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(C) RashiYomi Incorporated, 2001
Written by Dr Russell Jay Hendel
Volume 8 Number 24
Produced Jan 16, 2001
WARNING: USE FIX WIDTH FONTS (eg COURIER (NEW) 10)
Verses/Topics Discussed in This Issue with quicky explanations
NEW NEW NEW NEW
NEW WEB DESIGN
==============
* REVIEW the NEW WEB DESIGN--- http://www.RashiYomi.Com/
* The BASIC JEWISH PHILOSOPHY page Link has been fixed
http://www.RashiYomi.Com/tf.htm now works
* Thanks to all reader comments. Keep them coming.
* We are running low on questions---NOW IS YOUR BIG CHANCE
TO ASK SOME RASHI QUESTIONS. Email your questions.
NEW NEW NEW NEW
READER QUESTIONS
================
YOSSI ZOIMAN asks about the 2 pronounciations
of RAAMSAYTH. Read an insightful answer based
on a controversy between Rashi and the Masoretic
commentator the Minchat Shai.
PARSHAH SERIES
==============
Gn50-13a
Another Rashi-The-Magician posting. See a simple
defense of the exotic Midrash that Jacob ordered
his children to bear his coffin in the same
configuration that they camped in the wilderness!
Ex02-11a
Two new additions to our White Paper series on the
difference between Rabbi Ishmael & Dr Leibowitz
We review our thesis that the methods of Rabbi
Ishmael also govern style rules.
Rashis covered in this issue
----------------------------
VERSE RULE BRIEF DESCRIPTION
======== =============== ================================
Gn50-13a DOUBLE PARSHAS The coffin-flag-midrash explained
Nu02-02a DOUBLE PARSHAS The coffin-flag-midrash explained
Ex01-11e DOUBLE PARSHAS Rashi-Minchat-Shai dispute on RAMSAYTH
Ex02-11a EXAMPLE7 The >THEME-DETAIL-THEME< paragraph style
Gn50-12a EXAMPLE4 The >DETAIL-THEME< paragraph style
Gn48-20b EXAMPLE7 The >THEME-DETAIL-THEME< paragraph style
-----------------------------------------------------------------
#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2001 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#
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 REFERENCE: 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, 2001 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*
VERSE: Gn50-13a
RASHIS COVERED: Gn50-13a Nu02-02a
VERSES
----------------------------------------------------------
Gn50-13a the children of Jacob did to him AS HE COMMANDED
Nu02-02a the tribes encamped by their flags and symbols
----------------------------------------------------------
RASHI:
=====
Jacob commanded his sons on the death bed that they should
bear his coffin in a prescribed fashion. Thus certain children
were on the north side of the coffin, certain children were on
the east side etc. This arrangement of children is IDENTICAL
with the arrangement by which the tribes camped. In other words
the same children who camped eg on the east side also bore
Jacobs coffin on the east side.(And therefore it says that
the children of Israel camped >by the signs< (ie the signs
which their father had given them at his death)).
COMMENT
=======
Rashis comment looks incredible. There doesnt seem to be any
connection between the verses cited above and what Rashi says.
No wonder some people believe that some Rashis are midrashic
The idea of deriving Rashi from the nuances of the word >SIGN<
seems far fetched.
PROPOSED EXPLANATION
====================
We now perform some midrashic magic and make the above Rashi
simple. The idea is simple: Jacob saw divisions and factions
among his children...he therefore blessed them in a SPECIFIC
order. His hope was that this order of children should prevent
further problems. He also hoped that this order should
ALWAYS be used.
For example the 3 tribes that excelled in Torah
scholarship were blessed one after another in Gn49 and all
of them encamped on the east side (in Nu02). Thus the order
in both Gn49 and Nu02 was focused on similarity of interest.
Jacob hoped to preserve peace among his children by putting
similar tribes together.
