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 23 Number 13 For the WORD QUALITY HTML VERSION click here ----------------------------------- http://www.Rashiyomi.com/h23n13.htm ----------------------------------- Produced Sep 28 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 | |
HAPPY SUCCOTH | Rashi-is-Simple will resume AFTER Succoth | |
COMING SOON | The FAQ will be posted on website during SCCTH | |
Happy Nu Year | Happy New Year to all who learn Rashi*1 | |
Rashi twist | Travail of raising children="Teenage growth" | |
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*1 Hi. Instead of writing personally & individually to each of my friends, most of which are on Rashi is Simple, I am simply wishing you all a very....*10 | ||
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*10 -------------------------------------------------------- # # # ##### ##### # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # ##### ##### # ##### ######### # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # ##### # # # ## # # # # # # # # # # ## # # # # #### # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # ## ##### # # # # #### # ##### # # # # # # # # # # # # ##### # # ### ###### # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #### # # # # Russell http://www.RashiYomi.com/ --------------------------------------------------------- |
(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 | |
25 | 450s | PUNISHMENT OF WOMAN:a)teenager b)Pregnancy c)Birth d)Mothers | |
7 | 871d | CHR=a) Oil b) Afternoon(related to LIGHT to OIL) c)Window/Bulb | |
7 | 955z | (EySaw)=&$W=Grass; D$A = Meadow (Collective object) | |
LIS | T | ||
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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 | |
======== | =============== | ===================================== | |
Gn03-16a | CLIMAX | Teenage years,pregnancy,birth,Mother | |
Gn03-16b | CLIMAX | Teenage years,pregnancy,birth,Mother | |
Gn03-16c | CLIMAX | Teenage years,pregnancy,birth,Mother | |
Gn03-16d | CLIMAX | Teenage years,pregnancy,birth,Mother | |
Gn06-16a | WORD MEANINGS | CHR=oil, afternoon(very light),bulb | |
Gn01-11a | SYNONYMS | &$W = GRASS; D$A = MEADOW | |
--------- | ---------------- | ------------------------------------- |
*#*#*# (C) RashiYomi Inc., 2004, Dr. Hendel, President #*#*#*#*#
VERSE: Gn03-16a
RASHIS COVERED: Gn03-16a Gn03-16b Gn03-16c Gn03-16d
(C) Dr Hendel, Jan-04 | ||
SUCCINCT SUMMARY ---------------- One of Rashis 5 main goals was the explanation of words the same way the dictionary explains words. Rashi had a variety of vehicles to explain meaning. EXAMPLE Gn03-16 PUNISHMENT OF WOMAN ----------------------------------- The verse lists CHRNOLOGICALLY and CLIMACTICALLY the peculiar fears and travails of women at each stage of life - TRAVAILS (RASHI) Travail of TEENAGE GROWTH YEARS - PREGNANCY (RASHI) Burden of PREGNANCY - BIRD (RASHI) Pain of Childbirth - MARRIAGE (RASHI) Women more dependent emotionally on man - HE RULES (RASHI) Men explicit; Women discreet | ||
ITEM | DETAIL | |
RASHI RULE CLASS: | STYLE | |
RASHI SUBRULE CLASS | CLIMAX | |
RASHI WORKBOOK PRINCIPLE | #25 | |
SEE BELOW | LIST450s | |
List of female pains | a)Teenager b)Pregnancy c)Birth d)Marriage |
(C) Dr Hendel, Jan-04 | ||||
List of female pains a)Teenager b)Pregnancy c)Birth d)Marriage | ||||
VERSE | Text of Verse | Reference*10 | NOTES | |
Gn03-16a | Travails | Teenage years | *1 | |
Gn03-16b | Pregnancies | Pregnancy | *2 | |
Gn03-16c | Travail of Birth | Birth | *3 | |
Gn03-16d | Desire husband | Marital dependency | *4 | |
Gn03-16e | Husband rules | Man explicit;woman discreet | *5 | |
