Rashi-Is-Simple Mailing List
(C) Dr Russell Jay Hendel, 1999
http://www.shamash.org/rashi
Volume 3 Number 1
Produced Jul, 23 1999
Topics Discussed in This Issue
------------------------------
v0723 Tisah Beav Issue | Volume 2 Download | Database theory
v4b27-1 Tzlafchads daughters listed in several orders. All were equal
v5b4-34 7 terms used to describe God's delivering us from Egypt
#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 1999 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*
v0723
TISAH BEAV ISSUE
================
--I forgot to mention that last issue was a Tisah Beav Issue with
topics that are allowed to be read on Tisah Beav
VOLUME 2 DOWNLOAD
=================
I expect that a free download of VoLUME 2 will be available Sept 1
I first wish to proof read the entire volume and index. If you have
noticed any errors let me know. I am adding BOOK, CHAP, VERSE columns
in the spreadsheet so you can sort more easily.
DATABASE THEORY
===============
Starting with Volume 3 I am adding comments on making database
queries to the Bible. (What queries would generate our lists)
I eventually shall give SQL code. This section is at the very
bottom and would be of use only to those who are familiar with
databases
***************************
*** READING TIPS ***
***************************
IF YOU ARE IN A HURRY WE RECOMMEND THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS:
* VERSE:
* RASHI TEXT:
* BRIEF BUT COMPLETE NARRATIVE EXPLANATION:
"HOW DO I FIND QUICKLY A SPECIFIC SECTION?"
ANSWER: Use your FIND menu
For example: FIND VERSE:
takes you to the beginning of the next section.
Similarly
FIND NARRATIVE EXPLANATION:
takes you to the brief explanation of Rashi.
"IS THERE AN EASY WAY TO GO TO EACH VERSE AND POSTING?"
Yes. Use your FIND menu.
"FIND #*#*#*#" takes you to the next posting
#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 1999 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*
VERSE: v4b27-1
v4b27-1 And the daughters of Tzlafchad...Machlah Noah...
v4-36-11 And the daughters of Tzlafchad...Machlah Tirtzah..
RASHI TEXT:
v4b27-1 In v4-36-11 the daughters are listed in a different
order. The changed order shows that they were all equal
to each other (since if one of the daughters was more
important she would have been listed first)
v4-36-11 In v4-36-11 the five daughters are listed in AGE
order (which is how they got married, oldest first) while
in the rest of the Bible they are listed in order of SOCIAL
INTELLIGENCE/PROMINENCE. This (the different orders teaches)
that they are all equal.
BRIEF BUT COMPLETE NARRATIVE EXPLANATION:
The list of 5 daughters of Tzlafchad are repeated 4 times in the
Bible. In 3 verses the order is--Machlah, Noah,Chaglah,Milkah,
Tirzah---while in one verse the order is different---Machlah,
Tirzah, Chaglah, Milkah, Noah {LIST1}.
Sometimes lists of people are ALWAYS repeated in the same order.
For example in prophetic orders Moses is ALWAYS listed before
Aaron. While for many other lists the order appears random,
sometimes this way and sometimes another way, For example,
the 3 patriarches and the 5 daughters of Tzlafchad are listed
in different orders {LIST2}
A midrash rabbah gives the following rule--if the list is always
listed in ONE order then the first one is the most important
and they are listed in order of importance. For example, Moses
is always listed before Aaron in prophecies because Moses'
prophecies are the most important. By contrast, if they are
listed in apparently random order then we can conclude that they
are equal. For example, the 3 patriarches are sometimes listed
as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and sometimes as Jacob, Isaac, Abraham
teaching that no one patriarch is more important.
This Midrash Rabbah is consistent with the famous principle of
Rabbi Ishmael that the Torah employs "human style" in writing.
In human books if the order of a list varied it would mean that
the list item order is not that important in the eyes of the
author. By contrast if the author always uses one order to list
the items it shows than the first one is most important, the 2nd
one next important etc.
It therefore comes as no surprise to us when we find that the
opinion in the Talmud, Baba Bathra, 120---that the varied order
of the list of Tzlafchad's daughters shows they are all eqaul--this
opinion is ascribed to none other than Rabbi Ishamel himself!!
Thus Rashi is Simple. Human authors who vary their order indicate
eqaulity and therefore the Chumash's listing of Tzlafchads daughers
in different orders shows their equality. This is in fact what
Rashi says on each of the two verses above.