Reviewing all 12 tribes we see that the ORDER in which
Jacob blessed his children (Gn49) is >ALMOST IDENTICAL< with
the order of the tribes in their encampments Nu02). This
>IDENTICALITY OF ORDER< is the driving force behind the
Rashi.
In other words, Rashi is derived from a COMPARISON of
tribal order in the two parshas (the blessings vs the
encampments). SINCE THESE TWO ORDERS--(a)THE ORDER OF TRIBES
IN THE BLESSINGS and the (b)ORDER OF TRIBES BY THE
ENCAMPMENTS ARE THE SAME, RASHI THEREFORE ASSUMES THAT THE
SAME ORDER WAS USED IN BEARING THE COFFIN. Hence Rashi
is Simple! Here is the LIST.
{LIST}
Comparison of order of tribes in (1) Jacobs blessings in
Gn49 vs (2) the camping arrangement described in Nu02.
The footnotes explain discrepancies.
=======================================================
TRIBE
ORDER THE TRIBES ENCAMPED IN A RECTANGLE
BY THE FOLLOWING TRIBES WERE ON THE FOLLOWING
BLESSINGS SIDES
Gn49 Nu02
======= ===========================================
Reuben SOUTH
Shimon SOUTH
-----------------
Levi MIDDLE Levi fought for God by Golden Calf*1
-----------------
Yehuda*2 EAST Eastern tribes were known for scholarship
Zevulun EAST
Yissachar EAST
-----------------
Dan*3 NORTH Northern tribes were known for Judges
Gad*4 SOUTH
Asher NORTH
Naftali NORTH
-----------------
Joseph*5 WEST Western tribes had Temples on their land
Binyamin WEST
NOTES
=====
*1 Levi should have encamped in the south with Reuben &
Shimon. However in Ex32-26 the tribe of Levi volunteered
to fight for God. They therefore became substitutes for
the firstborn and achieved a separate place in the camp
*2 This is a famous Rashi on Nu03-38a.
--YISSACHAR was known for its TEACHERS (1Ch12-33),
--ZEVULUN was known for its SCRIBES(Jud5-14),
--JUDAH was known for its LAWMAKERS (Gn49-10)
We see here the LOGIC of Jacob assigning an ORDER to
the tribes. He wanted to encourage similar tribes to live
with one another.
*3*4 As indicated in Footnote 1, Levi left the southern
camp and camped in the middle. Therefore Reuven & Shimon
needed a replacement on the SOUTH side. This replacement
came from the remaining 4 tribes--Dan, Gad
Ahser Naftali.
My opinion is that Jacob grouped those tribes that
were known for their Leadership during the days
of the Judges.. For example Asher gave birth to SERACH
who lived forever and helped prevent a civil war during
the Sheva rebellion (2Sam20-19). Dan gave birth
to the most famous of all the Judges, the legendary
Samson, who saved the Jews from the Philistines(Ju13..)
Finally Naftali gave rise to Barak who with Devorah
the prophetess conquered enemies (Ju4-5).
Gad however was not noted for Judges. Therefore he
was moved to the SOUTH side in the encampments
I would seem from the above analysis that Jacob only
gave >GUIDELINES< of ORDER on his deathbed. These
guidelines however could be >CHANGED< by behavior as
happened with Levi.
*5 eg Compare the Rashi on Gn45-14. Both Joseph and
Binyamin had temples in their land. They were both known
for their holiness (Joseph resisted temptation while
Binyamin is one of the 4 people who never sinned)
{END OF LIST}
SUMMARY:
=======
Rashi noted an almost identical order of tribes in the
blessings of Jacob (Gn49) and the configuration of the
Jewish Camp(Nu02). Hence Rashi assumes that all orderings
of the tribes were similar.
It also seems reasonable that this ordering was
recommended by Jacob in order to facilitate peace
and harmony among the Jews.
