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VERSE: Gn39-06a

============================== Gn39-06a ==================

SUCCINCT SUMMARY
----------------
One of Rashis major goals is the explanation of the
meaning the same way a dictionary explains meaning.
We call this the Rashi rule of WORD MEANINGS.

Rashi had 10 vehicles to explain word meanings. One
such rule was the IDIOM rule--here Rashi does not explain
the meaning of an INDIVIDUAL word but rather Rashi shows
how a COLLECTION of words has a meaning which is distinct
from the meaning of the INDIVIDUAL words. We call this
the Rashi subrule of NEW MEANINGS.

EXAMPLE Gn39-06a
----------------
The Biblical text states
--------------------------------------
His master did not know with him a bit
--------------------------------------

Rashi comments
-----------------------------------
His master did not check up on him
-----------------------------------

In other words the phrase DID NOT KNOW WITH HIM A BIT
is an IDIOM which means HE DID NOT CHECK UP ON HIM.
LIST854d below presents a collection of similar multi-
word idioms which Rashi explains.
=========================================================
ITEM                     DETAIL
======================== ================================
RASHI RULE CLASS:        WORD MEANING
RASHI SUBRULE CLASS      NEW MEANINGS
RASHI WORKBOOK PRINCIPLE #7
SEE BELOW                LIST854d
List of                  2-3-word Biblical idioms
=========================================================

======================= LIST854d ================================
List of                  2-3-word Biblical idioms
=================================================================
VERSE    BIBLICAL PHRASE         TRANSLATION           NOTES
======== ======================= ===================== ==========
Gn24-27b God showed WAY          God enabled SUCCESS   *15
Gn39-06a Didnt KNOW with him BIT Didnt CHECK UP on him
Gn24-49a I will turn to RIGHT    to ARABS              *16
Gn24-49b I will turn to LEFT     to LOTS nations       *16
Gn14-17a EQUAL-valley            LEVEL valley          *14
Ex22-02b He has BLOOD            Guilty of BLOODSHED
Nu35-27a He doesnt have BLOOD    Not a MURDERER
Gn34-03a SPEAK ON ONES HEART     Convince, reassure    LIST854f
Gn23-04b PLOT OF GRAVE           Burial Plot           *12
Gn18-11b WAY OF WOMEN            Having Periods        *9
Ex13-10a FROM DAYS DAYS          YEARLY                *1
Dt17-11a LEFT AND RIGHT          A LITTLE BIT          *2
Ex21-21a DAY OR DAYS             24 hours
Dt22-17a Spread the Garment      Prove your point      *3 *4
Ex22-02a If Sun shines on him    If it is Clear        *4
Dt25-09a Spit IN FACE            Spit TOWARDS HIM      *5
Lv05-04a Swear by lips           Verbally(Explicitly)  *6
Gn12-09a WALK-JOURNEY            Stay-Go-Stay-Go...    *13
-------- ----------------------- --------------------- ---------
Lv16-21a TIMED person            An APPOINTED person   *8
Ex21-02a JEWISH SLAVE            a slave AND Jewish    *7
Lv13-39a DULL WHITE              DULL WHITE
Lv23-40a GORGEOUS FRUIT          Ethrog                *10
-------- ----------------------- --------------------- ------------
Ex28-08a Belt OF his AYPHOD      Belt USED with AYPHOD *7
Ex28-31a the dress OF AYPHD      Aypohd USED with DRES *7
Dt16-17a GIFT OF HIS HAND        INCOME LEVEL          *7 *4
Dt16-10a TAX OF DONATION OF HAND INCOME LEVEL          *7 *4
Dt21-13a GARMENT OF CAPTIVITY    Worn in war to seduce *7

NOTES
-----
*1 See LIST854e below for Biblical examples

*2 See LIST854c below for further Biblical examples

*3 Probably when people had a sexual fight (who did what)
   they could SPREAD THE GARMENT to clearly prove their
   point*10

*4 Many idioms in this list are examples of SYNECDOCHE,
   the use of the (distinguished) PART to indicate the
   WHOLE. Thus honey is a GOOD EXAMPLE of something
   sweet, bread is a GOOD EXAMPLE of food, day(12
   hours) is a GOOD EXAMPLE of the 24 hour period. Hence
   almost all languages develop idioms: HONEY=SWEET,
   BREAD=FOOD, DAY(12 HOURS)=DAY(24 HOURS).

   Similarly in the above live SPEADING THE GARMENT
   is a GOOD example of PROVING MATTERS (In sexual
   disputes), the SUN SHINING is a good example of
   CLARITY, GIFT OF HIS HAND is a good example of
   a HIGH INCOME LEVEL.

