#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2000 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*
  -----------------------------------------------------------
  |      Rashi is Simple Version 2.0                         |
  |      (C) Dr Hendel, Summer 2000                          |
  |       http://www.RashiYomi.Com                           |
  | PERMISSION to reprint WITH this header if NOT for profit |
  ------------------------------------------------------------

VERSE: Gn26-20a


RASHIS COVERED: Gn26-20a Gn26-20b


Gn26-19:20 states >And Isaacs laborers dug in the river and they
                found there live water. But the shepards of
                Grar disputed with the shepards of Isaac saying
                THE WATER IS OURS---They called that well AYSEK
                because they had an AYSEK with him<

Rashi simply explains the meaning of the word. Most people
are unaware that 50% of our language is learnt from context
and not from dictionaries.

Looking over the above sentence we easily see that the word
AYSEK corresponds to the word DISPUTE. Thus the last part of
Gn26-19:20 would translate >They called that well DISPUTE
because they DISPUTED his ownership<

A further defense of Rashi could come from the cognate word
>Ayin-Shin-Koof<. The accepted meaning of this word by
Radack, Rashi and Chazal is not so much >theft< as a
>witholding of wages< (In other words you are not taking
something from somebody but rather depriving them of the
fruits of their labor).

This meaning would fit in here since the shepards of Grar
were simply asserting that the fact that Isaac dug the
well (labor) did not entitle him to ownership. Hence they
were depriving him of the fruit of his labor.

Such an emphasis on nuance is consistent with human psychology
People dont just sin...rather they create distinctions to
justify what they do. In this case the shepards of Grar
deluded themselves into arguing that they werent taking
away something someone had but rather not recognizing his labor

This type of analysis was frequently done by Rav Hirsch. It
does sound reasonable in this case. But a thorough analysis
of lists of roots that differ in the letters Shin-Sin reveals
that although there is some resemblance between the two roots
there is no hard rule(See the LIST below).

We conclude that the real derivation of the meaning is the
>CONTEXT<. This is consistent with the fact that most
meaning is learned from context(Also bear in mind that
this root--->Ayin-Shin-Koof< only occurs twice in the Bible.)

{LIST}
List of root-pairs where one root has a >SHIN< while the
other root has a >sin<. While >SOME< connection is apparent
--eg become low vs swim(the swimmer is horizontal)--
nevertheless there does not seem to be a hard and fast rule
Hence the relationship between >WITHOLDING WAGES< and
>DISPUTING OWNERSHIP< must be regarded as coincidental.
================================================================
Shin root              Hebrew           Sin root Hebrew
MEANING                ROOT-SHIN        MEANING  ROOT-SIN
====================== ================ =======  ===============
bow or become low      (Shin-Cheth)     swim     (Sin-Cheth)
explain dream          (Shin-Beth-Resh) analyze  (Sin-Beth-Resh)
withold wages          (Ayin-Shin-Koof) dispute  (Ayin-Sin-Koof)
Sin(overstep boundary) (Pay-Shin-Ayin)  Step     (Pay-Sin-Ayin)
Soak*1                 (Shin-Resh-Hey)  Wrestle  (Sin-Resh-Ayin)

NOTES
=====
*1 Actually Sin-Resh-Ayin means to fight. The emphasis would
   be on the type of fighting involving surrounding as in
   a wrestling match or in a war.


THE POINT
=========
Very often commentators add >EXTRA EXPLANATIONS<. It is important
to test each extra explanation. If a LIST backs it up fine. If
not we should stick with the one simple explanation that makes
sense. In the case at hand it is quite sufficient to say that
Rashi made his derivation from the CONTEXT of the verse and used
it to explain a root which occurs only once or twice.


RASHI RULE USED: NEW MEANING
---------------------------------------------------
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 9


#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2000 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*