RASHI RULE USED: DOUBLE PARSHAS
#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2001 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*
VERSE: Ex01-11e
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
===============
To Baal Koray Yossi Zoiman who raised the issue of whether
>Ra-Me-Sayth< and >Ra-aM-Sayth< are 2 or 1 cities. The
answer turns out to be a controversy between a definite
Rashi vs a possible suggestion of the Masoretic Commentary the
Minchat Shai. We show below that Rashi answered and
refuted this suggestion of the Minchat Shai.
RULE
====
The Bible frequently refers to the same person with 2 or
more names. The extra names frequently signify important
events or changes in the persons life.
REFERENCE: http://www.RashiYomi.Com/ex18-01b.htm
=========
EXAMPLES:
--------
{LIST}
Biblical Figures who had 2 different names: As the footnotes
show the new names can correspond to important events and
changes in the persons life
============================================================
(#) 1st-NAME VERSE WAS RENAMED 2nd-NAME
=== ======== ============== =========== ========
(1) AVRAM Gn17-5 was renamed AVRAHAM*1
(2) SARAY Gn17-15 was renamed SARA(H)*1
(3) HShYaH Nu03-16 was renamed YeHoShuAh*2
(4) YTR Ex04-18;Ex18-1 was renamed YTHRO
(5) Jacob Gn32-28 was renamed Yisroel*3
(6) DeUel Nu01-13,Nu02-14 was renamed ReUel
NOTES
=====
*1 Renamed because of the circumcision and the convenant
*2 Renamed on the occasion of Joshua joining the spies
*3 Renamed because Jacob fought with an angel(and won)
{END OF LIST}
RASHI ON Ex01-11e
=================
The land of >RAAMSAYTH< is mentioned 5 times in the Bible.
As the list below shows there are two pronounciations.
The list also shows the plausibility that these two
pronounciatins refer to one and the same place.
{LIST}
The 5 Biblical verses that mention the Egyptian city of
>RaamSayth<. As the footnotes show(*1) these verses in
and of themselves suggest that only one city is referred to
=================================================================
VERSE PRONOUNCED TEXT OF VERSE
======= =========== ===========================================
Gn47-11 RA-Me-SayTh Pharoh gave Jews good Land, RamSayTh
Ex12-37 RA-Me-SayTh Jews left (Egypt) from RamSayTh
Nu33-03 Ra-Me-SayTh Jews left (Egypt) from RamSayth
Nu33-05 Ra-Me-SayTh Jews left (Egypt) from RamSayth
Ex01-11*1RA-AM-SayTh Pharoh taxed Jews--made Jews build RamSayth
NOTES
=====
*1 The Torah is very clear that
--The Jews >ENTERED< Egypt at RamSayTh
--The Jews >LEFT< Egypt at RamSayth
--The Jews >DURING< their Egyptian stay Built RamSayth
This suggests that there is only one RamSayth
As can be seen, however, from the above list, there are
two pronounciations: RA-AM-Sayth vs RA-Me-Sayth
{END OF LIST}
SUMMARY:
=======
The Minchat Shai, a masoretic commentary states on Gn47-11:
>Since there are two pronounciations perhaps there are 2 places<
Rashi answers the Minchat Shai as follows:
--It is normal to rename something when an important event
or change happens
--Originally, RAAMSAYTH was simply Pasture land for the Jews
--However Pharoh >REMADE< the cities from Shepard cities into
FORTIFIED CITIES(Ex01-11). On this occasion the cities were
renamed: They were no longer called >Ra-Me-Sayth< but instead
were called >Ra-Am-Sayth<.
--This renaming is consistent with the general Biblical pattern
of renaming
--The idea that these two pronounciations refer to the same
place is consistent with the fact that >RAAMSAYTH< is
identified with the ENTRY POINT, DURATION, and DEPARTURE
POINT of the Jews in Egypt.
Since the Minchat Shai only SUGGESTED that there were 2
distinct cities, and since Rashi EXPLICITLY states there
was 1, and since this is consistent with Biblical style
it would seem reasonable to say that Rashi refuted the
suggestion of the Minchat Shai.
