Rashi-Is-Simple Mailing List
(C) Dr Russell Jay Hendel, 1999
http://www.shamash.org/rashi
Volume 3 Number 10
Produced Aug, 25 1999
Topics Discussed in This Issue
------------------------------
r825b Question on 5-34-10:11 by Gilbert Issard
r825c Comments on question methodology (using lists)
r825a Complements on Rashi Is Simple methodology (Gilbert Issard)
v5a27-9 HSCAYTH means TO FOCUS/PAY ATTENTION
v5-26-19 Rashi cross references Biblical citations(3 levels)
v5-27-8 BAyR means TO FOOTNOTE
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***************************
*** 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 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*
r825b
From: "Gilbert ISSARD"
To: rjhendel@juno.com
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1999 16:43:04 +0200
Subject: Object : Volume 3 Number 1 v5-24-12
Russell,
I would like to comment on v5-34-12.
Sorry for not having done that before
but I could not.
To put it frankly I disagree with you
since this verse does not describe
God's greatness but Moses greatness
and more precisely why he was such an
extraordinary prophet with whom no
other prophet can be compared. The
translation of Rashi on v5-34-12 is
that he received the Torah made of
stones in his hands". I personnally
explain it very simply though
differently than you do.
The Torah says "No other prophet like
Moses stood up in IsraEBl". The
torah is giving an opinion on Moses
and when you are judging someone it is
not sufficient to say : "he cannot be
trusted" or "he is a very intelligent
person". You must prove it or your
assertion can be considered as gossips
and not an honnest, true judgment.
To back up a judgment you cannot but
refer to special events and moments
of one's life, that is what Rashi
does. He makes a list of what Moses
did for us and makes a relation with
the list of nouns given by the Torah.
The Torah backs up the judgment but
the reader himself must collect the
elements from the different books of
the Humash, Rashi does just that for us.
The expression STRONG HAND must be
linked with a moment of Moses prophecy
and the link made by Rashi with matan
torah is based on the fact that the
tables were stones. To carry stones,
a strong hand is needed. I think that
this is an image, only to emphasize
a certain aspect of Moses personnality
which is a crucial for a prophet :
the courage to receive and bring the
message you have received even if
people are not really ready to receive
it. The expression strong hand is
just an image for courage to tell the
truth and what must be said, the
capability to be a messenger. Rashi just
makes a play on words (is that correct
in english or shall I say a joke ?)
to help us understand an aspect of prophecy.
We must not stop on the first
level of meaning it is equivalent
to Rashi's use of gematria.
More generally what Rashi shows on
this verse is that the Torah follows
the life of Moses
1) he stood up refers to his awakening
to the fate of Israel in Egypt and
more precisely the fight with the egyptian,20
2) he saw god face to face refers
to the revelation he got
3) the signs are the proof given
by God of his being a prophet
4) the wonders are the 10 plagues
5) the strong hand the
reception of the Torah
5) the awe refers to all that happened
during the 40 years in the desert.
Regards,
Gilbert
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Ce message a ete controle par l'antivirus
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r825c
>>> Russell J Hendel >>>
Gilbert
Thank you for your posting
which will be published (tomorrow?)
I remember your last posting got me
thinking a great deal --- I will have
to work on this one.
I particularly complement you on
the way you used a LIST (of Moses'achievements)
to defend your case. This is the
ultimate goal of my email group--to get
people to think in terms of lists.
At any rate I shall eventually check
out the Rashi and see if your
interpretation is correct or more probably
if I have to modify my position somehow
Russell Hendel; ModeratoR Rashi Is Simple;
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r825a
From: "Gilbert ISSARD"
To: rjhendel@juno.com
Date: Tue, 24 Aug 1999 10:52:42 +0200
Russell,
Thank you for your answer. Regarding
your remark on my usage of lists it
is unquestionnable that you teached
me something of great value. I would
never have been capable of such a
analysis of Rashi without your list.