But the above treatment of the verses is a study of the Bible at
an ELEMENTARY level. At an ADVANCED level we can ask why the
Torah used different orders. Here also Rashi Is Simple. In 4-36
they are speaking about the marriage of the daughters. Hence
we assume the daughters are listed by age (As sifsay chachamim
points out it is suggested in 1-29-26 that daughters are married
in order of age). By contrast in 4-27-1 the daughters are listed
by intellectual/social intelligence/prominence (As the Talmud
points out we frequently let people speak in intellectual matters
in order of wisdom while in festive matters they speak by age).
Although there are two Talmuic approaches to the different orders
Rashi only presents one approach in his commentary on 4-27-1---
He says the girls are all equal. On 4-36-11, although he cites the
alternate Talmudic opinion he concludes by saying that the girls
are all eqaul. The reason Rashi doesn't fully accept the 2nd
approach is because there are too many varied lists in the Bible
where one cannot account for the order! For example, 5-26-8
and 5-4-34 list words denoting God's greatness in different orders-
SIGNS,WONDERS, STRONG HAND, OUTSTRETCHED ARM, BIG AWE. There is
no Midrash that explains these different orders.
We have already seen this on v2b15-6 (v1n12). 2-15-6 has a repeated
sentence phrase. Rashi first brings down some midrashic ATTEMPTS
to interpret each phrase differently. However Rashi concludes by
saying
--The real Pshat is that these repetitions simply denote emphasis
--Indeed we find this repeated style in several verses throughout
--the Bible such as....
In other words, the reason Rashi rejected the Midrashic explanation
of the double phrase as an ATTEMPT at understanding verse meaning
vs the real PSHAT is because there are too many verses where this
style occurs where such an explanation cannot be found. Nevertheless
as we pointed out on v2b15-6 Rashi does not reject these MIDRASHIC
ATTEMPTS as total DERUSH. Rather Rashi sees them as legitimate
attempts to understand the Bible WHICH ONE DAY might result in a
new unified approach to such verses. However Rashi wanted to caution
us that we cannot consider these Midrashic ATTEMPTS as simple
meaning UNTIL such a unifed approach is found
In SUMMARY Rashi's approach has 4 components--
--varied order in a list indicates that all people are equal
--there are Midrashim that ATTEMPT to further explain EACH order
--such Midrashic ATTEMPTS should be ENCOURAGED..
--but not ACCEPTED until ALL verses can be explained
Furthermore Rashi would encourage acceptance of Halachic Midrash on
eg sentence order as PSHAT or simple meaning. This is so because
the rules of sentence order are FULLY understood and when a
violation occurs it can be fully documented. It is only in orders
of lists of people where we don't have universal rules.
We have therefore classified the RULE for the above Rashi as
CLIMAX | ORDER. For the principle of CLIMAX normally does require
that a list of activities or attributes be listed in order of
CLIMAX. CLIMAX is an important principle in understanding
Biblical Pshat. Nevertheless if the Bible goes out of its way to
present these lists in two different orders then we may safely
regard it as simply an unordered list or group. We have also seen
when using the principle of CLIMAX that we don't just ASSUME that
a list of activities or attributes is listed in order of CLIMAX..
very often there are supportive ideas in the verses indicating this
CLIMAX. In general CLIMAX is not a simple principle. There are many
subprinciples that have to be learned and as we go thru the Bible
we shall have occasion to fully clarify them. But the basic rule
of thumb is that if a paragraph consists of a list of activities
then interpret it using CLIMAX. If it consists of a list of
people or items check other places these people and items are
listed and decide whether they are all equal (varied order) or
some are more important than others(same order always)
COMMENTS ON RASHI'S FORM:
Note how on v4-27-1 Rashi simply says "The girls are equal." But
on 4-36-11 he brings down both approachs: "In one verse the
girls are listed by AGE while in the other verse they are listed
by INTELLIGENCE/PROMINENCE". He nevertheless concludes in both
verses with the statement "The girls are equal" because as we
have commented many times Rashi always prefers his 2nd explanation
but has "problems" with the first explanation.
The reason Rashi cites two opinions on 4-36-11 but only one opinion
on 4-27-1 is simple. There is NOTHING in 4-27 to indicate that
they are listed by order of INTELLIGENCE/PROMINENCE. Indeed the
order in 4-27-1 is the same as the order in 4-26-33 which is a
chapter of genealogies (having nothing to do with intelligence).