COMMENT
=======
Note that Rashi learns the fact that they rededicated the
cities as FORTIFIED cities, from the multiple verses and
multiple names of the city--in fact the changed pronounciation
is explicitly linked (Ex01-11) to the important event that
the cities were now to be fortified cities (Rashi does not
derive this from eg some hidden subtle nuance in the root BNH).
RASHI RULE USED: DOUBLE PARSHAS
#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2001 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*
VERSE: Ex02-11a
RULE:
====
The Torah frequently uses a >THEME-DETAIL-THEME< method. That
is it will first state a >THEME SENTENCE<, then state some
>DETAILS< and then restate a >THEME SENTENCE<. The Torah uses
this >THEME-DETAIL-THEME< style to indicate a >PARAGRAPH<
unit. This >PARAGRAPH UNIT< then justifies reinterpretation
of all >DETAILS< as >FITTING INTO THE THEME<.
This rule of style was known to Rabbi Ishmael and is called
the >GENERAL-DETAIL-GENERAL< style.It justifies reinterpretation
of the >DETAILS< as paradigmatic and more general.
A good comprehensive set of examples may be found at the
following reference.
REFERENCE: http://www.RashiYomi.Com/example7.htm
FURTHER EXAMPLE
===============
Ex02-10:11
BACKGROUND
----------
The Bible is describing how Moses was raised by Pharohs daughter
THE VERSES
----------
----------------------------------------------------------------
Ex02-10----GENERAL---And the child GREW
-----------DETAIL----------and he was brought to her
-----------DETAIL----------and he became like >HER SON<
-----------DETAIL----------and she called him MOSES
-----------DETAIL----------because he was drawn from the water
Ex02-11----DETAIL----------and during the many days
-----------DETAIL----Moses GREW
-----------------------------------------------------------------
THE RASHI
---------
The above unit is treated as a whole paragraph:
In other words, the GROWING UP that happened to
Moses reflected the fact that he was like the son of Pharohs
daughter--a member of the Royal household. Hence he GREW
physically and socially--he became a regal figure.
Rashis point that Moses >GREW UP< both physically (child to
adult) and socially (leadership) is derived from the paragraph
statement that he became >Pharoh's daughter's son<---in other
words, >GROWING UP AS THE GRANDSON OF A KING< indicates
leadership qualities. Hence Rashi is Simple
COMMENT
=======
The above analysis makes Rashi Simple and straightforward.
It is not necessary to eg state that Something was BOTHERING
RASHI (a la Dr Boncheck) or that Rashi had a A PROBLEM (a la
Dr Leibowitz). In other words Rashi is NOT derived from the
repeated phrase >HE GREW UP<.
Rather Rashi is derived from the BIBLICAL STYLE which creates
a paragraph unit with the general idea of GROWING UP. Hence
when the verse says >And Moses became Pharoh's daughter's son,
we infer that he was >TREATED< like a son of a royal household
and given leadership positions.
RASHI RULE USED: EXAMPLE7
#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2001 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*
VERSE: Gn48-20b
RULE:
====
The Torah frequently uses a >DETAIL-THEME< style. That
is, it will first state some >DETAILS< and then state a
GENERAL >THEME SENTENCE<. The Torah uses this
>DETAIL-THEME< method to indicate a >PARAGRAPH<
unit. This >PARAGRAPH UNIT< then justifies reinterpretation
of all >DETAILS< as >FITTING INTO THE THEME<.
This rule of style was known to Rabbi Ishmael and is called
the >DETAIL-GENERAL< style.It justifies reinterpretation
of the >DETAILS< as paradigmatic and more general.
A good comprehensive set of examples may be found at the
following reference.
