Rashi-Is-Simple Mailing List VISIT the RASHI DATABASE archives AT http://www.RashiYomi.Com/ Surfing the Talmudic Seas (C) Dr Russell Jay Hendel, 2000 Volume 7 Number 16 Produced Sept 20, 2000 WARNING: USE FIX WIDTH FONTS (eg COURIER (NEW) 10) Verses/Topics Discussed in This Issue with quicky explanations WEB NEWS NEW NEW NEW NEW * The web site was redesigned again (based on your feedback) --We deleted the LOUD colors and --improved upload time --Placed many papers up front * Visit the website to read my paper GENESIS 1 SPEAKS ABOUT THE CREATION OF PROPHECY NOT THE CREATION OF THE WORLD * NEXT WEEK there will be a NEW PAPER on Rashis rules It will be written in WORD 2.0 & downloadable. * The entire SERIES on RABBI ISHMAEL was REWRITTEN and is now on the website v9-9-20a Gilbert Issard suggests that TODAY should mean PERMANANCE not FRESH v9-9-20b Complement from an anonymous person on the Genesis 1 paper WEEKLY PARSHAH SERIES We concentrate on Rashis that focus on PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE. (The more traditional Rashis focus on GRAMMAR and Meaning) In this Parshah there are several Rashis on STRUCTURE. Rashis covered in this issue ---------------------------- VERSE RULE BRIEF EXPLANATION ======== ============== ================= Dt30-15a OVERALL STRCTR KEYWORDS indicate Indentation & Bullets Dt30-16a OVERALL STRCTR KEYWORDS indicate Indentation & Bullets Dt30-16b OVERALL STRCTR KEYWORDS indicate Indentation & Bullets Dt30-17a OVERALL STRCTR KEYWORDS indicate Indentation & Bullets Dt30-18a OVERALL STRCTR KEYWORDS indicate Indentation & Bullets Dt31-14a OVERALL STRCTR KEYWORDS are used to indicate HYPERLINKS Dt31-23a OVERALL STRCTR KEYWORDS are used to indicate HYPERLINKS Dt31-19a OVERALL STRCTR KEYWORDS are used to indicate HYPERLINKS Dt29-10a OTHER VERSES Rashi derives meaning FromAn OTHER VERSE Dt29-14b NEW MEANINGS "Those who aren't here" = Future people ----------------------------------------------------------------- #*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2000 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#* RASHI IS SIMPLE GOALS: To grammatically defend all 8000 Rashis on Chumash. METHOD:Rashis are defended with LISTS of comparable cases INTENDED AUDIENCE: Laymen, Academicians, Yeshiva world COMMENTS,QUESTIONS: EMail to address below ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:If you want to ask anonymously please ask (UN)SUBSCRIBE: Email to addresses below with "(UN)subscribe" JOURNAL REFERECE: Pshat & Drash,TRADITION, Win 1980,R Hendel NOTATION: eg Gn01-02a refers to Rashi "a" on Genesis 1:2 SPECIALS:...on Parshah,Rambam,Ramban,Pedagogy,Symbolism RASHI-IS-SIMPLE RULES Complete set of rules on bottom EMAIL: RJHendel@Juno.Com, rashi-is-simple@shamash.org, WEB: http://www.RashiYomi.Com/ #*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2000 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#* VERSE: v9-9-20a From: =?iso-8859-1?q?Gilbert=20Issard?=To: rjhendel@juno.com Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2000 22:39:30 +0200 (CEST) Subject: Dt27-9 v7n13 BACKGROUND: Gilbert is commenting below on my assertion that TODAY can mean "FRESH" which we developed in a previous posting. Eg "Dt29-12 means "In order to make you a FRESH nation" Gilbert states Russell, This is clearer, I did not realize that your emphasis was on TRANSLATIONS of the word TODAY. Following your method, I would rather put the concept of PERMANENCE behind TODAY \ in this verse, but now I understand your explanation. Now I will come back to the proof. Thanks for your answer, Regards, shavua tov #*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2000 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#* VERSE: v9-9-20b ANONYMOUS I would like to subscribe to your Rashi is Simple. I was particularly impressed with the paper "Genesis 1 speaks about the creation of prophecy not the creation of the world" and I am anxious to see other such postings. #*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2000 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#* VERSE: Dt30-15a RASHIS COVERED: Dt30-15a Dt30-16a Dt30-17a Dt30-18a RULE: Modern style has the capacity for INDENTATION and BULLETS By contrast, the Bible uses skillfully placed KEYWORDS to indicate indentation and bullets. EXAMPLE: We present the Biblical paragraph Dt30-15:18 using modern style and show how the Bible used keywords to indicate this style. -------------------Dt30-15:18--------------------------- I present before you today (2 possibilities) -----1A) IF you chose GOOD -*1--1B) THEN you will LIVE *1 -----2A) IF you chose EVIL -----2B) THEN you will DIE -*2-------1A1) IF you LOVE God, WALK in His ways, OBSERVE Torah -*3-------1B1) THEN you will LIVE, MULTIPLY & BE BLESSED by God -*4-------2A1) If