The method of lists opened new horizons
to me. Thank you for what you
teached me. I question some of
your postings but I use your method.
Gilbert
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VERSE: v5a27-9
v5a27-9 Pay attention(HSCTH) and listen Israel...
RASHI TEXT:
v5a27-9 HSCTH has the same meaning as its Aramaic
translation
BRIEF BUT COMPLETE NARRATIVE EXPLANATION:
I brought this Rashi down as part of the efforts of this
email group to study different approachs among Rishonim.
We shall study the approachs of 3 rishonim---Rashi,
RaDaQ and Rav Yonah--to the meaning of this word.
RISHON #1
---------
Rashi-is-simple---do you want to know the meaning of a word? Then
look it up in the dictionary. In this case it is the aramaic-
Hebrew dictionary.
The Aramaic translation of HSCTH is TzayTH the same root as TO
SPARK or TO IGNITE and denotes (based on context) TO FOCUS
ATTENTION.
RISHON #2
----------
The RaDaQ however does not cite the aramaic translation. Instead
he cites the French translation and suggests it means intense
listening (=focusing). The RDQ frequently cites many verses with
a root. Unfortunately SCTH occurs only 1, maybe twice, in TNACH
One cannot help but notice the role reversal here. It is RaDaQ
that cites French (usually Rashi does) and Rashi who cites the
Targum.
RISHON #3
---------
Rav Yonah brings Am5-26, referring to the gods SCUTH and
Kiyun. KiyuN = Prepare so SCUTH, from the root SCH = Succah COVERING
could mean like in English to COVER A TOPIC or TO FOCUS). Taken
together the 2 gods--PREPARE and FOCUS---would possibly denote a
mantra type of worship. By PREPARING and FOCUSING the idolaters
enter a state of well being. The Prophet Amos criticized the Jews
for regarding the Sacrifices as Mantras that enable focus and a
consequent sense of well being. Instead the sacrifices are to
perfect the personality and enter service of God.
Unfortunately this is way too conjectural to serve as a basis.
Furthermore Rav Yonah actually interprets SCTH = ACCEPT so that
the god SCTH would be served by ACCEPTING.
RESPONSE OF RISHON #2, RDQ, to RISHON #3, RAV YONAH
---------------------------------------------------
The RDQ refutes the interpretation SCTH = ACCEPT
because if this were so the verse 5-27-9 would state "Accept
and Listen" which is in the wrong order (This uses the principle
of CLIMAX which we have used frequently on this email group)
Let us review these 3 approaches.
RISHON #1
---------
Obviously we cannot use the Targum because that is circular---how
did the Targum know the meaning
RISHON #3
---------
Also obviously we cannot make Derashoth on Amos to derive its
meaning since this is not based on any list.
RISHON #2
---------
Finally we cannot look up the LIST of places where the word
occurs since the root occurs once (or accordig to Rav Yonah
twice) in Tenach.
RESPONSE OF RISHON #3 TO RISHON #2
----------------------------------
We therefore use the method of CLIMAX. This method was in
fact used by the RaDaQ to refute Rav Yonah's suggested meaning
Using the method of CLIMAX---that a sequence of similar
words or phrases should be interpreted climatically we simply
suggest
---SCTH = pay attention
---SMAH = Listen
HSCTH could also mean eg
---stand at attention
---gather together for the lecture (the idea of 'gathering
together could tie in nicely with the word SCH=gathering(Ps42-5)
We have tried to obtain a meaning that approximates many of
these nuances and translated it as FOCUS/PAY ATTENTION.
{LIST1} summarizes this.
