#*#*#*#*# (C) 2001, RashiYomi Inc. Dr Hendel President #*#*#*#*#
-----------------------------------------------------------
| Rashi is Simple Version 2.0 |
| (C) RashiYomi Inc., Dr Hendel President |
| http://www.RashiYomi.Com |
| PERMISSION to reprint WITH this header if NOT for profit |
------------------------------------------------------------
VERSE: Gn30-27a
RASHIS COVERED: Gn30-27a Gn44-15a Nu23-23a Nu24-01c Dt18-10d
Ex13-05c Ex12-05c
=========================== Gn30-27a =========================
SUCCINCT SUMMARY
----------------
One of Rashis 6 main goals is to explain the meaning
of words the same way the dictionary explains meaning.
Rashi had a variety of vehicles to explain meaning.
A famous punchy method of describing items is using
PERSONIFICATION -- that is the activity or attribute
is named by a person or animal that is distinguished
in that regard.
PERSONIFICATION itself is part of a general trend
of language to identify the whole with its parts
This is called SYNECDOCHE(Whole and parts).
EXAMPLES OF SYNECDOCHE
----------------------
- HONEY means anything SWEET
- BREAD means any FOOD
- LAMB means any DOCILE YOUNG creature (LAMB,GOAT)
- LAND FLOWING WITH MILK OF HONEY means
- PRODUCE OF LAND FLOWS WITH MILK AND HONEY
- (GOATS of land produce milk; etc)
EXAMPLES OF PERSONIFICATION
---------------------------
Hence we have
- LION meaning COURAGEOUS,
- PIG meaning glutonous etc.
Today we explore SNAKE
- SNAKE=JUMPY (Cf English JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS)
Hence the Talmud interprets DONT SNAKE as DONT
JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS (eg a cat crossed my path
and hence I will have a bad day)
Snake can refer to SUPERSTITIONS, JUMPING TO
CONCLUSIONS or to COINCIDENCES
=========================================================
ITEM DETAIL
======================== ================================
RASHI RULE CLASS: WORD MEANINGS
RASHI SUBRULE CLASS 8 METHODS OF NAMING
RASHI WORKBOOK PRINCIPLE #7
SEE BELOW LIST817a
List of words Named by GOOD EXAMPLE
------------------------ -------------------------------
SEE BELOW LIST817b
List of verses where TO SNAKE=TO JUMP to conclusions
=========================================================
====================== LIST817a =====================
Words / Meanings illustrating the GOOD EXAMPLE
technique. Thus BREAD refers to BREAD. But because
BREAD is a GOOD EXAMPLE of a food, therefore BREAD
can refer to ANY FOOD. (The technical term for
this is SYNECDOCHE (part names the whole))
=====================================================
# WORD STRICT BROAD MEANING
======== ========= ======== =========================
(101) Day 12 hour 24 hour period
(102) Bread Bread Any Food
(103) Man (ISH) Male Any person
(104) E-L-H-I-M God Any Judge
(105) IN IN AMONG
Ex12-05c Land The Land Inhabitants of land*1
Ex13-05c Lamb Lamb Lamb or Goats*2
Dt18-10d SNAKE SNAKE Jumping to conclusions*3
NOTES
-----
*1 So the famous phrase
------------------------------------------
A LAND flowing with milk and sweet juices
------------------------------------------
really means
------------------------------------------
A LAND WHOSE INHABITANTS (Goats for milk
and Fruit trees for sweet juices) flows
with milk and honey
------------------------------------------
*2 Rashi brings support for his contention that
LAMB can SYNECDOCHICALLY mean any docile
young creature (the same way BREAD means FOOD etc)
See Dt14-04 -- A GOAT LAMB
*3 See LIST817b for examples. For the while we
point out that because of the snakes characteristic
motion (JUMPING out at a prey) TO SNAKE
came to mean TO JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS (As in
the English Metaphor).
