Rashi-Is-Simple Mailing List VISIT the RASHI DATABASE archives AT http://www.RashiYomi.com/ Surfing the Talmudic Seas (C) RashiYomi Incorporated, 2004 Written by Dr Russell Jay Hendel Volume 22 Number 6 For the WORD QUALITY HTML VERSION click here ----------------------------------- http://www.Rashiyomi.com/h22n6.htm ----------------------------------- Produced June 10-th, 2004 WARNING: USE FIXED WIDTH FONTS (eg COURIER (NEW) 10) |
(C) Dr Hendel, Jan-04 | ||
Whats new and hot in this issue? | ||
ITEM | WHATS NEW & HOT IN THIS ISSUE | |
Intro FAQ | We continue a month project on an INTRO FAQ*1 | |
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*1 Several people have asked me for a website FAQ telling people where to go for various things. Accordingly I am going to do one Q&A (Question and Answer) per issue until the FAQ is ready. IF DURING THIS PROCESS YOU WOULD LIKE A PARTICULAR ISSUE ADDRESSED (eg How do I...) FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME AT rjhendel@Juno.com. (The question will be published in your name unless you ask me to preserve anonymity) Todays Q&A may be found in the green footnote section in footnote *10 | ||
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*10 QUESTION: Many people give Rashi rules. What have you contributed to the process that cant be found elsewhere. ANSWER: I emphasize the use of LISTS. The LIST of comparable examples gives CREDIBILITY to Rashi. It makes one believe that the Rashi rule is REAL and NATURAL. Here is an example. Rashi on Nu14-14a states that EL can mean ON (It normally means TO). Thus the Biblical verse THEY WILL SAY *TO* THIS NATION means THEY WILL SAY *ON/CONCERNING* THIS NATION. This is not a hard Rashi to understand. However I present 2 LISTS on this verse. In LIST005O I show that EL has 5 meanings TO,IN,WITH,FROM,ON In LIST005p I bring many verses where EL has one of these 5 meanings. Furthermore I cite other Rishonim who agree with Rashi-s basic idea. Finally I classify this as an example of a SPECIAL WORD. SPECIAL WORDS are one of the 30 Rashi rules. Rashi in fact gives multiple meanings not only to EL but also to other connective words like KI, GAM, ACH etc. So there you have the RashiYomi approach: We present lists on 3 levels - I show that EL not only means ON but has 5 meanings - I show that EL not only means ON in this verse but means ON in many verses - I show that not only EL has multiple meanings but a variety of words have multiple meanings--I classify this as the Rashi rule SPECIAL WORDS. By reviewing these lists the Rashi gains CREDIBILITY The Rashi is no longer Rashi-s opinion but rather reflects a universal rule that all Rishonim agree with!!! Furthermore by reviewing these LISTS the student acquires SKILL MASTERY. After a while the student can read verses and Rashi it without looking in Rashi first--this is because the student has learned the basic Rashi idea. |
(C) Dr Hendel, Jan-04 | |||
Lighting summary of Rashis with emphasis on Rashi rules*10 | |||
# | LIST | BRIEF SUMMARY OF RASHI EMPHASIZING USE OF RASHI RULES | |
9 | 005O | EL can mean a) TO b) ON c) IN d) WITH e) FROM--many examples | |
9 | 005p | EL can mean a) TO b) ON c) IN d) WITH e) FROM--many examples | |
30 | 690j | Spies travelled from SouthEast of Israel to NE to NorthWest | |
7 | 871i | PLACE leader, GIVE leader, APPOINT leader, RAISE/MAKE leader | |
7 | 871d | They are OUR BREAD = Its a PIECE OF CAKE =we-ll defeat them | |
