#*#*#*#*# (C) 2001, RashiYomi Inc. Dr Hendel President #*#*#*#*#
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| Rashi is Simple Version 2.0 |
| (C) RashiYomi Inc., Dr Hendel President |
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VERSE: Nu31-26a
RASHIS COVERED: Nu31-26a Nu31-27a Nu31-42a Nu31-43a
======== 3 PRINCIPLES FOR DIVISION OF WAR BOOTY ==============
The attached LIST is really a spreadsheet depicting the
rules governing division of War booty.
The Bible enunciates 3 principles of war booty division
-The Bible allows two types of Taxes to the temple
from War booty:
--Optional taxes (Because you feel a spiritual need)
--Obligatory taxes (on live booty like animals)
-The Bible also lays down a principle that the army
and nation split the booty
-Finally the Bible lays down a principle that division
of booty is based on actual present value not future
yield.
In the list following this one we see numerical details
===============================================================
VERSE PRINCIPLE TEXT OF VERSE OR COMMENT
======== =================== ==================================
Nu31-50 Optional Taxes We feel like donating to temple
Nu31-32 Obligatory*1 The remaining booty(that was taxed)
Nu31-26a Divide principle*2 Division based on value not yield
Nu31-27a Nation:People 1:1*3 Nations gets 50%;Army gets 50%
NOTES
=====
*1 Rashi contrasts Nu31-50 (Optional) with Nu31-32(Obligatory)
He therefore translates the verse as follows
-------------------------------------------------------------
The booty, THE EXCESS FROM THE PERSONAL BOOTY, was as follows
-------------------------------------------------------------
*2 The word ROSH literally means FIRST. However it also means
PRINCIPLE (As the PRINCIPLE vs the INTEREST). This is
because the PRINCIPLE is the 1st part of the investment from
which SECONDARY yield is DERIVED.
Thus Moses lays down the principle that division is
based on actual VALUE not on the POTENTIAL YIELD.
For an other example where the word HEAD can mean
principle see Lv05-24a. Rashi uses the principle that
words/items can be named by any of 8 methods.
For example the PENTAGON names an object by its FORM
while the UNITED NATIONS names an object by its GOAL.
Rashi here identifies the naming convention by its
FUNCTION,GOAL,and PURPOSE. The PURPOSE of the PRINCIPLE
is to be FIRST and to YIELD secondary income. For other
examples of words named by FUNCTION (whether in Rashi
or otherwise) visit http://www.RashiYomi.Com/naming-8.htm
(Some simple examples of objects named by FUNCTION are
LAWNMOWER, HANGER, HEARING AID, CAN OPENER,a STAND..)
*3 The actual verse states
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And you will divide the booty between the Nation
and the Army
-----------------------------------------------------
Rashis states that the Nation received 50% while the Army
received 50%.
But how did Rashi learn that? After all the verse says
DIVIDE which might mean an EQUAL division or it might
mean a PROPORTIONAL division based on say number of
people.
Quite simply Rashi learned the percentages of the
division from OTHER VERSES.. The Bible explicitly gives the
-------------------------------------------------------
--Total number of e.g. donkeys as 61,000 (Nu31-34)
--30,500 of this went to the army (Nu31-39)
--30,500 went to the Nation (Nu31-45)
--We easily check that 50% x 61,000 = 30,500.
-------------------------------------------------------
Thus Rashi interpreted the word DIVIDE RESTRICTIVELY
(DIVIDE IN HALF) rather than BROADLY (make some division)
because of the explicit statement in an OTHER VERSE.
This is the Rashi technique of other verses. For more
examples visit http://www.RashiYomi.Com/other-20.htm
=================================================================
============= SPREADSHEET FOR DIVISION OF WAR BOOTY =============
The following spreadsheet cites verses and Rashis compactly
presenting the numerical details of the division of war booty.
