*8 A professional HTML version with WORD quality may be
   found on the web. Web version available Sunday

*9 Also see the following URL for Rashi texts in English
   ---------------------------------------------------
   http://aish.com/literacy/reference/
   Search_the_Chumash_with_Rashi_-_in_English.asp
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*1 AMONG THEM (A fire burns AMONG THEM to the deeps)

*2 THEIR (the fire burns THEIR land & produce)

*3 THEIR (the fire burns THEIR foundation on mountains)
   The reference here seems to be to the Capital city, the
   FOUNDATION of the nation, which was situated high on
   mountains *10

*4 THEIR PLACE(outside their place a sword will kill children)*11

*5 THEIR (there will be fear in their rooms)*12

*10  Several supports can be made for the assertion that the
     capital,Jerusalem, is called the FOUNDATION AMONG MOUNTAINS
     ------------------------------------------------------------
     -- Ps125-2 JERUSALEM, MOUNTAINS SURROUND YOU
     -- Capitals were typically made in mountains
        (For pride & security)
     -- The CLIMACTIC structure of the sentence alludes to this
        --- the fire burns their DEPTHS
        --- the fire burns their BREADTH (Land and produce)
        --- the fire burns their HEIGHTS (Mountains cities)
     -----------------------------------------------------------

*11 The astute reader may notice that Rashi has done more than
    add the word THEIR. Rashi has added the phrase THEIR PLACE.
    But such an insertion can be justified by the ALIGNMENT with
    the 2nd verse half as follows
    -------------------------------------------------------------
    outside ----------      there will be swords killing children
    in      their rooms     there will be fear
    -------------------------------------------------------------

    Thus OUTSIDE is ALIGNED with IN THEIR ROOMS. As such it
    can mean OUTSIDE THEIR HOUSES or OUTSIDE THEIR CITY etc. I
    have therefore translated this as OUTSIDE THEIR PLACE.

    Finally Rashi bolsters these translations by a similar idiom
    in Jeremiah 9:2  DEATH HAS CREPT UP OUR WINDOWS (This is
    similar to FEAR LURKING IN ROOMS!)

*12 The interpretation of Dt32-25 that we presented above in the
    name of Rashi was based on the ALIGNMENT METHOD.Dt32-25 reads
    ------------------------------------------------------------
    OUTSIDE their places there will be swords killing children
    INSIDE their rooms there will be fear
    ------------------------------------------------------------

    Rashi however brings two other interpretations. We present
    each one and then discuss if it is natural

    INTERPRETATION #2
    -----------------
    -----------------------------------------------------------
    INSIDE THE ROOMS OF THEIR HEART CHAMBERS there will be fear
    which will result in heart attacks
    -----------------------------------------------------------

    DISCUSSION: This interpretation should be rejected since
    there are NO OTHER EXAMPLES IN THE BIBLE where the word
    ROOMS refers to CHAMBERS OF THE HEART.

    Of course the metaphor is REASONABLE (compare the English
    phrase HEART CHAMBERS) but as pointed out there are no
    further precedents in the Bible.

    I therefore think that Rashi brought this, not because
    he believed it, but rather as an exercise in the study
    of individual words and phrases. Since the other
    interpretation brought above is based on ALIGNMENT and
    SUPPORTING verses this other interpretation should be
    considered superior.

    Rashi frequently cites ATTEMPTS AT INTERPRETATION side by
    side with SERIOUS INTERPRETATIONS in order to expose the
    reader to a wide variety of methods.


    INTERPRETATION #3 (Rashi on Dt32-25c)
    -------------------------------------
    In the 3rd interpretation Rashi is actually dealing with
    a grammatical issue: namely the preposition used in the verse
    It does not say
    ---------------------------------------------------------
    ON the outsides there will be swords and
    IN the rooms there will be fear
    ---------------------------------------------------------

    Rather it says
    ----------------------------------------------------------
    FROM the outsides there will be swords and
    FROM the rooms there will be fear
    ----------------------------------------------------------

    If one looks at the main list one sees that the preposition
    FROM is not used (Typically ON or IN is used) If we look at
    the translation with the word FROM it almost sounds as if the
    verse was talking about the CAUSE of punishment(FROM DOING
    SUCH AND SUCH) rather than on WHOM the punishment was dealt.

    Rashi therefore suggests an interpretation based on CAUSE
    (And again this is based on the preposition FROM vs ON)
    -------------------------------------------------------------
    FROM the sins (of idolatry) that you did in the streets
    there will be a punishment of swords killing children; and
    FROM the sins (of idolatry) done in your ROOMS there will
    be fear among you
    -------------------------------------------------------------

    DISCUSSION: Is this interpretation reasonable or even
    superior to the first interpretation?

    First: The above interpretation is also based on an alignment
    of prepositions. Rashi is focusing on the preposition FROM
    vs ON/IN.

    Second there is Biblical support for talking about the SINS
    OF THE STREETS and the SINS OF THE ROOMS. Here are two
    verses with such phrases

    -------------------------------------------------------------
    (Jer11:13) For, the Jews, had as many gods as they had cities
    and as many altars to the Boseth god as they have STREETS
    -------------------------------------------------------------
    (NOTE The Hebrew word for STREET is OUTSIDE, the same word
    as occurs in Dt32-25

    -------------------------------------------------------------
    (Ez08-12) Have you seen, son of Man (Ezekiel) what the Jewish
    elders do in the dark, each person in the PRIVATE ROOMS
    because they think that God doesnt see, because they think
    that God left the land
    -------------------------------------------------------------

    True, we cannot bring a LIST of verses associating SIN with
    STREET and ROOM. THerefore this interpretation is not as
    strong as we would like it. Nevertheless since it is based
    on GRAMMATICAL ALIGNMENT (From vs ON) and on similar idioms
    in other verses, we consider it a reasonable interpretation
    that can compete with the first interpretation.

    In my opinion the reason Rashi gave both interpretations is
    that he really prefers this last one but it is easier to
    defend the 1st one.