7 | 871h | Words meaning ALOT:PERSON OF MEASURE=tall;Son of Death.... | |
7 | 910h | YeHoShuA-s name means God (YEH) will save (SHUA) | |
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*10 The explanation of the list should be clear - The first column gives the NUMBER of the RASHI RULE used All Rashi rules may be found with examples at http://wwww.Rashiyomi.com/workbook.htm - The second column gives the LIST ID (eg LIST210z) which contains many examples of a particular Rashi technique and includes the example presented in the third column - The third column gives a lightning summary of the Rashi with particular emphasis on the Rashi rule used. |
(C) Dr Hendel, Jan-04 | |||
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VERSE | RULE | BRIEF DESCRIPTION | |
======== | =============== | ===================================== | |
Nu14-04a | WORD MEANINGS | IF ONLY;Joshua;Fortress;Big;Elect;... | |
Nu14-02a | WORD MEANINGS | IF ONLY;Joshua;Fortress;Big;Elect;... | |
Nu13-32b | WORD MEANINGS | IF ONLY;Joshua;Fortress;Big;Elect;... | |
Nu13-16a | WORD MEANINGS | IF ONLY;Joshua;Fortress;Big;Elect;... | |
Nu14-09a | WORD MEANINGS | IF ONLY;Joshua;Fortress;Big;Elect;... | |
Nu13-21a | SPREADSHEETS | Spies went from SouthEast to Nrthwest | |
Nu14-14a | SPECIAL WORDS | EL can TO and can mean ON/CONCERNING | |
Nu13-30b | SPECIAL WORDS | EL can TO and can mean ON/CONCERNING | |
--------- | ---------------- | ------------------------------------- |
*#*#*# (C) RashiYomi Inc., 2004, Dr. Hendel, President #*#*#*#*#
VERSE: Nu14-14a
RASHIS COVERED: Nu14-14a Nu13-30b
(C) Dr Hendel, Jan-04 | ||
SUCCINCT SUMMARY ---------------- One of Rashis 5 main goals is the clarification of meaning the same way the dictionary clarifies meaning. Rashi will frequently comment on special connective words such as IF, BECAUSE, PERHAPS. EXAMPLE Nu14-14a-- SPECIAL WORDS -------------------------------- - EL can equally mean TO or ON or CONCERNING Hence we have the verses - Caleb quieted the people CONCERNING Moses - If you destroy the Jews the non-jews will say CONCERNING them that God couldnt save them In fact EL can mean TO, ON, IN, WITH, FROM. | ||
ITEM | DETAIL | |
RASHI RULE CLASS: | GRAMMARr | |
RASHI SUBRULE CLASS | SPECIAL WORDS | |
RASHI WORKBOOK PRINCIPLE | #9 | |
SEE BELOW | LIST005O | |
List of meanings of | EL = TO, ON, IN, WITH, FROM | |
----------------------- | -------------------------------------- | |
SEE BELOW | LIST005p | |
List of verses with | Meanings of EL = TO, ON, IN, WITH, FROM |
(C) Dr Hendel, Jan-04 | |||
List of meanings of EL = TO, ON, IN, WITH, FROM | |||
VERSE | MEAN | TEXT | |
Nu01-01 | TO | God spoke TO Moses | |
1S04-21 | ON | She named her son NoHonor ON ACCOUNT of the defeat | |
1S17-49 | ON | He smote the Philistine ON his head | |
Lv18-18 | WITH | Don't take a woman WITH her sister | |
Gn23-19 | IN | They buried them IN the cave | |
Ez15-29 | FROM | You prostituted MORE THAN the Canaanites |
(C) Dr Hendel, Jan-04 | ||||
List of verses with Meanings of EL = TO, ON, IN, WITH, FROM | ||||
VERSE | MEAN | TEXT | WHO | |
Nu01-01 | TO | God spoke TO Moses | *10 | |
2S21-01 | ON*4 | The famine happened ON ACCOUNT of Saul | R | |
1S04-21 | ON | She named her son NoHonor ON ACCOUNT of the defeat | R | |
Gn37-35c | ON | I'll go down to my grave BECAUSE of Josephs murder | R | |
Ex06-13b | ON | God commanded Moses CONCERNING the Jews | R | |