COMMENTS ON RASHI'S FORM:
LISTS {For ADVANCED students and for those with more time}:
{LIST1} {List of Phrases in 5-27-9. The phrases are interpreted
using the principle of climatic development}
PHRASE PLACE IN A SEQUENCE
====== ===================
HSCATH Pay attention (or be focused or gather together)*1
SHMAH Listen
FOOTNOTE
*1 Rav Yonah suggests that HSCATH means TO ACCEPT. RDQ rejects
this because the sequence ACCEPT and LISTEN is in the wrong order
Rashi simply refers to the Aramaic meaning (TzTH=Spark=Pay attention
Rav Yonah also brings Am5-26, referring to the Gods SCUTH and
Kiyun (KiyuN = Prepare so SCUTH, from the root SCH = Succah COVERING
could mean like in English to COVER A TOPIC or TO FOCUS). Taken
together the 2 gods--PREPARE and FOCUS---would possibly denote a
mantra type of worship. By PREPARING and FOCUSING the idolaters
enter a state of well being. The Prophet Amos criticized the Jews
for regarding the Sacrifices as Mantras that enable focus and a
consequent sense of well being. Instead the sacrifices are to
perfect the personality and enter service of God.
Unfortunately this is way too conjectural to serve as a basis.
But it can be supportive.
I have fixed up Rav Yonahs citation of Amos5-26 by retranslating
it the way the Rashi/RDQ does--FOCUS--it fits nicely.
Finally for those who think ACCEPT and LISTEN is a normal order
based on the famous verse 2-24-7, RDQ gives a long discussion
of this verse in his book ROOTS and rejects the idea that it means
WE ACCEPT and WE WILL LISTEN for the same reason that it is
anti climatic.
CROSS REFERENCES:
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
RULE CLASSIFICATION {See the web site for comparable examples}:
OTHER VERSES
SQL {Database query comments for those who know Database theory}:
SELECT verse.phrases FROM Bible WHERE verse=5-27-9
fx
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VERSE: v5-26-19
v5-26-19 ...and to make you a holy nation as HE(God) Said
v5-26-18 ..and to make you a treasured nation
RASHI TEXT:
v5-26-19 The text says "As He(God) said" referring
to the verse "And you will be Holy for me"(3-20-26)
v5-26-18 The text says that God will make us a treasured
nation. This promise is explicitly made in
2-19-5 "..and you will be a treasure for me
from all the nations."
BRIEF BUT COMPLETE NARRATIVE EXPLANATION:
We can explain Rashi on v5-26-19 on three levels.
--THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL
The verse says "make you holy AS GOD SAID HE WOULD". So Rashi
Is Simple--he cites a verse where God promises to make
the Jewish people Holy (3-20-26)
--THE INTERMEDIATE LEVEL
Is there only one verse where God promises/asks us to be holy?
In fact there is a whole list of verses where we are promised
to be holy {LIST1}. The most famous is the promise that we will
become a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (2-19-6).
Thus at the intermediate level we confirm 5-26-19 not with
one verse but with a whole LIST of verses.
--THE ADVANCED LEVEL
At this level we observe that not only is this verse, 5-26-19,
confirmed but AS A GENERAL RULE every verse where it says
that "As God says" can be confirmed with an actual verse where
God says this. See the comprehensive {LIST2} from v5e11-25 in v3n3.
Note the progression from the ELEMENTARY to the ADVANCED LEVEL.
At the elementary level ONE VERSE(5-26-19) is confirmed with
ONE OTHER VERSE (3-20-26). At the intermediate level, ONE VERSE
is confirmed with MANY VERSES. At the advanced level MANY VERSES
are confirmed with MANY VERSES.
This progression is important for those who want to understand
the profundity of Rashi. You can easily understand Rashi at a
one verse-one verse level. But if you want to be a scholar you
must understand Rashi at a LIST-LIST level. It is in this manner
that the EXAMPLE becomes a RULE.
The Talmudic sages use a beautiful analogy--they speak about
DROPLETS OF WATER ( = isolated examples) joining together
to BECOME A STREAM OF WATER ( = a LIST of LISTS). The theme
of WATER=TORAH is a frequent symbol in the Talmud and is powerfully
used by such contemporary writers as Rav Kook (See his beautifully
poetic OROTH HATSHUVA whose correct translation is 'The Dew Drops
of Repentance')
Those who are interested in becoming scholars and acquiring what
the Rambam calls the "Crown of Torah" should carefully study this
posting and its 3 levels for it contains the essence of all
scholarship.