So Rashi did not cite the idea of "order by intelligence" since
it would have appeared ad hoc.
By contrast, 4-36-11 is about marriage. The custom in some places to
marry by age is well known (As Laban told Jacob in 4-29-26).Hence
the student would be more sympathetic to an explanation of order
by criteria (ie age) in 4-36. So Rashi Is Simple--he brings the
order by criteria approach in 4-36 and not in 4-27.
LISTS {For ADVANCED students and for those with more time}:
{LIST1} {The 4 verses with the 5daughters of Tzlafchad & their order
VERSE ORDER
===== =====
4-26-33 Machlah Noah Chaglah Milkah Tirzah
4-27-1 Machlah Noah Chaglah Milkah Tirzah
4-36-11 Machlah Tirzah Chaglah Milkah Noah
Jos17-3 Machlah Noah Chaglah Milkah Tirzah
{LIST2} {Pairs of verses where a list of people or items is listed
in different orders. The different orders show that all
list items are equal. By contrast, those lists which are
ALWAYS presented in one order indicate that the first one
is the most important *1 (Source: Midrash Rabbah *2)}
LIST VERSE 1 ORDER VERSE 2 ORDER
==== ======= ===== ======= =====
Heaven, earth 1-1-1 Heaven, earth 1-2-4 Earth,heaven
Abraham,Isaac,Jacob 5-34-4 Abe, Yitz,Jac 3-26-42 Jac,Yitz,Abe
Tzlafchad girls 4-26-33 M N C M T 4-36-11 M T C M N
Mishpatim,Chukim 3-18-5 Chok,Mishpat 5-8-11 Mishpat,Chok
Signs,..,stong hand 5-26-8 Hand..signs 5-4-34 Sign.strong hand
FOOTNOTES
=========
*1 A good example would be prophetic orders to Moses and Aaron.
Moses was superior to Aaron in prophecy. Hence Moses name is ALWAYS
listed first (3-11-1, 3-13-1, 3-14-33, 3-15-1, 4-4-1, 4-4-17...)
*2 If my memory serves me correctly only the first 3 items in
{LIST2} occur in the Midrash Rabbah. I however have supplemented
the list with additional items
CROSS REFERENCES:
v2b15-6 (v1n12) Rashi lays down the principle that
verses use "human style" in creating emphasis. While
there are frequently Midrashic attempts at further
explaining this style and while such research is
encouraged nevertheless we should not consider these
attempts Pshat (simple meaning) until we have a total
unified theory.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
RULE CLASSIFICATION {See the web site for comparable examples}:
CLIMAX | ORDER
SQL {Database query comments for those who know Database theory}:
For each VERSE we may form its set of WORDS
Next we ask for VERSE PAIRS whose set of WORDS overlap (a JOIN)
Then we order the COMMON WORDS of the TWO VERSES
Finally we sort the verses by the ORDERING of their common WORDS
In this way we study the ordering of the same list in different
verses in the BIBLE.
#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 1999 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*
VERSE: v5b4-34
v5b4-34 God redeemed us with TESTS...
v5c4-34 ..SIGNS..
v5d4-34 ..WONDERS
v5a34-12 ..STRONG HAND
v5b34-12 ..GREAT AWE
RASHI TEXT:
v5b4-34 TESTS refers to confrontations where you ask
someone to TEST the power of God. For example Moses
said to Pharoh "..you tell me when you want the frogs
removed (and God will remove them at that time)(2-8-11)
v5c4-34 SIGNS refers to the type of items by which Moses
proved his prophecy (Like his turning his hand leprous
and then undoing it (2-4)
v5d4-34 WONDERS refers to eg the 10 plagues
v5a34-12 STRONG HAND refers to the giving of the Torah
v5b34-12 GREAT AWE refers to the miracles in the wilderness
BRIEF BUT COMPLETE NARRATIVE EXPLANATION:
The Torah frequently praises God for saving us from Egypt with great
wonders. There are a variety of verses where Gods greatness is
described and they describe Gods greatness with about half a dozen
terms: WONDERS, TEST, SIGNS, STRONG HAND, OUTSTRETCHED ARM, GREAT
AWE {LIST1}.