Hence the Rabbis interpret the prohibition of
SNAKING as a prohibition of JUMPING TO
CONCLUSIONS (eg a Snake crossed my path
hence I will have bad luck)
=======================================================
======================== LIST817b ============================
Verses where TO SNAKE means to JUMP to CONCLUSIONS
(eg a cat crossed my path hence I will have bad luck)
SNAKE can also refer to COINCIDENCES
==============================================================
VERSE TEXT OF VERSE
======== ================== ==================================
Dt18-10d Dont SNAKE Jump to conclusions *1
Nu23-23a SNAKERS Soothsayers;Superstitious*1 *10
------- ----------------- -------------------------------
Nu24-01c God will SNAKE me NonJewish prophecy*2
------- ----------------- -------------------------------
Gn30-27a I SNAKE the theft You came-then goblet disappeared*3
Gn44-15a I SNAKE blessings You came-then I had sons*4
NOTES
-----
*1 eg a cat crossed my path; HENCE I will have bad luck
The SNAKERS are simply professionally superstitious
people who infer coincidences for gullible people
*2 Bilam looks on prophecy as a SNAKE (something
that happens by COINCIDENCE--something that JUMPS
at a person). Nu23-03 describes nonJewish prophecy
as
----------------------------------
Mabye God will COINCIDENCE me
----------------------------------
So prophecy is described as COINCIDENCE and SNAKE
(Rashi notes that Jewish prophecy by contrast
involves preparation and formal invitation--no
surprises)
*3 In other words
- you came
- my Goblet disappeared
HENCE I assume you stole it
This is an example of SNAKING and is no different
then saying a cat crossed my path and hence bad luck
This also illustrates WHY the Torah prohibited
SNAKING (It leads to false accusations and fights)
*4 In Other words
- you came
- and only then did I have male children
Hence I assume you CAUSE the blessing of male children
Again this is an example of SNAKING and is no
different then saying a cat crossed my path*11
--------------------- LONGER FOOTNOTES ---------------------
*10 Actually the structure of the chapter is illuminating
--------------- Nu23-20:21 ----------------------------
- CLAUSE 1 I will bless the Jewish people
- CLAUSE 1a Because there is no sin in them
- CLAUSE 1a1 Hence (because no sin) God is with them
-------------------------------------------------------
In other words
- the Jewish lack of sin CAUSES
- God to be with them which in turn CAUSES me
- to BLESS them (How can I fight God)
Then in Nu23-22:23 Bilam explains why there is
no sin among the Jews
--------- SUPPORT OF NO JEWISH SIN -------------
- God took them out of Egypt the land of sin
- Hence the Jews arent superstitious like Egyptians
(They base their rejections on reality and hence
are respected)
------------------------------------------------
*11 Rashi (Following a Midrash Rabbah) cites
support for the contention that Laban only
had sons after Jacob came (Rashi here uses the
technique of OTHER VERSES)
- When Jacob first came to Laban
We find that Rachel was a shepardess (a mans job)
Apparently Laban did not yet have male children
- When Jacob left however Laban had male
children
So Rashi was simply making a good guess
about WHAT coincidence Laban was thanking
Jacob for (Laban was trying to butter up
Jacob so he shouldnt leave).
There are adult connotations here...the whole
verse was stated tongue and cheek by Laban.
We in fact can combine this with another more
explicit Midrash about the Jacob-Rachel romance
-----------------------------------------
Jacob did not experience any arousal
during the 7 years he worked for Rachel
-----------------------------------------
(Yet another Midrash explains that women
give birth to boys when their husbands
control themselves enough so that the
woman is satisfied first---again the
idea of no unnecessary arousal brought
about by the modest manner of Jacob and
his wives)
Thus it is clear that Jacob Rachel and Leah
created a mature environment which enabled
Laban (who didnt know of such things) to have
male children. Laban therefore says tongue
and cheek...You (Jacob) must be the cause.
========================================================
---------------------------------------------------
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 19 Number 5
#*#*#*#*# (C) 2001, RashiYomi Inc. Dr Hendel President #*#*#*#*#
Volume 19 Number 5