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*1 Rashi literally says ------------------------------------ TRAVAIL = pain of raising children ------------------------------------ But it would be anti-climactic to state RAISE CHILDREN followed by PREGNANCY BIRTH and MARITAL DEPENDENCY Hence it makes more sense to translate ------------------------------------------------------- TRAVAIL = pain of being raised as a child=Teenage years ------------------------------------------------------- Notice how this inference is justified by the CLIMAX structure of the paragraph---not by grammar or word meaning. This is a fundamental observation in use of CLIMAX *2 The verse simply says PREGNANCY. However because of the CLIMACTIC NATURE and CONTEXT of the verse we interpret PREGNANCY as the BURDEN OF PREGNANCY Here we use the Rabbi Ishmael rule of INFERENCE FROM CONTEXT which we have enriched with the idea of CLIMAX *3 This is clear (Women have pain in birth) *4 Women tend to miss their spouses more than men--that is the way they are emotionally *5 I saw a simple (non-sexist) explanation of the MAN-EXPLICIT vs WOMAN DISCREET distinction from Masters and Johnson: - The man needs an erection during relations--hence he cannot be confronted - by contrast the womans response is more automatic. Hence the woman must wait till the man is ready to begin.Hence she must be discreet in her requests. | ||||
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*10 All items in this list refer to VULNERABILITIES that women have but men do not have (Thus WOMEN can be pregnant but not men; women have pain at birth but not men; women fear rape during their teenage years while men fear only rejection) |
*#*#*# (C) RashiYomi Inc., 2004, Dr. Hendel, President #*#*#*#*#
VERSE: Gn06-16a
(C) Dr Hendel, Jan-04 | ||
SUCCINCT 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 meaning using METONOMY--the naming of an object by a RELATED event or object EXAMPLE Gn06-16a OIL-AFTERNOON-WINDOW-BULB ------------------------------------------ The Hebrew root CHR means OIL - Hence it can refer to the RELATED ITEM of LIGHT - It actually does mean AFTERNOON (Time of light) This is an example of DOUBLE METONOMY (OIL-LIGHT-AFTERNOOON) In Gn06-16a it possible refers to - A WINDOW (Source of LIGHT related to OIL) - A GLITTER-STONE(Like a light bult)=Source of LIGHT(From oil) In the above examples the NEW word meanings AFTERNOON and WINDOW come from an item related to light, OIL. | ||
ITEM | DETAIL | |
RASHI RULE CLASS: | WORD MEANINGS | |
RASHI SUBRULE CLASS | 8 Methods of Naming | |
RASHI WORKBOOK PRINCIPLE | #7 | |
SEE BELOW | LIST871d | |
List of idioms using | metonomy(AFTERNOON=OIL-LIGHT time) |
(C) Dr Hendel, Jan-04 | |||
List of idioms using metonomy(AFTERNOON=OIL-LIGHT time) | |||
VERSE | TEXT OF VERSE | METONOMY(ITEM means RELATED ITEM) | |
Gn06-16a | The OIL | WINDOW(For light);GLITTER-STONE(For lite | |
Gn06-16a | The OIL | AFTERNOON (The oil-light time)*12 | |
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) *12 AFTERNOON-LIGHT-OIL is an example of DOUBLE METONOMY See LIST871c for other examples. |
*#*#*# (C) RashiYomi Inc., 2004, Dr. Hendel, President #*#*#*#*#
VERSE: Gn01-11a
(C) Dr Hendel, Jan-04 | ||
SUCCINCT SUMMARY: ----------------- One of Rashis 5 main goals is to explain meaning the same way the dictionary explains meaning. Rashi had a variety of methods to explain meaning including distinguishing nuances of synonyms EXAMPLE Gn01-11a MEADOW vs GRASS --------------------------------- - &$W = EySaw = GRASS - D$A = ----- = MEADOW (Collective grass) | ||
ITEM | DETAIL | |
RASHI RULE CLASS: | WORD MEANINGS | |
RASHI SUBRULE CLASS | SYNONYMS | |
RASHI WORKBOOK PRINCIPLE | #7 | |