you GO ASTRAY, DONT LISTEN,..WORSHIP OTHER GODS -*5-------2B1) THEN I tell you: you'll be LOST & NOT LIVE LONG NOTES: ------ *1 The actual verse says "I give you LIFE *AND* GOOD" Rashi interprets this as "IF you do GOOD *THEN* you will LIVE" In other words Rashi interprets the word AND as IF-THEN. That is Rashi interprets "life AND good" as "IF good THEN life" The reason Rashi interprets this way has nothing to do with either the DICTIONARY MEANING or with GRAMMAR. Rather Rashi interprets this way because of OVERALL STRUCTURE: The rest of the paragraph uses an IF-THEN structure and hence Rashi re-interprets the opening sentence the same way *2 Rashi:"This sentence corresponds to (1A) "IF you chose GOOD" In other words Rashis comment is on OVERALL PARAGRAPH STRUCURE *3 Rashi:"This sentence corresponds to (1B) "THEN you'll LIVE" In other words Rashis comment is on OVERALL PARAGRAPH STRUCURE *4 Rashi:"This sentence corresponds to (2A) "IF you chose EVIL" In other words Rashis comment is on OVERALL PARAGRAPH STRUCURE *5 Rashi:"This sentence corresponds to (2B) "THEN you'll DIE" In other words Rashis comment is on OVERALL PARAGRAPH STRUCURE Note how (1B1) mentions the word LIVE occuring in (1B) By contrast (2B1) uses the word LOSS, and does not mention the word DIE in (1B).Thus Rashi has to "clarify" that "you'll be LOST" means "you'll DIE." However Rashi's primary function was not just commenting that LOSS=DIE. For we see on the other 3 Rashis that IN EACH ONE Rashi identifies the given sentence with a KEYWORD in the opening sentence. RULE USED: OVERALL STRUCTURE #*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2000 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#* VERSE: Dt31-14a RULE: Modern style allows CROSS-REFERENCING and HYPERLINKS. By contrast Biblical Hebrew skillfully uses KEYWORDS to indicate CROSS-REFERENCING and HYPERLINKS EXAMPLES -------- (1) Dt31-14a "Come to the Meeting Tent and I(God) will COMMAND Joshua" Dt31-23a "And He (God) COMMANDED Joshua and said Be strong... For you will bring the Jews to Israel And I(God) will be with you" RASHI: The word "COMMAND" in verse Dt31-14 HYPERLINKS to the actual COMMAND presented in Dt31-23. The content of this COMMAND is that Joshua should be emotionally strong and bring the Jews to Israel. NOTE: Rashis point is NOT about DICTIONARY meaning or GRAMMAR. Rashi is NOT saying that the word COMMAND can sometimes mean ENCOURAGEMENT. Rather Rashis point is about OVERALL STRUCTURE. Rashi point is that the COMMAND in Dt31-14 refers to the COMMAND in Dt31-23 whose content is one of encouragement. (2) Dt31-19a "(You Moses) Write for them THIS POEM" RASHI: The phrase THIS POEM in Dt31-19 HYPERLINKS to the phrase THIS POEM in Dt31-30 which introduces the whole chapter Dt32. Note how Dt32 is one of the two Biblical chapters that is WRITTEN in a poetic 2-column format. Also note how the CONTENT of Dt32 corresponds exactly to the content of Dt31-19:21 that "if the Jews listen to God it will be well with them but if they don't listen to God it will be bad with them." In summary Rashi knows that "this poem" in Dt31-19a refers to the chapter Dt32 because of 3 factors * Dt32 is written in the FORM of a 2-column poem * Dt32 has the same content of reward & punishment as Dt31-19 * Dt31-19 HYPERLINKS to Dt31-30 which introduces Dt32 RULE: OVERALL STRCTURE #*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2000 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#* VERSE: Dt29-10a Dt29-10a (You are all here..) From the WOOD CUTTERS to the WATER DRAWERS RASHI: Canaanites had come to the Jews and converted (Because they were afraid that God would destroy their country and they would die). After conversion Moses made these people WOOD CUTTERS and WATER DRAWERS RATIONALE: Rashi learns that people converted and were made in WOOD CUTTERS from the explicit verse Jos9-4 "And the Givonim ***ALSO*** behaved deceitfully (to Joshua--they tricked him into letting them convert) and Joshua made them into WOOD CUTTERS and WATER DRAWERS" NOTES ----- We call the above type of RATIONALE, the technique of OTHER VERSES. In other words Rashi learns what he does not from Dt29-10a but rather from the OTHER VERSE, Jos9-4. Rashi also focuses on the word ALSO which has 3 meanings. One of these meanings is that whatever is being spoken about happened to someone else. Please see a complete list of the 3 meanings of ALSO at http://www.RashiYomi.Com/gam-9.htm Here is a {LIST} of verses where Rashi explains that ALSO means some EXTRA person did something VERSE THEME TEXT ALSO ======== ============== ================ ================== Ex19-22a Extra Object PRIESTS separate FIRSTBORN separate Ex06-04a Extra Object Vision of SHTAI TREATY of Shatai Ex12-31b Extra Object YOU leave ELDERS leave