Guidelines for Poetic Verses:#1 of 10
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# 10 YEAR Ayelet DAILY-RASHI-YOMI CYCLE #
# Oct 3, 2000 #
# Rashis 341-342 Of 7800 (4.4%) #
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OVERVIEW:
--------
RULE: We have frequently indicated that POETIC verses are
governed by the Rabbi Ishmael rule of CONTEXT. Very often poetic
verses REPEAT the same theme several times. In interpeting these
verses the following guiding principles are helpful:
GUIDELINES FOR INTERPRETING POETIC VERSES
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* First, find the overall UNIFYING principle
* Next, try and recognize the WORDS that YOU do KNOW
* Further try and find the SPECIAL NUANCES in the words you know
* Then infer the meanings of other words using PARALLEL STRUCTURE
* Try and find all SUBCATEGORIES of the UNIFYING theme
* Make a ONE TO ONE CORRESPONDENCE between the subcategories of
The unifying theme and repeated stanzas of the verse based on
the nuances you recognize in the repeated words.
In a nutshell whereas legal language is analytic, poetic language
is evocative The phrases don't define properties by themselves but
rather evoke an image.
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EXAMPLES:
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(Comment: This 1 example covers the 4 Rashis on Dt32-04a)
1) Dt32-04a
God the Rock is PERFECT in his deeds
for all his ways our ways of JUSTICE
A God of FAITH
WITHOUT INJUSTICE
He is RIGHTEOUS and UPRIGHT
We now review the 5 repeated stanzas of this verse using the 6
suggested guidelines in the RULE above
UNIFYING PRINCIPLE:
-------------------
Clearly all 5 repeated stanzas state that "God is Just"
WORDS YOU KNOW:
---------------
All words in the verse are common Hebrew words.
(So the problem is not WHAT they mean but how to CONNECT them.
For example, what does the phrase "A God Of Faith" have to do
with the other phrases which speak about Gods Justice)
SPECIAL NUANCES: PARALLEL STRUCTURE:
-----------------------------------
Reviewing the 5 phrases of the verse we see that the following
attributes of GOD correspond to each other: PERFECT, JUSTICE,
FAITH?, WITHOUT INJUSTICE,RIGHTEOUS, UPRIGHT: (The word FAITH
is a bit out of place in a list of attributes of JUSTICE though
close to them)
SUBCATEGORIES OF JUSTICE:
---------------------------------------------------
To be JUST means that you should do the following.
{LIST}
THINGS A GOOD JUDGE SHOULD DO
-----------------------------
Judge by RIGHT not by MIGHT
Doesn't withold what wicked earn
You eventually acquit Righteous
You have a Good Reputation
{LIST}
1-1 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN JUSTICE & THINGS A GOOD JUDGE DOES
---------------------------------------------------
To be JUST means that you should do the following.
CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN Dt32-04 and THINGS A GOOD JUDGE SHOULD DO
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THINGS A GOOD JUDGE SHOULD DO THE PHRASES OF Dt32-04
----------------------------- ---------------------------
Judge by RIGHT not by MIGHT God the Rock is Perfect(*1)
His ways are ways of Justice
Don't withold what wicked earn Without Injustice
You eventually acquit Righteous God of Faith (*2)
You have a Good Reputation He is Righteous and Upright (*3)
NOTES
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*1 Note the contrast: EVEN though He is a ROCK (powerful)
Nevertheless he does things for reasons of perfection
*2 The word FAITH has a connotation of doing things eventually
*3 This sentence phrase looks like a declaration
RECAP & SUMMARY:
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Just to emphasize the method: Rashi did not learn from the words
FAITH and WITHOUT INJUSTICE that God gives reward to the wicked
for their good deeds and that he eventually acquits the
righteous.Rather Rashi knew that these were the main attributes
of a good judge and he correlated them with the verses phrases.
The words of the verse are clear, and the theme was well known.
Rashis job in this verse was not to clarify meaning or to solve
problems--rather his job was to show relationship with a
unifying context.
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