The interpretation of the table should be clear: Consider
by way of example the first row:
------------------------------------------------------------
--TOTAL sheep is 375,000
--50% of this went to the army(Nu31-27): 50%x375,000=337,500
--.2% of the armys share went to temple:.2%x337,500=675
------------------------------------------------------------
The footnotes show the sequence of verses which are
consecutive except for Nu31-42 which is explained in
footnote *11
Note the oddity that the computations for the .2% tax are
explicitly given while the computations for the 2% tax
(of the nation) are not given.(Perhaps because taking
1% is an obvious calculation--you simply drop two zeroes)
When I taught at Morris College, a Black Baptist college
in Sumter North Carolina, I created an essay project
--------------------------------------------------------
If the Bible is a book of Morality why are there so many
percentage equations in Nu31? Does knowing percents make you
a more moral person? Could Moses have been a prophet
without knowing the theory of percents?
--------------------------------------------------------
I hope you have as much fun writing essays on this as
did my Baptist math students.
Here is the LIST
=================================================================
BOOTY TOTAL 50% ARMY .2%Tx Tax To.. 50% NATION 2%Tax To*16
====== ========= ========= ===== ========= ========== ===== =====
SHEEP 675,000*1 337,500*5 675*6 Elazar*10 337,500*12 6,750 Levy
CATTLE 72,000*2 36,000*7 72*7 Elazar*10 36,000*13 720 Levy
DONKEY 61,000*3 30,500*8 61*8 Elazar*10 30,500*14 610 Levy
SLAVES 32,000*4 16,000*9 230*9 Elazar*10 16,000*15 2,300 Levy
NOTES:
======
*1 Nu31-32
*2 Nu31-33
*3 Nu31-34
*4 Nu31-35
*5 Nu31-36
*6 Nu31-37
*7 Nu31-38
*8 Nu31-39
*9 Nu31-40
*10 Nu31-41
*11 I believe Rashis approach to Nu31-42:47 is that of
identifying the Paragraph structure as GENERAL-PARTICULAR
-GENERAL. Here is the paragraph
---------------------------------------------------------
Nu31-42 GENERAL: And from the 50% belonging to the nation
Nu31-43 ---------PARTICULAR: 50% of sheep were so much
Nu31-44 ---------PARTICULAR: 50% of cattle were so much
Nu31-45 ---------PARTICULAR: 50% of donkeys were so much
Nu31-46 ---------PARTICULAR: 50% of slaves were so much
Nu31-47 GENERAL: (From this)50% tax was given to Levites
----------------------------------------------------------
In other words, Nu31-42 and Nu31-47, the two outer verses
form one sentence while the inner verses Nu31-43:46
form a parenthetical phrase giving numerical details of
the 50% rule.
Thus alltogether Nu31-42:47 states that from the 50%
given to the nation there were taxes(This is a
general principle) of which 2% of the 50% was given to
the Levites etc (This is a particular principle). The Bible
then concludes that these taxes were given to the Levites
(this is a general principle).
If one looks in Rashi, one sees that Rashi is hinting
at the structure of the verses.
The question remaining is WHY? Why is the GENERAL-
PARTICULAR-GENERAL structure used here. As is well
known this is one of Rabbi Ishmael's rules of style.
In fact one can visit http://www.RashiYomi.Com/example7.htm
and see many other examples.
The style rule governing GENERAL-PARTICULAR-GENERAL is
that we interpret the verses BROADLY and apply it to
similar situations. Hence the idea is suggested that if
we give to God: then a REQUIRED measure might be
1% (the percent used in Terumah); but an OPTIMAL
measure might be 2% (The amount used here).
Rabbi Ishmael requires us to generalize this.
So any time we have an obligation, then an optimal
amount would be double. If Terumah is required at
1% then 2% would be optimal. Applying this to tithe
we can see that the average tithe which is 10%
can be optimized by giving 20%. Since I dont have
either sources or further examples to back this up
I must leave this idea as speculative
but I believe it has merit.
*12 Nu31-43
*13 Nu31-44
*14 Nu31-45
*15 Nu31-46
*16 Nu31-47
================================================================
RASHI RULE USED: SPREADSHEETS
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WARNING: The following additional references may be too wordy
However they frequently contain additional information & lists
The hyperlinks only work on the main website
Volume 10 Number 23
#*#*#*#*# (C) 2001, RashiYomi Inc. Dr Hendel President #*#*#*#*#
Volume 10 Number 23