13 Methods for inferring meaning:#4 of 32 ########################################################### # 10 YEAR Ayelet DAILY-RASHI-YOMI CYCLE # # May 25, 2001 # # Rashis 760-761 Of 7800 (9.8%) # # # # VISIT THE RASHI YOMI ARCHIVES # # ----------------------------- # # http://www.RashiYomi.Com/calendar.htm # # # # Reprinted with permission from Rashi-is-Simple, # # (c) 1999-Present, RashiYomi Inc., Dr Hendel President # #Permission to reprint with this header but not for profit# # # # WARNING: READ with COURIER 10 (Fixed width) FONTS # # # ########################################################### GOALS: ------ I decided its time for a longer unit. This unit will focus on a major Rashi task--explaining the MEANINGS OF WORDS. Explaining the MEANINGS of WORDS is more than looking something up in a dictionary. There are METHODS to explaining WORDS. Thus in this module we will explore HOW Rashi determines the meanings of words. TODAYS UNIT ----------- Today we revisit the meaning of NUN in a word. When it occurs at the end of a word it denotes INTENSITY, MUCHNESS or ALOT. When it occurs in the middle of a root it means similarity. REFERENCE: ---------- This module comes from the following references in the Rashi-is-Simple series. http://www.RashiYomi.Com/h10n1.htm http://www.RashiYomi.Com/dt32-10f.htm #*#*#*# (C) RashiYomi Inc., 2001, Dr. Hendel, President #*#*#*#*# EXAMPLE 9: Dt32-10f ==================== BACKGROUND ---------- Recall that a terminal NUN denotes ALOT, MUCHNESS and intensity. Some examples were presented two days ago which we now repeat =========== EXAMPLES OF WORDS WHERE NUN MEANS ALOT ============ =============================================================== # WORD ENG MEANING = ALOT (NUN) MEANING ROOT === ======= ============ = ====== ===== ================ ====== (4) PaaMN (Bell Claver)= Alot of(Nun) Hammering (PAAM) (5) KoRBN (Sacrifice) = Intense(Nun) Closeness to God (KRV) (6) ShlChaN (Table) = Alot (Nun) left out (on it) (SLCH) (7) ZiChRN (Memorial) = Intense(Nun) Memory (ZCR) (8) YERIVUN (Fist Fight) = Intense(Nun) Dispute (RV) ================================================================ THE VERSE & RASHI: ------------------ (9) EYSHUN (eye pupil) = Intense(Nun) Fire (Aysh) COMMENTS -------- Several opthamalogists in my Shomrey Emunah congregation mentioned the RED EFFECT: If you shine a light into an eye pupil (as happens when you take a picture) the eye turns red (and hence the so called red effect in photographs). And of course it immediately clicked that RED is an attribute of an intense fire.This RED EFFECT explanation (which is observable to a trained person) seems the most reasonable explanation and is consistent with the meaning of NUN, INTENSITY. Further details (such as other etymologies) are discussed in the URL listed above EXAMPLE 10: Lv16-04c ==================== BACKGROUND ---------- We have previously seen that when the letter NUN terminates a root it means intensity. However when NUN is the 2nd letter it denotes SIMILARITY. Here is a LIST ==========RASHIS USE OF SEMANTIC & GRAMMATIC ROOTS============== Most people are aware that both Biblical and Modern Hebrew is built on 3 letter roots. The rules governing the conjugation of 3 letter roots are known as grammatical rules. Rashi fully believed in the 3 letter root theory. Rashi also believed that the MEANING of 3 letter roots can be derived by using SEMANTIC CONJUGATION RULES which break the 3 letter root into a 2 letter root and a single letter with meaning. The LIST below shows how the 2nd root letter of NUN means LIKE, in the semantic conjugation rules For example * the Hebrew root Chet-Nun-Pay means to FLATTER. The 1st and 3rd letter of this root spells Chet-Pay * The Hebrew root Chet-Pay means to COVER * And we just said that the letter NUN means LIKE Putting this all together we obtain that FLATTERY = LIKE COVERING (in other words a COVER UP) Similar examples are presented in the LIST below ================================================================ ROOT MEANS = NUN NUN= REST OF ROOT WHICH MEANS ====== ================ = === ======== ============ =========== AaNaPh (anger) = Nun (like) APh (anger)*2 AaNaSh (Person) = Nun (like) ISh (Person)*2 ChaNaF (Flatter) = Nun (like a) ChF (Cover up) AaNaCh (we) = Nun (like) ACh (Brothers) ZaNaK (Leap) = Nun (like a) ZeeK (Spark) KaNaF (Wing) = Nun (Like a) CaF (hand) TzANaF (Put on clothes) = Nun (like an) TzuF (Overlay)*3 GaNaV (Thief) = Nun (like) GaV (Clefts)*4 GaNaZ (Hide) = Nun (like) GayZ (Shearings*4 NOTES ===== *2 In these examples the root with and without the NUN has the same meaning *3 Rashi simply says that TzaNaF means to PUT TO REST. But our point is that the Hebrew Tzanaf doesnt just mean to PUT TO REST but more specifically it means to OVERLAY as in putting on a turban or putting on clothes. Thus by using the two letter roots we gain more insight into both the meaning and believability of Rashi(Lv16-04c) *4 A thief (vs a robber) enters steathily sort of like thru clefts and holes. I should mention that the other meanings of the Hebrew GaV also have a connotation of pits/clefts/bumpy surface: e.g. Cheese, mountains, human back (which looks cleft like because of the vertebrae) *5 This root is usually used to denote hiding treasures which the Hebrew equates with a procedure that is sort of like covering with shearings ================================================================ #*#*#*#*# (C) RashiYomi, 2001 Inc. Dr. Hendel President #*#*#*#*#