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               (C) RashiYomi Incorporated, 2002
               Written by Dr Russell Jay Hendel

                     Volume 16 Number 6
          For the WORD QUALITY HTML VERSION click here
               -----------------------------------
               http://www.Rashiyomi.com/h16n6.htm

                     Produced Dec 4, 2002

       WARNING: USE FIX WIDTH FONTS (eg COURIER (NEW) 10)

Whats new and hot in this issue?

*1 Several dozen people have signed up for my translation
   of Job in memory of my father Abraham Hendel. The
   translation will last 25 postings (So far 6 have been
   made). Those who wish to should sign up by writing to me at
   RJHendel@Juno.com

*2 Over the next year or so we will be writing modules for
   the 2-4 dozen basic Rashi skill competencies needed for
   learning Rashi. These modules will then be gathered into
   a workbook which can be used at home or in schools In
   the meantime each of these modules is usable in actual
   schools or home-schooling situations.

#*#*#*# (C) RashiYomi Inc., 2002, Dr. Hendel, President #*#*#*#*#

VERSE: Gn41-43b

RASHIS COVERED: Gn41-43b Gn41-40c Gn41-34a Ex13-18c
                Gn18-25b Gn44-07a Gn27-37b Gn43-11a
                Gn43-16a Gn27-33b

VERY BRIEF SUMMARY:
-------------------
In this posting we present 4 methods by which Rashi presents
dictionary meaning. The variety enriches our insight to Rashi
- 4 LETTER ROOTS: AVRAYCH means GENTLE (Rch) LEADER (Av)
- NUANCES: KISAY does NOT mean CHAIR;it always means THRONE!
We examine all verses with KISAY & show it means THRONE!
- UNIFIED MEANING: Ch-m-sh always relates to the number 5
There appears to be 5 verses where Ch-m-sh means ARMED
We give elegant arguments that it means FIFTH.Details below
Similarly we show that AYFO always means MORE/FURTHER
- IDIOMS-NEW MEANINGS: ChaLiLah means GOD FORBID

-------------------------------------------------
TODAYS RASHI RULE:                  WORD MEANINGS
TODAYS RASHI SUBRULE:               WORD MEANINGS
-------------------------------------------------

STANDARD REFERENCES FOR TODAYS RULE
-----------------------------------
The RashiYomi dictionary http://www.Rashiyomi.com/words.htm
The 6 Rashi goals: http://www.RashiYomi.com/rules-01.htm

THE FIRST LIST
--------------
See url http://www.Rashiyomi.com/h5n23.htm. We present
a list of 4 letter roots and their meaning.

*1 There are two approaches to 4 letter roots. Sometimes we
try and see them as 2 two letter roots and sometimes we try
and see them as a 3 letter root with an extra letter. Thus
ASTR is explained in the Talmud as ASR. Rav Hirsch stuck to
the 3 letter approach even in obvious cases--thus he takes
MMZR from MZR a rare word in Job.

Similarly Rashi cites a controversy on AVRAYCH:
-- A double 2 letter approach would yield:
   AVRAYCH=Gentle(Rc) Father(Av)
-- A 3 letter approach would yield:
   AVRAYCH=Kneel (Brch) to me (Aleph)


*2 Note the poetic lisence in e.g.
     SRAF =  BIRD(AF) POT (SiR)= Something for Bird nests
This type of small poetic lisence is common in etymologies
and makes their study difficult

*3  Note the finer nuances in some translations. For example ZLAF
occurs rarely in TNACH and its meaning is inferred from its
context. The RDQ in his book of ROOTS says its meaning is SOME
TYPE OF FRIGHT....this could go well with the verse cited by
RDK: "fright has overtaken me"

But perhaps a BETTER translation is
feeling worthless and tired So that the verse with
ZLAF would mean WORTHLESSNESS & FATIGUE HAS OVERTAKEN ME
Then again perhaps there is no way to see which translation
is better

*4 Rashi Gn41-43b

Surprise!

I bet you thought KISAY means CHAIR.

However throughout the Bible KISAY is always associated with
the CHAIR of kings -- the THRONE. Here is a list.