COMMENTS ON RASHI'S FORM:
We have frequently emphasized that Rashi uses workbook methods-
he gives one example and lets the student get all the others.
So too in this Rashi. If you really want to FULLY appreciate
Rashi you must NOT BE SATISFIED with only one confirming verse.
You must seek many confirmations. This attempt at generalization
is the essence of becoming a Talmid Chacham.
LISTS {For ADVANCED students and for those with more time}:
{LIST1} {Verses where the Jews are asked/promised to become holy}
VERSE TEXT
===== ====
2-19-6 And you will be a kingdom of priests & a holy nation
3-11-44 And you should "HOLYize" yourself and become HOLY
3-19-2 ...be holy for I am Holy
3-20-7 .."HOLYize" yourselves and become holy
3-20-26 ..and you will be holy for me..
{LIST2} {(Partial) List of verses where it says that something
happened AS GOD SAID. If God said it in a previous verse
or chapter there is no need for a cross reference. But if
the cross reference is to another verse then Rashi brings
a cross reference. In two cases the cross reference involves
interpretation--in the other cases the cross reference is
explicit and the same}
VERSE RELATION OF
WHERE VERSE WHERE
GOD IS QUOTED AS PROMISING GOD GOD IS QUOTED
VERSE OR COMMANDING THE FOLLOWING PROMISED TO OTHER VERSE
======= ============================= ========= ================
1-12-4 Abraham should leave home 1-12-3 Previous verse
1-17-23 Abraham should circumcise 1-17-9:14 Previous chapter
1-18-19 Gods promises to Abraham 1-17 Previous chapter
1-21-1 Promise of Sarah giving birth 1-17-19 *1 Rashi
1-23-16 Promise to pay Ephron 1-23-15 Previous verse
1-24-7 Abraham's sons will inherit him 1-17-19 *2 Rashi
1-24-30 This is way he spoke to me 1-24-27 Previous verse
1-24-51 Take Rivkah as God has said 1-24-42:48 Previous verse
1-49-28 These are the blessings he gave 1-49 Previous chapter
2-12-25 When God brings you to Israel 2-6-8 Rashi
5-18-2 Levites will not inheritance 4-18-20 Rashi
5-19-8 Full inheritance promised 1-15-19 Rashi
4-27-23 Moses appointed Joshua 4-27-20 Rashi *3
3-10-3 God is honored by near ones 2-29-43 Rashi *3
FOOTNOTES
*1 Rashi also cites 1-15-4 "This one (Eliezer, your servant) will
not inherit you but your own son will inherit you"
*2 The Bible uses the word "..He SWORE to me.." vs
..He SAID to me... Although the term OATH does not occur in
1-17-19 or the surrounding verses the phrases "..WORD OF GOD.."
as well as the establishment of a convenant ("Convenant of CUTS")
has the status of an OATH when coming from God (because it has
to be kept). Such a perspective uses a SEMANTIC approach based on
meaning (OATH means HAS TO KEEP and WORD OF GOD means HAS TO KEEP)
rather than a SYNTACTIC approach based on common words (OATH, OATH).
*3 In these last two examples the cross reference is not explicit
but requires interpretation.
God said to "Give of your SPLENDOR to Joshua." Clearly this
is a vague order with no specific refernce. Since Moses placed
BOTH HANDS on Joshua vs the command to place ONE HAND on him
(4-27-23 vs 4-27-18) it becomes REASONABLE to APPLY the statement
AS GOD COMMANDED HIM to the order to Moses to give from his SPLENDOR
(indicating something extra--a 2-hand placement vs a 1-hand
placement) to Joshua.