Whenever we have such a list we use the principle of CLIMAX. The
principle of CLIMAX states that if a list of ACTIVITIES is used
then we interpret them as a sequence with CLIMAX. v3a26-14 in
v2n4 is a good example. The paragraph describes sin---first
people don't listen/study the commandments. Then they don't do
them. Next they make fun of them (because they don't understand
them) etc
However v4b27-1 in V3n1 shows that when we have a list of ITEMS
or PEOPLE then there are two cases: If the list is always listed
in the same order then the order is by importance. By contrast
if the list order varies then all items are equal. In such a case
it is still a worthwhile project to find out WHY a list of items
were given. This is done by the technique of OTHER VERSES--for
each item in the list we seek verses with the same term which
sheds light on the particular item.
A SUMMARY of the above is the following:
--Lists of activities are interpreted developing to a climax
--List of items that occur in one order have the most important 1st
--List of items in varied order indicate equality of items
--Interpretation of varied-order-lists is done with OTHER VERSES
{LIST2} gives the examples and the Midrash Rabbah supporting this
approach.
The adjectives describing Gods greatness are listed in random
order in the Bible (5-26-8, 5-4-34) showing that they are simply
a list of equal items describing Gods greatness. To enhance
appreciation of the list Rashi sought other verses with these
terms that shed light on their meaning. {LIST3}
**SIGN in the Bible is frequently used to indicate proof of
prophetic status. For example in 2-4 God gives Moses signs
to prove to the Jews in Egypt that he is a prophet. So Rashi
Is Simple and interprets SIGNS to indicate the proofs of
prophetic status. We emphasize that this is not just a play
on words. There are many places in the Bible where SIGN is
used to indicate proof of prophetic status (eg 5-13-2,Jud6-17)
**TESTS in the Bible is used for proof of prophecy where the
the person ASKS FOR SOMETHING SPECIFIC from God. For example
ACHAZ was invited to pick a sign which he was promised would
happen (Isa7-11:12). Similarly Gidon asked for a specific sign
(Jud6-39). Rashi cleverly picks a verse where the IDEA of
testing is present even though the WORD for testing is
not present (2-8-5)--Moses invited Pharoh to request the
time when the frogs would go away. Such support by verses
with IDEAS enhances the appreciation of meaning.
**WARS Rashi does not comment on the word "WITH WARS". Rashi
frequently used workbook methods and encouraged us to FILL IN
those cases that he did not do. After all, if he applied a method,
proper procedure is to apply that method to all cases. There are
several wars that God did for us: Against Egypt(2-15-3) and Amalek
(2-17-16) are the most blatant ones.
**STRONG HAND OF GOD is used in the Bible BOTH for punishment
(1Sam7-13 and Ruth1-13) and also for Prophecy (1R18-46, Ez2-9)
Quite obviously if it says "God took us out of Egypt with SIGNS
WONDERS...and a STRONG HAND" it definitely refers to MILITARY
MIGHT.
However Rashi Supplmeneted this usual meaning of STRONG HAND
with the meaning of PROPHECY. Thus Rashi interprets STRONG HAND
as referring to the receiving of the Torah when all Jews had a
prophetic experience. In my opinion by so interpreting Rashi did
not mean to NEGATE the traditional interpretation of strong hand
as punishment or power but he meant to SUPPLEMENT it with an
additional nuance of PROPHECY.
**WONDERS In a similar manner we find throughout the Bible
that SIGNS and WONDERS almost always occur together (2-7-9,
5-13-2, 5-13-3, 5-6-22, Ps135-9, neh9-10). In fact 2-4-21
lists the word WONDER while a few verses back (2-4-8) it
used the word SIGN. So a proper interpretation of the
verses is that SIGNS AND WONDERS refers to BOTH the proof
of Moses prophecy and the 10 plagues.
However based on 2-11-9 where WONDER occurs referring
to the 10 plagues (without the word SIGN) Rashi simply
associated WONDER with 10 plagues and SIGN with proof
of prophecy. This is based on the technique of other verses.
But it would be perfectly legitimate to interpret the pair
SIGNS/WONDERS to refer both to the proof of prophecy and the
10 plagues.
**GREAT AWE seems to be associated with the miracle of
escorting over a million people thru the desert (5-8-15 and
5-10-17). But as is clear from 5-10-21:22 GREAT AWE can
refer to any great act. Again Rashi did not mean to negate
the GENERAL meaning but rather to supplement it with a
SPECIFIC nuance.
