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VERY BRIEF SUMMARY:
-------------------
The root Zayin-Mem-Resh basically refers to a LONG, LUSCIOUS,
FRUITFUL branch. It can also mean TO PRUNE. This is similar
to the verbs TO DUST, or to UPROOT which means REMOVAL of
the DUST or ROOT. So too TO PRUNE means to REMOVE parts of
the branch. Zayin-Mem-Resh can also mean to SING. Just as
WORDS are called LEAVES and THOUGHTS are called BRANCHES of
thought so too EMOTIONS YOU SING ON are called LUSCIOUS
FRUITFUL BRANCES.

BACKGROUND
----------
The verse uses the Hebrew root Zayin-Mem-Resh. On this email
group we traditionally look up meanings in the RADACK book
of roots. There we find that ZMR has 3 apparently different
meanings
- to SING
- to PRUNE
- long winding BRANCHES
These 3 meanings are summarized in LIST4 Below.
One of the exciting challenges in learning a Rashi is finding
the unifying theme in such disparate meanings.

SOLUTION
--------
THe primary meaning of ZMR is a LONG,FRUITFUL BRANCH.
We can justify this using the Rashi 2-letter meaning
theory which we briefly present below in LIST1.

We must now justify the connection between LONG FRUITFUL
BRANCH and PRUNING/SINGING.

We do this using what we call in this email group a
SEMANTIC TRANSFORMATION. SEMANTIC TRANSFORMATIONS explain
how eg NOUNS become VERBS.

There are at least 3 ways a noun can become a verb:
-- TO FLOWER means TO PRODUCE the noun--the flower
-- TO HAMMER means to USE the noun--to hammar
-- TO DUST means to REMOVE the noun--to dust.

LIST2 below gives other examples. It comes from
http://www.RashiYomi.com/h5n1.htm

LIST3 gives examples where ACTIVITIES of the mind
correspond to PLANT words. It then follows that
the verb TO SING, indicative of good emotions, is
symbolized by LONG FRUITFUL LUSCIOUS BRANCHES.

Here are the 3 lists.

In the first list below we use the Rashi-Hirsch 2 letter
theory. Rashi DID believe that there are 3 letter roots
and that these are used as a basis for conjugation. However
just as 3 letter roots are used for CONJUGATION so too
2 letter roots are used to INDICATE MEANING.

That is the meaning of each 3 letter root is the sum
of the meanings of its middle two letter root plus
the one letter root. In the table below we interpret
the letter ZAYIN to mean ZYZ, protrusion. This
one letter root then explains about a half dozen roots
beginning with ZAYIN. The concept of PROTRUSION refers
to ANYTHING STICKING OUT or that APPEARS TO STICK OUT

The list below gives examples of how NOUNS become verbs
On this email group we call this the method of SEMANTIC
TRANSFORMATIONS. The 3 basic methods of SEMANTIC
TRANSFORMATION are
-- CREATION OF THE NOUN/OBJECT (eg to FLOWER)
-- REMOVAL OF THE NOUN/OBJECT (eg to DuST)
-- USAGE OF THE NOUN/OBJECT (eg TO HAMMAR)

Here is the list. Again this list comes from
http://www.RashiYomi.Com/h5n1.htm

The charming list below comes from Rav Hirsch. It was first
gathered together in an unpublished paper THE SACRED LETTERS
which I wrote in the 80s. It shows how THOUGHTS are mirrored
in language by PLANT words.

Hence TO SING (or to FEEL like SINGING) would be symbolized
by a LONG LUSCIOUS VINE

Here are the 3 meanings of ZMR and their justifications
This is a summary of the 3 other lists above

VERY BRIEF SUMMARY
------------------
The root Nun-Zayin-Resh is best translated as the UPPER CLASS
It can refer to (a) KINGS and CROWNS(NZR), (b) PRIESTS (NZR)
or the (c) NAZARITE (Abstains from wine). The traditional
translation of NZR is SEPARATION. But NZR means more than
SEPARATION--it means SEPARATION in the sense of the SEPARATION
of HIGHER SOCIETY. Thus the KING separates from the rif-rafs
(Social higher society), the PRIEST separates from the rif-rafs
(Spiritual higher society) and the NAZARITE separates from
rif-rafs(traditional higher society).Lv25-05c talks about
specially picked(separated)grapes used for HIGHER SOCIETY WINES


BACKGROUND
----------
Lv22-02 speaks about the need for the PRIESTS TO SEPARATE FROM
THE SACRIFICES WHILE THEY ARE RITUALLY IMPURE.

The Hebrew word for SEPARATE has the root Nun-Zayin-Resh.

This root also can refer to the
-- NaZaRiTE--someone who separates from wine
-- NaZer   --the CROWN-someone you should keep your distance

THE RASHI RULE USED
-------------------
Rashi of course is explaining the MEANING of WORDS here the
same way a dictionary explains words.

One of the challenging items in a Rashi explanation of words
is to find SPECIAL NUANCES. We call this the SYNONYM rule.
It is part of the rule of WORD MEANINGS.

NZR
---
We know that NZR means SEPARATION. But what type of SEPARATION?
Many Biblical roots mean SEPARATION such as Beth-Dalet-Lamed
or Pay-Resh-Shin.

CAN WE ANSWER SUCH QUESTIONS?
-----------------------------
Some students of Bible are TURNED OFF by such questions
They claim that such questions lead to Talmudic pilpul--
to assertions that sound nice but which cannot be defended.

Actually one standard technique is used to answer such
questions--a review of lists of verses containing the
roots in question. Very often such lists TALK TO US
and tell us something more specific about the meaning.

In my fundamental paper -- PSHAT & DRASH: A NEW ANALYTIC
& INTUITIVE APPROACH (Tradition Winter 1980) I advocated
the method of SEMANTIC MODELS--that is explaining a
Hebrew word by finding a COMPARABLE English (or French
or Russian or German) word which captures the NUANCES of
the Biblical word in question.

An examination of the verses in the list below shows that
the best translation of NZR is UPPER CLASS. The UPPER
CLASS PEOPLE may have a CROWN (Social upper class)
separating them from the rif-rafs, or the UPPER CLASS
PEOPLE may abstain from WINE(emotional upper class)
separating them from the rif-rafs or the UPPER CLASS
PEOPLE many abstain from RITUAL IMPURITY (the PRIESTLY
upper class--separating oneself from the spiritual
rif rafs).

True there is the idea of SEPARATION--but there is a
nuance of CLASS SEPARATION. Please read the list
below and the verses cited to see if you agree or
if you have a better formulation. This-- the review
of lists and formulation of unifying themes--is the
essence of Rashi study as it applies to DICTIONARY
MEANING