We use here the Rashi method of SYNONYMS/NUANCES--that is we
use lists of verses to give a more detailed meaning to a root

All agree that CHMAYSH means 5.
From this we get words meaning fifth and fifty.
There are about 5 verses where CHIMAYSH appears to mean
ARMED.

However as can be seen below a preferable interpretation is
FIFTH!!!. This is based on the principle of UNIFIED TRANSLATION

*1 Cf Gn47-26. Josephs plan was to take a 20% tax during years
   of plenty and use that to feed nation during famine.

   Note Rashi states
   ---------------------
   STRENGTHEN the nation
   ---------------------

   But this does NOT mean that Rashi interprets CHIMAYSH as
   STRENGTHEN. Rather Rashi uses an intermediate variable:
   ---------------------------------------
   Take a 20% (CHIMAYSH) tax on the nation
   (and thereby strengthen them)
   ---------------------------------------

   In other words: Rashi was not explaining the MEANING of
   CHIMAYSH but rather Rashi was explaining the CONSEQUENCE
   of Joseph taking 20%

*2 See http://www.Rashiyomi.com/gn41-34a.htm for a more
   thorough discussion. We point out there that Ex13-17
   explicitly states that Jews were afraid of war--hence
   Rashi is Simple--it would not make sense to interpret
   CHIMAYSH as being armed (Since you dont arm frightened
   people) See the above posting for further details

*3 Based on the census in Pinchas the 2.5 tribes had 110,000
   people which (rounded to the nearest integer) was 1/5th
   the entire nation. Hence, a preferable interpretation
   in this verse is not -- you should go ARMED -- but rather
   -- you should go as the leading fifth of the nation.

*4 The talmud explains that if you stole $100 then the 20%
   find is $125 ($25 is 20% of $125)

*5 So every army had an ELITE FIFTH that went out before
   the others

The translation of ChaLiLa illustrates an important point about
translations. The traditional Rashi on Chalila is
---------------------------------------------
CHALILA has a connotation PROFANE (from CHOL)
---------------------------------------------

A literal reading of Rashi leads to 2 misunderstandings
-- First, we are not told the translation! A best translation
into English would be GOD FORBID

-- Second, Rashi makes it appear that Chalilah means the
SAME as Chol (which means PROFANCE not HOLY)

A better approach to Rashi is the following
--------------------------------------------
- CHALILAH means GOD FORBID.
- CHALILAH is an INTERJECTION
- INTERJECTIONS have not only MEANING but EMOTIONAL CONNOTATION
- Hence CHALILAH not only negates what follows, it also expresses
strong objection
- This meaning of Chalilah is NOT inferred from ETYMOLOGIES
(e.g. its relation to CHOL profane) but rather it is inferred
from its USAGE. The verses in the list below all clearly show
the two nuances of CHALILAH that we just indicated
These verses show both NEGATION and PROTEST of what follows
Almost all verses also show an EMPHASIS (Added support
for what they are protesting)
--------------------------------------------

The point here is that
-- the MAIN issue is MEANING (Chalilah = GOD FORBID)
-- a SECONDARY issue is ETYMOLOGY (CHOL=profane)
Thus Rashi should not be seen as DEFINING CHALILAH but
rather as using other meanings of the root (PROFANE
vs HOLY) to add COLOR to its connotations.

In passing we can think of other equally good etymologies:
For example: CHalilah could come from CHOLEH which means
SICKNESS. CHalilah would then be sort of a curse: Thus
1S27-11 could be translated:
--------------------------------------
May I become SICK if I strike the king
--------------------------------------

In summary I have emphasized that we must
see Rashi as commenting on the
meaning of CHaLiLah which should be translated as
GOD FORBID. Rashi was telling us HOW it came to mean this.

Here is the list of verses--the connotations should
be clear. The Rashi Rule used here is IDIOMS or NEW MEANINGS
Rashi basically shows how a root with a given meaning (PROFANE
or SICK) can come to mean GOD FORBID.

What a Peach of a Rashi. This Rashi illustrates the technique
of UNIFIED MEANING. The classical grammarians like Radack simply
shrug their shoulders and say that AYFO is an all-purpose word
which changes meaning in each context! Radack states that the
word can mean NOW, WHERE etc.