In a similar manner in 2-29-43 God simply said that "I will be
sanctified with WEIGHT." WEIGHT refers to a HEIGHTENED AWARENESS
of someone's presence (just as a heavy object feels heavier than
a lighter object). The verse could mean many things. After
Aaron's sons died Moses was justified not in INTERPRETING the verse
to apply to the death of people near God but rather in APPLYING the
verse to the given situation. (Clearly, it is absurd to say that
God required the sacrifice of a holy person to impress people with
the holiness of the temple).
Notice how this whole LIST of examples where it says AS GOD
COMMANDED with cross references lends credibility to these last
two exceptions. Precisely because in every other instance we find
a cross reference we are justified in applying verses to support
these verses even though it involves an element of interpretation.
CROSS REFERENCES:
v5e11-25, v3n3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
RULE CLASSIFICATION {See the web site for comparable examples}:
OTHER VERSES
SQL {Database query comments for those who know Database theory}:
SELECT verse FROM Bible WHERE "HOLY" verse
SELECT verse1, verse2 FROM Bible, Bible WHERE
Verse1.Meaning 'As God said' AND
Verse2.Meaning Verse1.Meaning
//Comment--The first SQL statement is a simple query that
//can be performed in any database language. The 2nd SQL
//statement however is a SEMANTIC query and cannot currently
//be performed with 100% accuracy in database lanaguages. These
//2 queries show the types of diverse skills that a scholar
//must develop
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VERSE: v5-27-8
v5-27-8 and you will write on the stones this Torah
--a GOOD EXPLANATION
v5b1-5 in Transjordan Moses began to EXPLAIN this Torah..
RASHI TEXT:
v5-27-8 The text says "A GOOD EXPLANATION"--this means
he explained it with 70 nuances
v5b1-5 The text says "EXPLAIN this Torah"-this means
in 70 nuances
BRIEF BUT COMPLETE NARRATIVE EXPLANATION:
The word BAyR = TO EXPLAIN, although very common in Talmudic
Hebrew is nevertheless extremely rare in Biblical Hebrew. In
fact most people are shocked to learn that the word BAyR
occurs only 3 times in the Bible (The above 2 and once more
in Hab2-2 "Write the vision and EXPLAIN on the tablets in order
that someone can read quickly") {LIST1}
The primary meaning of BAyR is WATER WELL which occurs 3 dozen
times in Tnach. Since the word BAyR occurs rarely let us first
approach this verse WITHOUT explaining BAYR.
The Bible frequently says that MOSES WROTE/TOLD something to
the Jewish people. As {LIST2} shows the usual terms for this
are SPEAK, CITE, READ, WRITE, PLACE.
The word BAYR occurs only twice in the 5 books of Moses.
Without knowing anything else about the word I would simply
say that BAYR denotes something EXTRA in the telling/writing.
The word LaSHON in Talmudic Hebrew besides meaning FOREIGN
LANGUAGE can also mean NUANCE/TONE. Thus the Talmud speaks
about a DISCRETE TONE (LeShon SNaYGoR) an ANGRY TONE (Leshon
AF) etc.
Thus Rashi simply says that Moses explained the text with
MANY NUANCES ('70 stones'--I am translating LeShon as NUANCE
(not language) and am translating 70 as MANY).
The above would be a simple approach WITHOUT studying the
meaning of BAyR.
We however would translate BAyR as TO FOOTNOTE.
The connection between BAyR=Footnote and BAyR=Well would be
as follows
Consider by way of example a typical MIKRAOTH GEDOLOTH with its
many commentaries. We observe that
--the text is on the SURFACE while the commentaries (Rashi, Ibn
Ezra et) are DEEPER on the page (like the deep water in a well)
--Just as when you peer into a dark well you can see shimmering
streaks of light (reflections off the water) so too when you
peer into a dark (ie unexplained) TEXT you see various streaks
of footnotes.
In summary a FOOTNOTE and WELL resemble each other in
--their physical location (main part and bottom)
--their physical appearance (short streaks in darkness).