We have left one terms---OUTSTRETCHED ARM.
Rashi did not comment on this because there are not that
many verses where this occurs and it is hard to isolate a
distinctive meaning to it. However using workbooks methods...
**OUTSTRETCHED ARM only occurs once in 2-15-16 referring to the
drowning of the Egyptians in the Reed Sea. In other Biblical
verses it refers to a military might characterized by
multi-flank armies (eg Ez30-24:25)
In SUMMARY Gods greatness is explained by a list of about 8
attributes. The simple approach simply regards this as a list
of 8 items all of equal value. However using other verses and
secondary meanings Rashi tries to enhance our appreciation of
these terms by giving them ADDED nuances. Not only did Moses
prove his prophetic status, but he displayed power and invited
Pharoh to request signs. Not only were we physically delivered
from Egypt, we were also made into prophets. Not only did God
deliver us from Egypt he also protected us in the wildnerness.
(Such an approach is reminscent of the song DAYAYNU which many
people sing on Passover. The goal is not so much to interpret
but rather to enhance appreciation of meaning)
COMMENTS ON RASHI'S FORM:
The sifsay Chachamim incorrectly says that Rashi ascribed
the meaning of STRONG HAND to MOSES hands. He argues that
Moses hand was made strong and he received the tablets. The verse
explicitly says that Moses thru the tablets from HIS HANDS at the
sight of the golden calf (2-32-15,2-32-19)
Such a play on words is not a proper procedure to interpret Rashi
Indeed throughout the Bible it speaks about GODS STRONG HAND. So
the simple meaning of the phrase in 5-34 is GODS STRONG HAND.
The proper approach is to seek MANY verses with HAND. As {LIST3}
shows GODS HAND can refer to both prophecy and might. The receiving
of the tablets is an example of Prophecy.
Such an approach to Rashi based on many examples and meanings is
superior to a superficial approach based on word associations and
leads to a deeper appreciation of the text.
Finally we have already commented that Rashi used Workbook methods
on these verses. He explained 5 of the terms and let the student
explain the other 2.
LISTS:
{LIST1} {Verses describing Gods greatness with many terms}
VERSE LIST OF ITEMS
===== =============
5-4-34 Tests,signs,wonders, war,hand,outstretched arm,great awe
5-34-10 signs,wonders, hand, great awe
5-26-8 hand, outstreched arm, great awe, sign, wonder
5-29-2 Tests,signs, wonders
{LIST2} {Pairs of verses where a list of people or items is listed
in different orders. The different orders show that all
list items are equal. By contrast, those lists which are
ALWAYS presented in one order indicate that the first one
is the most important *1 (Source: Midrash Rabbah *2)}
LIST VERSE 1 ORDER VERSE 2 ORDER
==== ======= ===== ======= =====
Heaven, earth 1-1-1 Heaven, earth 1-2-4 Earth,heaven
Abraham,Isaac,Jacob 5-34-4 Abe, Yitz,Jac 3-26-42 Jac,Yitz,Abe
Tzlafchad girls 4-26-33 M N C M T 4-36-11 M T C M N
Mishpatim,Chukim 3-18-5 Chok,Mishpat 5-8-11 Mishpat,Chok
Signs,..,stong hand 5-26-8 Hand..signs 5-4-34 Sign.strong hand
FOOTNOTES
=========
*1 A good example would be prophetic orders to Moses and Aaron.
Moses was superior to Aaron in prophecy. Hence Moses name is ALWAYS
listed first (3-11-1, 3-13-1, 3-14-33, 3-15-1, 4-4-1, 4-4-17...)