Not so Rashi. Rashi-is-Simple. AYFO ending with HAY means WHERE.
AYFO ending with ALEPH is a new word whose fundamental
connotation is MORE (Rashi Gn43-11a).

This clearly shows a difference in approach -- one unified
meaning vs many on-the-spot disparate meanings-- between
Rashi and other Rishonim.

The list below explores how AYFO can mean MORE. Note the
punchiness of these translations.

*1 Compare this with the translation of the Radack
   -------------------------
   What can I do for you NOW
   -------------------------

   As remarked above Radack sees AYFO as having
   disparate meanings WITHOUT a UNIFYING theme.

   The above list gives us an appreciation of how
   Rashis approach gives simplicitly and vibe to the
   verses.

*2 This Rashi explicitly identifies AYFO  with MORE

*3 FURTHER and OTHER evolve from the unifying meaning
   of MORE

*4 Rashi does suggest an alternate meaning: WHERE
   However WHERE corresponds to the Hebrew word AYFOH
   ending in HAY. The above list on AYFO (ending with
   ALEPH) clearly shows that AYFO with aleph is distinct
   from AYFO with HAY---AYFO with ALEPH means MORE;
   AYFOH with HAY means WHERE.

   Thus the proper approach to this alternate explanation
   in Rashi -that AYFO with ALEPH means WHERE-is that if there
   were ONLY one verse of AYFO with ALEPH we would be
   justified in interpreting it as WHERE (AYFO with HAY)

   However in light of the many verses with AYFO (with ALEPH)
   it becomes preferable to seek a unified meaning (MORE)
   This is why Rashi only states this explanation on the
   first occurence of AYFO in the Bible. Here Rashi shows
   his great sensitivity as a commentator.

RASHI RULE USED: WORD MEANINGS

#*#*#*# (C) RashiYomi Inc., 2002, Dr. Hendel, President #*#*#*#*#



          THE 6 RASHI RULE CLASSES(Version 3.2 Dec 15 2001)
                http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rules-01.htm
          Copyright Dec 2001, RashiYomi Inc. Dr Hendel President

========================================================
THE DICTIONARY RULE: Rashi can function as a dictionary.
                     He presents 2-6 meanings of words
         REFERENCE: http://www.RashiYomi.Com/words.htm
========================================================
* EXAMPLE 1: AL means ON. AL can also mean
      - WITH (Eat Passover WITH matzoh Ex12-09e)
      - IN   (Place the Matzoh IN the basket Ex29-03)
      - TO   (The boards shall be even from bottom TO top Ex26-24c)
      - NEAR (His borders will be NEAR Tzison Gn49-13b)
      - AFTER(Offer Peace offerings AFTER the daily Lv03-05a)

* EXAMPLE 2: KI means IF,PERHAPS,RATHER,BECAUSE,WHEN,THAT
   Gn18-15a Gn24-33a

* EXAMPLE 3: YDA means FAMILIAR, not KNOW (eg Dt34-10a)
	   eg Gn04-01 Adam was FAMILIAR with his wife

* EXAMPLE 4: ON THE FACE OF means DURING THE LIFETIME
            Nu03-04a Gn11-28a Ex20-03c Dt05-07a

===========================================================
THE GRAMMAR RULE: Rashi comments on RARE or SIMILAR usages
        REFERENCE:http://www.RashiYomi.Com/grammar.htm
===========================================================

* EXAMPLE 1: BA-ah means CAME;ba-AH means COMING(Gn46-26a)


* EXAMPLE 2:THE SENTENCE: 0.2% of Biblical sentences are 2verses
 -(Dt11-07:08) It was not your fathers who saw this;rather you

* EXAMPLE 3: Hitpael has different rules if 1st root letter is
   Tzade (USE: Ni-Tz-Ta-Dack not Ni-Th-Tza-Dack--Gn44-16a)

================================================================
THE CITATION RULE: Rashi enriches meaning by citing OTHER verses
         REFERENCE:http://www.RashiYomi.Com/other-20.htm
================================================================
* EXAMPLE 1: Dt26-05d We went down to Egypt with A FEW PEOPLE
	    ENRICHED by Gn46-27: We went down with 70 people