Nu14-14a | ON | And they will say CONCERNING this nation | ||
Nu13-30b | ON | Calev quieted the nation AGAINST Moses*5 | R | |
1S17-49 | ON | He smote the Philistine ON his head | K | |
2S02-09 | ON | He gave him reign on Gilad and Shuri | K | |
1S26-14 | ON | Who is it that calls ON (ABOUT) the King | K | |
Gn49-29b | WITH | Bury me WITH (EL) my fathers | R K | |
Lv18-18a | WITH | Don't take a woman WITH her sister | RNK | |
Jo11-19 | WITH | They didn't make peace WITH the Jews | K | |
2S18-27 | WITH | He is a good man and comes WITH good news *4 | K | |
Gn23-19 | IN | They buried them IN the cave *1 | NK | |
Ex25-21a | IN | And IN the ark give the Two Tablets | NK | |
1S10-22 | IN | ..behold, Saul is hidden IN the utensils | NK | |
Gn37-36 | IN | And the Medanim sold him IN Egypt *3 | K | |
Jo05-03 | IN | Joshua circumcised them IN the ..valley | K | |
Ez44-30 | IN | Give .. so you will have blessings IN your house | K | |
Gn41-57a | FROM | They came to buy food FROM Joseph *2 | K | |
Ez15-29 | MORE | You prostituted more than the Canaanites | K | |
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*1 'Bury IN the cave' also occurs in Gn49-29 *2 RDK also suggests 'They came TO Joseph to buy food' using an inversion of the sentence *3 The verse (in my opinion) could also read >The Medanim sold him TO the Egyptian (Empire) *4 RDK points out that the preposition ON can mean both >ACCOUNT OF / CONCERNING >PHYSICALLY ON RDK also gives 3 mores meanings >ETH >BECAUSE + ON >B when it means WITH (But these are all covered here) *5 In other words he quieted the people by beginning >Is this the only thing that Moses did to us At that point they quieted expecting to hear more complaints He then continued >He took us out of Egypt >gave us the Manna >So he can help us conquer Israel | ||||
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*10 This list presents meanings of the word EL. The SOURCES for these meanings come from the - Ramban on this verse; - Rashi on a variety of verses (you have to laboriously read thru all Rashis); - RDK in the book of ROOTS. The last column in the table, entitled, WHO, cross references the Rishon involved --R=Rashi, --N=RambaN, --K=RadacK--thus "RNK" Here is an example of our notation:The RNK on Lv18-18 means that ll 3 Rishonim, Rashi, Radack and Ramban use Lv18-18 as an example that EL can mean WITH} |
*#*#*# (C) RashiYomi Inc., 2004, Dr. Hendel, President #*#*#*#*#
VERSE: Nu14-04a
RASHIS COVERED: Nu14-04a Nu13-32b Nu13-16a Nu14-09a
(C) Dr Hendel, Jan-04 | ||
SUCCINT SUMMARY --------------- One of Rashis main goals was the explanation of meaning the same way a dictionary explains meaning. Rashi had a variety of vehicles to explain meaning. Rashi frequently explained IDIOMS. EXAMPLE Nu14-04a -- IDIOMS -------------------------- We list 5 idioms for APPOINTING a leader - PLACE leader, - GIVE leader, - APPOINT leader; - RAISE leader; - MAKE a leader) EXAMPLE Nu13-32b Nu14-09a -- GOOD EXAMPLE METHOD ------------------------------------------------ - People of MEASURE = people who measures BIG - SON of DEATH = will die SOON - Person of SKILLS = VERY skilled; - PERSON OF LIPS=smooth talking-effect of his lips is BIG - Chidren of PROPHETS = VERY knowledgeable of prophecy The Bible says THEY ARE OUR BREAD. This is equivalant to the English Metaphor A PIECE OF CAKE. Notice how BREAD/CAKE are GOOD EXAMPLES of things that are easy to consume. Notice how in the above examples we name an item by a related activity. For example PIECE OF BREAD refers to EASY TO DESTROY/CONSUME since BREAD is also EASY to CONSUME. Here EASYNESS TO CONSUME is named by BREAD which has EASYNESS TO CONSUME as one of its properties. Such naming by related items is called METONOMY and SNECHDOCHE. EXAMPLE Nu13-16a - FOUR LETTER ROOTS ------------------------------------ Joshua = God (YAH) will SAVE YOU (shua) | ||