Hence to "'WELL' A TEXT" simply means to "FOOTNOTE THE TEXT"--to
provide 'little streaks of explanation at deeper parts of the
page'.
Thus {LIST1} the 3 verses with BAyR would be read as follows--
--and write on the stones all these words (WELL FOOTNOTED)
--in Transjordan Moses began FOOTNOTING this Torah as follows
--Write the vision (and FOOTNOTE IT on the tablets) in order that
people can quickly read it.
Note that we cannot PROVE this meaning, but rather, all we can
do is OBSERVE that the meaning FITS WELL. This is typical with
roots that occur infrequently---you very often do not have
enough evidence to PROVE what they mean but can show that a
given meaning FITS WELL.
The support(not proof) of this translation is that
---the usual terms for communication are SPEAK, WRITE, TELL,
PLACE {LIST2} (Hence BAyR denotes something EXTRA)
---2 of the above 3 sentences would read fine WITHOUT the
extra phrase with BAyR (again an indicating of something extra)
---historically Jewish legal literature has used a FOOTNOTE
method of communication. Many texts such as the SIFRAH/SIFRAY
are constructed in this manner--you read the text first and
then FOOTNOTE it with explanations. (This method is used
because the ORAL LAW was originally not written down so in
terms of memory it was easiest to READ the written text and
then footnote).
Now that we have suggested a meaning to BAyR we can explain
the two Biblical verses as indicating that Moses READ/WROTE
the various things in a WELL FOOTNOTED or WELL DOCUMENTED
manner.
Notice that we have not even BEGUN to explain Rashi. Several
times in this list we have emphasized that the proper
procedure in explaining Rashi is to first REVIEW the text
and only then to explain Rashi.
The comments on what Rashi actually said may be found
in the COMMENTS ON RASHI'S FORM section immediately below.
COMMENTS ON RASHI'S FORM:
We have seen several times that Rashi will often take an abstract
idea and express it using a GEMATRIA or an EXAGGERATED manner.
The best example of this is v1-32-5 on v1n1--Rashi there comments
that JACOB 'INNED' WITH LABAN indicating a temporary stay because
of the ideological differences between JACOB and LABAN.
The proof of this is the difference between the root GR=INN and
YSHAV=DWELL. (In that verse unlike this one, there were plenty
of Biblical examples of GR vs YSHAV to prove this point).
Rashi however does not cite this verb difference (GR/YSHAV)
Instead Rashi indicates this with a GEMATRIA that GRTI = 613
proving that Jacob observed the 613 commandments.
It isn't that Rashi believes that the proper method of understanding
a text is to use GEMATRIA but rather that the GEMATRIA is 'cute'
and 'punchy' and enables you to remember the Rashi well (Recall
that printing wasn't that developed in Rashi's time and it was
important to express things in a way that can be memorized).
There are several other Rashis where we have used these principles
and shown a simple, straightforward grammatical explanation which
Rashi couldn't possibly be ignoring but rather supplements with
a 'catchy Gematria or exaggeration'.