SEE BELOW | LIST955z | |
List of | Synonym pairs-(eg D$A=MEADOW;&SA=Grass) |
(C) Dr Hendel, Jan-04 | ||||
List of Synonym pairs-(eg D$A=MEADOW; &SA=Grass) LIST955z continues LIST955a | ||||
VERSE | WORD | BASIC IDEA | NUANCES | |
Gn01-11a | D$A | FIELD | MEADOW*6 | |
- - - - | &SW | FIELD | GRASS*6 | |
------- | ----- | ------ | ---------------------- | |
Dt28-68a | ANIH | BOAT | Both words mean boat *5 | |
- - - - | SFINH | BOAT | Both words mean boat *5 | |
------- | ----- | ------ | ---------------------- | |
Dt18-03c | Z-R-A | HAND/THROW | ZRA=arm; ZRA=to scatter | |
-------- | Y-D-H | HAND/THROW | YD=hand; YDH=to throw | |
------- | ----- | ------ | ---------------------- | |
Dt13-06a | S-R-H | FABRICATE | it is REMOVED from reality*4 | |
-------- | B-D-A | FABRICATE | it is ISOLATED from reality | |
------- | ----- | ------ | ---------------------- | |
Dt05-17b | A-V-H | DESIRE*3 | desire in ONES HEART-FANTASIZ | |
Ex20-17 | X-M-D | DESIRE*3 | COVET-desire ACQUISITION | |
------- | ----- | ------ | ---------------------- | |
Dt11-25c | P-X-D | FEAR | IMMEDIATE Fear-Good pimples*1 | |
Dt11-25d | M-R-H | FEAR | ANXIETY-LONG TERM Fear-vision | |
------- | ----- | ------ | ---------------------- | |
Dt11-14c | I-R-H | RAIN*2 F | IRST rain-IMPREGNATES ground | |
Dt11-14d | MLK$ | RAIN*2 | FINAL rain-SOFTENS Ground | |
------- | ----- | ------ | ---------------------- | |
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*1 Also Rashi Dt11-25b. It seems reasonable that - P-Ch-D comes from Poh-Chad - SHARP and would refer to e.g. getting GOOSE PIMPLES (Sharpnesses in skin) from fear - MoRaH comes from Y-R-A = vision = LONG TERM apprehension over the future.*10 *2 - YOREH seems to comes from HRH to make pregnant. It would look at the rain as ENABLING the seeds to grow - MALKOSH seesm to come from LKSH - TO THE HARD(KSH) GRAIN and would refer to a final softening rain before the produce. See LIST910i *11 *3 It is hard to absolutely prove that - A-V-H means FANTASIZE vs - Ch-M-D means DESIRE ACQUISITION The verses show that - A-V-H is an act of the HEART while - Ch-M-D is focused on ACQUIRING OBJECTS See LIST955h for further details (Also see Rashi Gn27-15a Gn03-06c Gn03-06d) *4 On Dt19-16a Rashi gives an example of REMOVED/FABRICATED Testimony--when eg witnesses testify to a murder in NY and other witnesses come stating that the 1st witnesses were with them in Chicago at the time of witnessing--thus the murder testimony is totally removed from the real word *5 Undoubtedly there is probably a subtle difference between ANIH/SFINH but it is not possible to determine this from verses. An interesting statistical note is the following - SFINH occurs ONCE in the Bible - ANIH occurs 3 dozen times in the Bible - But in Biblical times the frequencies were reversed Hence, Rashi, in explaining the more frequently occurring ANIH was responding to the rarity of this word IN HIS TIME *6 - GRASS can refer to MANY or SINGULAR grass - MEADOW only refers to a WHOLE MEADOW of GRASS | ||||
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*10 The reader need NOT believe the above etymologies For frequently Rashi explains synonyms without reference to etymologies and even without reference to verses. However some of the above etymologies seem reasonable and may enrich our appreciation of the synonyms. *11 Rashi gives another etymology from the Aramaic. However in this list we advocate the 2nd explanation of Rashi over the 1st. Furthermore in this particular case the 2nd explanation comes internally from Hebrew while the 1st Rashi explanation INFERS usage from Aramaic but does not EXPLAIN it. |
*#*#*# (C) RashiYomi Inc., 2004, Dr. Hendel, President #*#*#*#*#