ITEM | DETAIL | |
RASHI RULE CLASS: | WORD MEANINGS | |
RASHI SUBRULE CLASS | 2-4 Letter roots | |
RASHI WORKBOOK PRINCIPLE | #7 | |
SEE BELOW | LIST910h | |
List of | 4 letter roots=sum of 2 letter roots | |
--------------------- | ------------------------------------ | |
RASHI SUBRULE CLASS | 8 Methods of Naming | |
SEE BELOW | LIST871d | |
List of idioms using | metonomy(they-re our BREAD=Piece of CAKE) | |
--------------------- | ------------------------------------ | |
SEE BELOW | LIST871i | |
List of words meaning | APPOINT A LEADER (Give,place,raise,make) | |
--------------------- | ------------------------------------ | |
SEE BELOW | LIST871h | |
List of words meaning | ALOT (son of,person of,student of..) |
(C) Dr Hendel, Jan-04 | |||
List of words meaning ALOT (son of a,person of,student of..) | |||
VERSE | Biblical Phrase | Meaning of phrase-relation to ALOT | |
Nu13-32b | People of MEASURE | People who measures BIG | |
1S20-31 | SON of DEATH | will die SOON | |
Pr31-10 | Person of SKILLS | VERY skilled; | |
Jb11-02 | PERSON OF LIPS | smooth talking effect of lips is BIG | |
2K02-03 | Chidren of PROPHETS | VERY knowledgeable of prophecy |
(C) Dr Hendel, Jan-04 | ||
List of words meaning APPOINT A LEADER (Give,place,raise,make) | ||
VERSE | Language for APPOINTING a leader | |
Dt17-14 | PLACE leader | |
Nu14-04a | GIVE leader | |
2K25-23 | APPOINT leader | |
Lv04-22 | RAISE leader | |
JU11-08 | BE a leader |
(C) Dr Hendel, Jan-04 | |||
List of idioms using Metonomy (eg Egypt=Egyptians) | |||
VERSE | TEXT OF VERSE | METONOMY(ITEM means RELATED ITEM) | |
Nu14-09a | Our BREAD | Our BREAD=Piece of CAKE(easy to comsume) | |
Nu01-51a | LOWER Temple | TAKE IT DOWN (analogy;RAISE it=BUILD it) | |
Nu01-16a | The INVITED | The DISTINGUISHED(you always invite them | |
Gn25-22e | Seek GOD | Seek PROPHETIC ADVICE of God*8 *10 | |
Ex18-15b | Seek GOD | Seek PROPHETIC ADVICE of God*8 *10 | |
Ex18-09a | He SHARPED*11 | Mirth at SHARP word or TWINGED from pain | |
Ex14-24a | MORNING WATCH | Guard Duty at DAWN*7 | |
Ex14-25c | EGYPT-the land | Egyptians-the people*6 | |
Gn49-09c | ABOVE plunder | REMOVED from plundering (Above it)*5 | |
Gn49-05b | VIOLENT TOOLS | Criminal behavior*4 | |
Gn45-18b | FAT of land | BEST of land | |
Gn45-08a | FATHER to Phrh | FRIEND/ADVISOR to Pharoh | |
Gn43-34a | He gave LIFTS | LIFTED THEIR SPIRIT-i.e. gifts | |
Gn41-35b | HAND of Pharoh | DOMAIN of Pharoh*2 | |
Gn24-18a | pitchr on HAND | she lowered pitcher on her ARM | |
Gn37-26b | COVER blood | CONCEAL murder | |
Gn37-26b | cover BLOOD | conceal MURDER | |
Ex30-13c | HOLY coins | Coins used in HOLY TEMPLE matters | |
Dt18-01c | FIRES of God | SACRIFICES offered on temple Fire | |
Dt29-19a | SMOKING anger | Anger that makes person HOT | |
Gn13-02a | Abraham HEAVY | Abraham-s assets NUMEROUS | |
Gn13-02a | ABRAHAM heavy | ABRAHAM-S ASSETS numerous | |
Lv26-10b | *9 | Sign of PLENTY(have to remove old for nu | |
Lv26-04a | *9 | Sign of PLENTY-threshing seasn in HARVST | |