REFERENCE: http://www.RashiYomi.Com/example7.htm
FURTHER EXAMPLE
===============
Gn48-14:20
BACKGROUND
----------
The Bible is describing how the Patriarch Jacob blessed
his grandchildren. In a series of verses Jacob repeatedly
gives more importance to EPHRAIM even though MENASHEH was
the first born while EPHRAIM was the 2nd born.
THE VERSES
----------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Gn48-14---DETAIL------Jacob places RIGHT hand on 2nd born son
Gn48-19---DETAIL------Jacob says 2nd born son will be greatest
Gn48-20---DETAIL------GENERIC BLESSING:God make you like Eprhaim.
Gn48-20---GENERAL--JACOB PLACED EPHRAIM(2nd BORN) BEFORE MENASHEH
-----------------------------------------------------------------
THE RASHI
---------
The above unit is treated as a whole paragraph:
In other words the various details---the placing of hands,
the social greatness, and the order in the blessing indicate
the more >GENERAL< Theme that EPHRAIM was greater than
Menasheh.
So Rashi-is-Simple---he simply gives other good examples of
this general theme that Ephraim, the 2nd born, takes
precedence over Menasheh, the 1st born. Here are two other
examples where this precedence occurs
*Ephraim precedes Menasheh in the Tribal Flag order(Nu02-18:20)
*Ephraim precedes Menasheh in the gifts of the princes(Nu07-48:54)
COMMENT
=======
The above analysis makes Rashi Simple and straightforward.
It is not necessary to eg state that Something was BOTHERING
RASHI (a la Dr Boncheck) or that Rashi had a A PROBLEM (a la
Dr Leibowitz). In other words Rashi is not deriving anything
because the Bible >unnecessarily repeated something a certain
number of times<.
Indeed, Biblical interpretation is not
a >counting game<. Rather Rashi derives
what he does from rules of >style<---the
style requires generalization and hence Rashi
generalizes.
RASHI RULE USED: EXAMPLE7
#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2001 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*
VERSE: Gn50-12a
RULE
====
The Bible will sometimes use a >HEADLINE-STORY< or
>HEADLINE-DETAIL< form. In other words, the Bible will
first state a GENERAL theme and then develop it with
DETAILS.
This method of style was known to Rabbi Ishmael. It is called
the GENERAL-DETAIL style.
REFERENCE: http://www.RashiYomi.Com/example4.htm
APPLICATION
===========
Gn49-12
-------------------------------------------------------
HEADLINE And his Children did to Jacob as he commanded:
That is
DETAILS They took him to Israel to be buried there
-------------------------------------------------------
COMMENT
=======
Without the Rashi I might get confused into thinking that
there are 2 statements: (1) The children did what they
were told and furthermore (2) they also buried him in
Canaan. Rashi simply points out that the statement that
>The children did what they were told< is an introduction,
a sort of header, to the specific details that >the
children buried Jacob in Canaan<. In English style we
could indicate this by using the colon
-------------------------------------------------
And his children did as Jacob commanded: They took
him to Israel to be buried there
-------------------------------------------------
HERE ARE SOME OTHER EXAMPLES
EACH OF THEM IS GIVEN BY RASHI
IN EACH CASE THE VERSE has a HEADER-DETAIL FORM as shown
========================================================
(10) Gn09-11a I will fulfill my CONVENANT with Noach
(BY)
placing the rainbow in the clouds as a symbol
(11) Nu03-06a & The Levites will SERVE Aaron:
(BY)
WATCHING the Temple
(12) Nu05-12d & She DESECRATES her marriage:
(BY)
Sleeping with another man
(13) Dt02-04a ..Jews Watch yourself when you come to Esauv:
(BY)
Not starting up with them
(14) Dt06-06a You should love your Lord God
(BY)
placing the Torah on your heart and making
sharp summaries
RASHI RULE USED: Example4
#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2001 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*
THE 2 DOZEN RASHI-IS-SIMPLE RASHI RULES
=======================================
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, 2001 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*