
RASHI RULE USED: Example7
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Volume 13 Number 2
#*#*#*#*# (C) 2001, RashiYomi Inc. Dr Hendel President #*#*#*#*#
Volume 13 Number 2