*5 Cf However Lv15-08a Spit ON Him = Actually spit on him
   The rule seems to be that SPIT ON HIM is literal
   whereas SPIT ON FACE (use of FACE vs FULL PERSON) means
   SPIT TOWARDS HIM

*6 eg If I am angry and mentally curse or if I
   am angry and start ranting and raving without
   however fully articulating everything on my mind
   -- in these two cases I may have sworn IN MY MIND
   but I have not sworn WITH MY LIPS (Explicitly)

*7 Contrast Ex20-03a OTHER GODS=GODS OF OTHER PEOPLE
   vs Ex21-02a JEWISH SLAVE = SLAVE AND JEWISH

   Technically the possessive --OF-- can mean
   - OWNED BY (eg OTHER GODS = gODS of OTHERS)
   - PROPERTY (eg JEWISH SLAVE=SLAVE who is JEWISH)
   - ASSOCIATED WITH (eg BELT OF GARMENT=Belt USED
   with Garment)

   Note Rashi proves the JEWISH SLAVE=SLAVE WHO
   IS JEWISH by citing an other verse Dt15-12 *11

*8 For the relationship between TIME and DESIGNATION
   cf the English APPOINT-APPOINTMENT

*9 Cf Gn31-35 for the sister phrase PATH OF WOMEN
   which also refers to HAVING PERIODS

-------------------- LONGER FOOTNOTES ----------------

*10 (The following comes from my article PSHAT & DRASH
     TRADITION Winter 1980)

    We must distinguish between
    - HOW we know what the idiom means
    - WHY the idiom means this

    HOW we know what the idiom means comes from USAGE
    It can usually be inferred from context. Thus
    the Biblical verses here state
    when a person slanders his newly married
    wife...then the womens parents shall sue
    him and SPREAD THE GARMENT before the judges
    -------------------------------------

    Hence SPREAD the GARMENT is simply an idiom
    for PROVING ONES POINT.

    By contrast the question of WHY the idiom
    means what it does is something more
    speculative--maybe I am right that frequently
    in sexual fights a SPREAD GARMENT proved a
    point. But maybe I am wrong...in such a case
    I am still sure about WHAT the idiom means.
    I am just not sure about WHY it means this.

    Another example occurs at Lv23-40a and Lv23-40b.
    I am certain that the ETHROG was called the
    GORGEOUS FRUIT but I am not quite sure why. Rashi
    offers two explanations

    EXPLANATION 1:
    The ethrog is an EVERGREEN and DWELLS YEARLY
    (This uses a pun on EVERGREEN=HADAR vs
    HODOR=GORGEOUS)

    EXPLANATION 2
    -------------
    The TREE and FRUIT taste the same; Hence
    the tree is Gorgeous.

    EXPLANATION 3
    -------------
    Rav Hirsch offers a 3rd explanation. Rav
    Hirsch reviews botanical classifications and infers
    that the Ethrog is one of the more advanced
    fruits in the tree Kingdom.

    I am still not sure WHY the phrase GORGEOUS
    FRUIT means ETHROG but I am sure that this
    phrase was used to denote the ETHROG


*11
   Here is another example:
   GARMENT OF CAPTIVITY does NOT mean
   - the GARMENT she wore WHEN captured
     (That is the GARMENT with the PROPERTY that
     it was worn at the time of capture) but rather means

   - the GARMENT she put on in case she is captured
     (That is the garment ASSOCIATED with the
     possibility of CAPTURE)

   Rashi explains that non-jewish women would have
   special garments they wore in case they were
   captured during a war in order to seduce their
   captors and prevent themselves from being murdered.

*12 The Hebrew word A-Chu-Zah by itself can refer to
    a plot of land (without any additional words):
    ------------------------------------------------------
    Cf Gn47-11 Gave them a PLOT
    Cf Lv25-46 These slaves shall be a PLOT for inheritance
    Cf Nu27-04 Give us please a PLOT among our brothers
    ------------------------------------------------------

*13 So Abraham would stay over for a month or so
    then journey then stay over for a month or
    shorter or longer etc.

*14 Rashi regards these LEVEL VALLEYS as sort of STADIUMS where
    the Royal family had entertainment (Similar to practices today)
    This is hinted at in the verse
    ---------------------------------------------
    ...to the LEVEL VALLEY ...to the ROYAL VALLEY
    ---------------------------------------------

    Rashi also conjectures that this STADIUM type valley was a place
    where the Royal families acknowledged Abrahams existence--since
    he had defeated several Kings.

    We need not see these as two disparate conjectures...we can
    simply suppose that the LEVEL VALLEYS were used for BOTH
    - Royal family sport events
    - meetings with other kings.

*15 The idiom GOD SHOWED ME THE WAY or GOD SHOWED ME THE PATH
    is common in several languages


*16 The idea that LEFT and RIGHT denote extremes in a political
    spectrum is common in many languages. The LEFT-RIGHT distinction
    has been identified with
    - commoner-aristocracy
    - poor-rich
    - socialism-conservative
    - equal outcomes-equal methods
    - for change-for status quo
    Here Rashi identifies LEFT RIGHT with
    - LOT-ISHMAEL

    The origin of the etymology is not clear. Some use a
    historical approach: In the French parliament the
    commoners sat on left while aristocrats sat on right.

    I would say more simply that the LEFT HAND is CLUMSY
    while the RIGHT HAND is MATURE. This explains the
    various idioms: We have
    - left=clumsy=poor=need to change
    - right-mature=rich=happy with status quo

    Since LOT was into materialism (Cf Gn13-10)
    while Ishmael was more mature spiritually (Cf Gn16-11)
    the LEFT RIGHT distinction corresponds
    to LOT-ISHMAEL
==========================================================================
---------------------------------------------------
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Volume 24 Number 5


#*#*#*#*#  (C) 2001, RashiYomi Inc. Dr Hendel President #*#*#*#*#
Volume 24 Number 5