Returning to our text we would say that
---The word BAyR means FOOTNOTED or DOCUMENTED
---The text means that the Torah was WELL FOOTNOTED
---Rashi translates WELL FOOTNOTED = MANY DETAILS/NUANCES
---Rashi further translates MANY as SEVENTY
---Finally to clinch this the Sifsay Chachamim uses an advanced
numerology technique to make the word HYTV = 70 (The method
used is called CUMULATIVE GEMATRIA. It is explained as follows
-HYTV = Hay(=5th letter of alphabet) Yud(=10) Tet(=9) Beth(=2)
-HAY = 5
-HAY + YUD = 5 + 10= 15
-HAY + YUD + TET = 5+ 10 + 9 = 24
-HAY + YUD + TET + BETH = 5+10+9+2 = 31
-Total cumulative sum = 70
In final summary
--the Bible usually indicates TELLING/WRITING with words
like TELL, WRITE, SPEAK, CITE, PLACE
--it uses an extra word here, BAyR, denoting something
extra in the explanation
--BAyR seems best translated as TO FOOTNOTE
--Rashi seems best translated as '70 nuances'
LISTS {For ADVANCED students and for those with more time}:
{LIST1} {All (3) Occurences of the word BAyR=To Explain *1}
VERSE TEXT FOOTNOTE
===== ==== ========
5-27-8 Write on the stones these words WELL EXPLAINED *2
5-1-5 Moses began EXPLAINING this Torah *3
Hab2-2 Write the vision and EXPLAIN on the tablets *2
FOOTNOTES
*1 The root BAyR occurs 3 dozen times in Tnach and means WELL
Only in 3 verses does it mean to explain
*2 Notice how the phrase with EXPLAIN is extra. It could have
just said 'Write on these stones these words' or "Write the
Vision"
*3 As {LIST2} shows the usual words for indicating TELLING in
the Bible are SPEAK, CITE, TELL, PLACE, READ. The term EXPLAIN
although popular in Talmudic Hebrew is rare in Biblical Hebrew
{LIST2} {Usual ways in the Bible of indicating TELLING}
VERB EXAMPLE TEXT VERSE FREQUENCY
===== ========================= ======= ===============
SPEAK God spoke to Moses saying 4-15-37 Many times
CITE God cited to Moses saying 4-15-17 Many times
TELL TELL to the Jews 2-18-3 A dozen or so
STORY & he told the story of the law 2-24-3 A dozen or so
PLACE & he placed the words to them 2-19-7 A dozen or so*1
WRITE Write these words down 2-34-27 A dozen or so
READ READ this Torah (to them) 5-31-11 A dozen or so
EXPLAIN Moses began to EXPLAIN 5-1-5 Only 3
FOOTNOTE
*1 Some examples might be 2-19-7, 4-23-5, 4-23-16, 4-23-12,
2-21-1, Dan1-8 (=he 'said' to himself?), Jos24-25(=he
established statutes there),2R17-34, 2S14,19, 4-22-38,
In all these verses PLACE means to SPEAK (possibly in 1 or
2 of them it means to ESTABLISH--the reader should look up
the references and form his/her own opinion)
CROSS REFERENCES:
v1-32-5 (v1n1)--the principle that Rashi uses
Gematrias to illustrate an explanation
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
RULE CLASSIFICATION {See the web site for comparable examples}:
UNIFIED MEANING
SQL {Database query comments for those who know Database theory}:
SELECT verse FROM Bible WHERE
Verse.Meaning 'Telling something'
//Note that this is a query based on MEANING not on words.
//We are seeking all verses, not that have a word, but
//rather that have a certain meaning.
#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 1999 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*
COMMUNICATIONS
--------------
Send via email SUBMISSIONS/responses/contributions to
rashi-is-simple@shamash.org
If you want your communication published anonomously (without
mentioning your name) simply say so (and your wishes will be
respected). All other submissions (whether thru Shamash or ANY
of my email addresses are made with the understanding that
they can be published as is or with editing)
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.
THE WEB SITE
------------
To review all past issues as well as to see all principles go to the
web site HTTP://WWW.Shamash.Org/Rashi/Index.Htm. You can download all
past issues from this website.
THE ARCHIVES
------------
Alternatively to get PAST ISSUES goto
http://www.shamash.org/listarchives/rashi-is-simple/
To retrieve a specific past issue email to listproc@shamash.org and type
in the body of the message: get rashi-is-simple rashi-is-simple.v#.n#
Issues 5,10,12 are not located here but can be retrieved from the
web site.
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OUR GOALS
---------
RASHI-IS-SIMPLE
* will provide logical explanations to all 8,000 Rashis on Chumash.
* the preferred vehicle of explanation is thru list of verses and exceptions
* These postings will be archived in Shamash in Quartuplet
-- By Volume and Number
-- 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 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*