Ex18-18b Extra Object YOU will wither ELDERS will wither Dt12-31 Extra Object Offer CHILDREN Offer PARENTS Dt26-13c Extra Object Give MAASER Give TERUMA Jos9-4 Extra Object GIVONIM deceitful CANAANIM deceitful RULE USED: OTHER VERSES #*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2000 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#* VERSE: Dt29-14b Dt29-14b "God is making this treaty BOTH with you who are here as well as with THOSE WHO ARE NOT HERE" RASHI: The phrase THOSE WHO ARE NOT HERE refers to the future unborn generations. RULE: Very often the Bible will create a phrase from known words Although the meaning of each word is known nevertheless the phrase itself has a new meaning. EXAMPLES: *1 -------- (1) Dt04-07a ON THE FACE means "During the lifetime" *2 (2) Ex21-21a DAY OR DAYS means a "24 hour period" (3) Gn50-21a SPEAK ON ONES HEART means "Speak Soothingly" (4) Gn47-29d TRUE FAVOR means "a favor without expected return*3" (5) Dt29-14b "Those who aren't here" means "future generations" NOTES: ----- *1 A more comprehensive set of examples may be found on the website. Goto RASHI-IS-SIMPLE SHOW ME MORE EXAMPLES BY VERSE pulldown Scroll down till you see NEW MEANINGS. You can then find many examples. *2 There are actually 4 Rashis on this phrase (all saying the same thing) *3 eg Burying somebody is a TRUE FAVOR(since nothing is expected) RULE USED: NEW MEANINGS #*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2000 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#* THE 2 DOZEN RASHI-IS-SIMPLE RASHI RULES http://www.RashiYomi.Com/rules.htm ======================================= I: RASHI gives MEANING ====================== A: NEW MEANINGS--(eg)"on the face of"=during the lifetime Volume 2 Number 9, http://www.rashiyomi.Com/Nu04-04a.htm B: SPECIAL WORDS--(eg)ACH=USUALLY;USUALLY observe shabbath! Rashi Yomi Summaries,http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Ach-6.htm C: SYNONYMS--(eg)AMR=to speak; DBR=to cite or to quote; Volume 2 Number 1, http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Lv20-02a.htm D: WORD MEANINGS-Thermos(TzNTzNTh)=doubly(TZN TZN) Cold(TZN) Volume 1 Number 9,23,http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Ex31-15a.htm E: UNIFIED MEANINGS-PAAM=Repeated action:To Ring,Hammer,Step Volume 1 Number 3,http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Gn41-08a.htm II: RASHI teaches GRAMMAR/STYLE =============================== F: CLASSICAL GRAMMAR--(eg)QUESTION = HEY+CHATAF PATACH Volume 3 Number 22,http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Gn04-09z.htm G: USAGE(NEW GRAMMAR)--(eg)INFINITIVE="be involved in"; Volume 5 Number 24,http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Ex13-03a.htm H: ROOT+PREPOSITION--(eg)ChZK B="to hold";ChZK M="overpower" Volume 1 Number 7,http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Ex04-04a.htm I: THE SENTENCE--2 verses can make 1 sentence-eg Dt02-16:17 Volume 3 Number 7,http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Dt19-06a.htm J: STYLE--REPETITION denotes Endearment;eg 'Jacob Jacob' Volume 1 Number 12,http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Gn46-02a.htm K: DOUBLE NOUNS--(eg)"GIVE GIVE";if not CHARITY then LOAN Double Noun page, http://www.RashiYomi.Com/DN.htm L: PRONOUNS-(eg)IMCHAH=with you; ITCHAH=Accompanying you; Volume 3 Number 13,http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Ex22-24c.htm III: OVERALL TEXTUAL STRUCTURE ============================== M: OTHER VERSES--Aaron SAW(Ex32-05)...the brawl(Ex32-18) OTHER VERSE page, http://www.RashiYomi.Com/ov.htm N: EXTRA SENTENCES-eg[GIVE HIM][WHAT HE NEEDS](Not if rich) Volume 2 Number 20,http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Dt15-08c.htm O: DOUBLE PARSHAS-'he WILL pray'-'he WON'T pray';So Optional Volume 3 Number 12,http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Dt24-14a.htm P: CLIMAX-(eg Dt19-11)(a)Hate, (b)spy, (c)confront,(d)Murder Climax Page, http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Climax.htm Q: OVERALL STRUCTURE-growing nails=despisement(from context) Volume 3 Number 8,http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Dt21-11a.htm R: SPREADSHEETS-What is the marriage loophole in inheritance Volume 2 Number 23,http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Nu36-03a.htm IV: BEYOND THE TEXT =================== S: MORAL LESSONS/REASONS-God explains BEFORE punishing; Volume 2 Number 12,http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Nu12-09a.htm T: RabbiIshmael-(eg)"When an OX gores";(Or ANY animal gores) Volume 4 Number 21,http://www.RashiYomi.Com/Dt25-04a.htm End of Rashi-Is-Simple Digest #*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2000 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*