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*1 Many examples in this list come from previous list in the metonomy series (LIST871a, LIST871b, LIST871c) *2 See LIST871e for 6 Rashis mentioning this HAND=DOMAIN theme *3 See LIST871f for verses where NSA means GIFT *4 Rashi citing the Midrash Rabbah states ------------------------------------- Your violence is something you VIOLATED from Esauv (You are killing like Esauv) ------------------------------------- But I see no reason to see this Midrash as the PRIMARY simple meaning of the verse. The PRIMARY meaning of the verse is that Shimon and Levi were criminals The Midrash is simply adding a pun to this observation. *5 See LIST871g for some examples *6 This is a common metonomy that occurs in English (eg America-Americans etc). Rashi is cute here: He EXPLAINS the metonomy ---------------------------------------------- When the soldiers die at sea their loved ones back in Egypt also suffer and in effect are smitten by God ---------------------------------------------- Rashi does not contradict the metonomy--he simply shows why it is convenient to identify the LAND and PEOPLE. *7 The night was traditionally divided into three times of Guard duty. The GUARD DUTY near dawn was called the MORNING WATCH (Cf Ju07-19 for confirmation that there was a BEGINNING WATCH, MIDDLE WATCH and DAWN WATCH) *8 The phrases SEEK GOD, SEEK IN GOD, occur in several verses and denote SEEKING ADVICE OF GOD. Compare for example (1S09-09, 1K22-08 or even 2K01-03 (Seeking advice of idolatrous gods). For alternate meanings see note *10. *9 The exact verse text is -------------------------------------------------- You will have to remove the old grain for the new -------------------------------------------------- This means --------------------- You will have plenty --------------------- In other words removal of the OLD for the NEW is simply something RELATED to PLENTY. The main theme is plenty. Similarly the Biblical text ------------------------------------------------------ The threshing season will bump into the harvest season ------------------------------------------------------ means -------------------- you will have plenty -------------------- Again the fact that we are STILL threshing when the harvest comes is something RELATED to having plenty. The main point is that there is PLENTY. | |||
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*10 On Gn25-22e there is a delightful Ramban Rashi controversy Ramban points out that SEEK GOD can mean PRAYER. Rashi holds it means PROPHETIC ADVICE. I brought about a dozen verses which clearly show that - SEEK GOD can and does refer to PRAYER - SEEK GOD can and does refer to PROPHETIC ADVICE - SEEK GOD can and does refer to BOTH Prayer/Prophecy Hence I regard Ramban not as disagreeing with Rashi but rather as complementing him. For further details see http://www.Rashiyomi.com/gn25-22d.htm *11 Clearly the Hebrew YeeChad comes from the root CHAD which means SHARP. Rashi brings two opinions - It means HE SHARPED (Mirthed at a SHARP WORD) - It means HE TWINGED (Upset at PAINFUL news) But Radack brings STRONG support that CHAD means mirth. Indeed, in other verses, CHAD does mean MIRTH (As in eg Neh08-10 or P021-07). This controversy between Rashi and Radack can be resolved Grammatically. The grammatical form of VaYeeChad (Chirik, Patach) could come from either - INTENSE MODE of 1-2-Hey roots(Cheth-Daleth-Hey) or - PASSIVE MODE of 1-2-2 roots(Cheth-Daleth-Daleth) In the intense mode CHAD means MIRTH(Radack) But in the PASSIVE MODE it would correspond to RECEIVING (PASSIVE!) a SHARP twinge at hearing bad news. Hence the controversy is on the root and mode of the word. This explanation makes both viewpoints respectable since Rashi would concede that CHEDVAH which definitely comes from Cheth-Daleth-Hey means MIRTH; Rashi could still maintain that Yee-Chad means TWINGED since it comes from a different root Rashi also points out that the translation TWINGED would show that despite Jethros happiness he still felt sorry for the Egyptians thus showing the conflict between his past(non-jew) and future (friend of Jews) |
(C) Dr Hendel, Jan-04 | ||||
List of 4 letter roots=sum of 2 letter roots | ||||
4 LETTER ROOT | MEANING | 1st 2 LETTERS | LAST 2 LETTERS | |
YeHoShuA*8 | God will Sav | God (YAH) | Will Save(SHA) | |
AVRAYCH*1*4 | Good leader | Father | Gentle/soft | |
MMZR*1 | Illegitimate | Blemished | (From a)Stranger | |
ARAL | Angel | Lion (of) | God | |
BLAD | Except | Without (BLi) | Others | |
BRZL | Iron | Strong (BRi) | Branch (ZLZL) | |
ZLAF | Fright | Worthless | (and) Fatigued*3 | |
SRAF | Branches | A Pot (ie nest) | (for) Birds *2 | |
PANAYACH | Insightful | Brings out(POA) | The Hidden(NAX)*5 | |
ChachLiL | Intoxicating | Swirling(LL) | the palate(XC)*6 | |
SnaPir | Fish fins | Shrub like(SN) | used to fly*7 | |
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*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 *5 Rashi Gn41-45 *6 Rashi Gn49-12a *7 The following may help: - PRCh means to FLY; in connection with fish it could refer to swimming throughout the water - SN can mean THORNBUSH or BRANCHES (Songs07-09). I therefore suggest it means SHRUB like. So SN-PR would refer to SHRUB-LIKE(SN) protrusions by which a fish FLYES (PR) - SNPR. *8 Rashi Nu13-16a |
*#*#*# (C) RashiYomi Inc., 2004, Dr. Hendel, President #*#*#*#*#
VERSE: Nu13-21a
(C) Dr Hendel, Jan-04 | ||
SUCCINT SUMMARY --------------- Sometimes Rashi-s goal was to clarify something computationally complicated. For lack of a better term we call this the spreadsheet method. The spreadsheet method includes - using a spreadsheet to illustrate numerical calculations - clarifying a compilcated geometric design - reviewing an audit EXAMPLE Nu13-21a ---------------- Nu13-21 states THE SPIES WENT FROM TZIN...TO CHAMATH Rashi: (Citing other verses) TZIN is in the SouthEast of Israel while CHAMATH is in the NORTHWEST. Thus the spies journey on a map looked like a mirror image of an L (The went on the bottom of the L from SE to SW and then went UP the L from SW to NW) | ||
ITEM | DETAIL | |
RASHI RULE CLASS: | SPREADSHEETS | |
RASHI SUBRULE CLASS | DIAGRAMS | |
RASHI WORKBOOK PRINCIPLE | #30 | |
SEE BELOW | LIST690j | |
Description of Diagram | Of Spy journey thru Israel |
(C) Dr Hendel, Jan-04 | |||
Description of Diagram Of Spy journey thru Israel | |||
City on Spy Journey(Nu13-21) | Where located | Proof of location | |
Tzin Desert | SouthEast*1 | Nu34-03 | |
Chamath | NorthWest*1 | Nu34-07:08 | |
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*1 So Spy journey looks like a mirror image of L. First Spies travel FROM SE corner of Israel to SW corner along the BOTTOM Of the L Then spies travel UP from SW corner to NW corner along leg of L |
*#*#*# (C) RashiYomi Inc., 2004, Dr. Hendel, President #*#*#*#*#