* EXAMPLE 2: Lv01-05a Non-priests may SLAUGHTER offerings
	    This law DERIVED from explicit statement in 2Chr30-17

* EXAMPLE 3:Why does Rashi say that Chur is Miriams son(Ex17-10b)
	    DERIVED from possible interpretation of 1-Chr18-19

* EXAMPLE 4: Gn35-22a Reuven Slept with Bilhah(Fathers concubine)
	    Gn49-04  Reuven PLAYED with fathers BEDS
        CONCLUSION: Reuven inteferred with fathers personal
	life(ruffled bedspreads); Bible condemns Reuven by
	exaggeration; he is accused of incest which he didnt do

=================================================================
THE 3 RABBI ISHMAEL RULES: They govern style(broad vs literal)
REFERENCE:http://www.RashiYomi.com/example1.htm thru example9.htm
=================================================================

* EXAMPLE 1: Simple sentences are always GENERALIZED
            ---------------------------------------
	    Dt25-04a Dont MUZZLE an OX while it is THRESHING
	    Rabbi Ishmael: Dont STOP any ANIMAL from eating
			   while DOING ITS WORK
					
* EXAMPLE 2: GENERAL-EXAMPLE style always interpreted LITERALLY
            --------------------------------------------------
 Nu05-12d (GENERAL) If a women DESECRATES her marriage
	   (EXAMPLE) and commits ADULTERY
	   Rabbi Ishmael: Nu05 only applies to ADULTERY.
	   It does not apply to other marriage DESECRATIONS
			
* EXAMPLE 3: GENERAL-EXAMPLE-GENERAL style intepreted SIMILARLY
            --------------------------------------------------
 Lv05-21b (GENERAL) If a man DENIES under oath
	  (EXAMPLE) ..denies a deposit,loan,theft,wages,lost item
	  (GENERAL) or ANY DENIAL which he denies
 RABBI ISHMAEL: These laws apply to any SIMILAR Example
 * The law applies to partnerships, movables and monetary objects
 * The law does not apply to real-estate or slander

=================================================================
THE CLIMAX RULE: The Bible should be interpreted in such a manner
                that it reflects CLIMACTIC development to a goal
             REFERENCE: http://www.RashiYomi.Com/example9.htm
=================================================================
 EXAMPLE 1: Dt19-11a If a man HATES, SPIES, CONFRONTS & KILLS
 RASHI: Bible identifies 4 stages to murder(Capped)

==============================================================
THE FORMATTING PRINCIPLE: Bible had its own method to mimic
                          bold, bullets, footnotes, paragraphs
==============================================================

* BOLD: Bible REPEATS words to obtain BOLD emphasis effect
          http://www.RashiYomi.Com/doubl-14.htm
  --------------------------------------------------------------
  EXAMPLE 1:(Ex12-09c) COOK COOK it in water (So COOKED is bold)
  INFERENCE: Prefered to COOK it in water;
         But COOK It at all costs(Even if you dont have water)

* BULLETS: Bible indicates bullets by REPEATING KEYWORDS
  --------------------------------------------------------
 Who am I
 - THAT I should go to Pharaoh
 - THAT I should take the Jews out of Egypt (Ex03-11a)
 --------------------------------------------------------
 RASHI: Repeated word THAT creates BULLET effect
 - Pharoh was a difficult king (Bullet one)
 - Jews were not yet ready for freedom (Bullet two)

* FOOTNOTES: The Bible indicates FOOTNOTES by ALMOST DUPLICATING
	     verses but making small minor changes
                http://www.RashiYomi.Com/align-58.htm
  ---------------------------------------------------------------
  EXAMPLE: Ex20-03a
  VERSE        PHRASE #1       PHRASE #2       PHRASE #3
  -------      ---------       ---------       ------------------
  Ex20-03      Dont            POSSESS  the gods of others
  Ex20-04      Dont            MAKE     idols

  RASHI: So both POSSESSion & MAKING of idols are prohibited
  ---------------------------------------------------------------

                           End of Rashi is Simple Digest

#*#*#*#*# (C) RashiYomi, 2001 Inc. Dr. Hendel President #*#*#*#*#