*2 If my memory serves me correctly only the first 3 items in
{LIST2} occur in the Midrash Rabbah. I however have supplemented
the list with additional items
{LIST3} {Analysis of the 7 terms occuring in 5-4-34 and 5-34-12
The technique of OTHER VERSES is used to spread light
on the meaning of these terms. As shown in the footnotes
Rashi did not mean to NEGATE traditional meanings but
rather to SUPPLEMENT them with additional nuances}
SIGN To prove prophetic status 2-4-8 *1
MASAH In SIGN prophetic status is
proven by giving you a sign
In MASAH prophetic status is
proved by you asking for a sign Isa7-11:12 *2
WAR When God conquers someone 2-15-3 *3
HAND Can mean both MIGHT & PROPHECY 1R18-46 *4
WONDER Almost the same meaning as sign 2-11-9 *5
WONDER denotes more signs with
power while SIGN might denote
something extraordinary (like
a hand becoming leprous) even
if there is no great show of
power
GREAT AWE Seems to refer to the miracle
of escorting a million people
thru a desert 5-8-15 *6,
ARM Specific nuances unknown. It
seems to occur only by the
drowning of the egyptians in
the reed sea. 2-15-16 *7
FOOTNOTES
*1 Sign is the classic word to describe proof of prophetic status
Compare 5-13-2, 2-4-8, Jud6-17
*2 See also Jud6-39 where Gidon requested a specific sign
*3 WAR is also used by the destruction of Amalek (2-17-16).
Note that Rashi does not explain the meaning of the term war.
However it occurs in the verse and we applied Rashis technique
to this term to show consistency. This is an example of
workbook methods.(Applying a technique of Rashi which is used
in a few examples to all cases)
*4 Gods Hand as a description of prophecy is used frequently in
Ezekiel. Gods hand also refers to punishment as is 1Sam7-13 and
Ruth1-13. This leads us to suggest that Rashi did not want to
negate the classical meaning of GODS HAND as punishment but rather
meant to supplement it with a meaning of PROPHECY.
*5 OTH & MOFATH (SIGN AND WONDER) almost always occur together.
Compare 2-7-9,5-13-2,5-13-3,5-6-22,ps135-9,neh9-10. Indeed, see
2-4-21 which uses the term WONDER when a few verses earlier in
2-4-8 it uses the term SIGN. As commented in the text it would
appear that a proper approach is to interpret the word PAIR--
signs and wonders to refer to BOTH "proofs of prophecies and
the 10 plagues". Nevertheless because WONDER occurs by itself
in 2-11-9, referring to the 10 plagues, and because SIGN
frequently occurs by itself when referring to proofs for prophecy
(for example, Isa 7-11:12) Rashi ascribed a meaning of "proof of
prophecy" to SIGN and "10 plagues" to wonder.
*6 Also see 5-10-17 and perhaps Isa21-1. As is clear from
5-10-21:22 GREAT AWE can refer to ANY miracle (not just those
in the desert)
*7 ARM seems to refer to armies that are multi-flanked
Compare Ez30-24:25 As already commented it occurs only a few times
and its meaning is not that clear.
CROSS REFERENCES:
v3a26-14 in v2n4--describes the principle of CLIMAX that
a sequence of activities is interpreted using an
element of development towards a CLIMAX
v4b27-1 shows how lists of items or people if listed
in random order are all equal. If they are always
listed in a particular order then they are listed
in order of importance.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
RULE CLASSIFICATION {See the web site for comparable examples}:
CLIMAX | ORDER | OTHER VERSES
SQL {Database query comments for those who know Database theory}:
We first form the set of WORDS in a given VERSE
For each such WORD we seek other VERSES having that WORD
In this way we shed light on the list of words. (Note that
in {LIST3} certain items were interpreted SEMANTICALLY as
well as by WORD LINKAGES.
#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 1999 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*
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NOTATIONAL CONVENTIONS
----------------------
e.g. v5b2-1 means as follows:
The "v" means verse
The "5" means Deuteronomy--the 5th book
The "2" means The 2nd chapter
The "1" means The 1st verse
The "b" means The second rashi on that
verse ("we rounded mount
Seir)
Similarly v5-2-1 would mean Dt 2:1 and probably refer to all
Rashis. (These conventions start with issue 14---beforehand
the notation is similar and will be updated retroactively
in the future)
Asterisks (*,#) in a list usually refer to footnotes that follow it
Parenthesis with the word List and a number--[LIST3] refers to
LISTS in the LIST section of each posting.
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-- By Verse
-- By Grammatical Rule
-- By quicky explanation
* Rashi-Is-Simple should prove useful to
layman, scholars, rabbis, educators, and students
* Although this list is orthodox we welcome all logical
--explanations
--contributions
--modifications
--questions
--problems
provided they are defended with adequate examples.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
----------------------
For further information on the character of this list
* read your welcome note from Shamash
* read PESHAT and DERASH: TRADITION, Winter 1980 by Russell Hendel
End of Rashi-Is-Simple Digest
#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 1999 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*