The 10 RashiYomi Rules
Their presence in Rashis on Parshat Emor
Vol 3#3 - Adapted from Rashi-is-Simple
Visit the RashiYomi webiste: http://www.Rashiyomi.com/
(c) RashiYomi Incorporated, Dr. Hendel President, May 11, 2006.
English translations of the Bible come from www.Davka.Com with minor emendations by me.

The goal of this Weekly Rashi Digest is to use the weekly Torah portion to expose students at all levels to the ten major methods of commentary used by Rashi. It is hoped that continual weekly exposure to these ten major methods will enable students of all levels to acquire a familiarity and facility with the major exegetical methods.

1. RASHI METHOD: OTHER VERSES
BRIEF EXPLANATION: Rashi explains one verse by citing an other verse
This examples applies to Rashis Lv16-16b
URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/lv23-18b.htm

Lv23-18b states And you shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bull, and two rams; they shall be for a burnt offering to the Lord, with their meal offering, and their drink offerings, an offering made by fire, of sweet savor to the Lord.

Rashi: The underlined phrase with their meal offering, and their drink offerings, cross references other verses in Nu15-04:11 which describe in complete detail the amounts of a) meal offering(i.e. flour), b) oil and c) wine brought with each type of animal.

The complete citation from Nu15-04:11 is as follows: I have formatted this Biblical section as a nested bulleted list to emphasize the various points. I have also transposed some phrases so that the lists read vertically. Notice how these other verses shed light and illuminate the verse Lv23-18b above.

2. RASHI METHOD: WORD MEANING
BRIEF EXPLANATION: Rashi uses 10 methods to explain the dictionary meaning of words
This examples applies to Rashis Lv23-03a
URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/lv23-05b.htm

Lv18-23:05 states In the fourteenth day of the first month at evening there shall be a Pass-over holiday for God.

This is one of those rare instances where the reason for the holiday name need not be guessed at because it is explicitly stated in the Bible. Verse Ex12-12:13 states For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment; I am the Lord. And the blood shall be to you for a sign upon the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.

Hence we are explicitly told that the holiday is called Pass-over because God Passed over the Jewish houses while he smote the Egyptians. The Bible is here using a literary technique common to all languages called metonomy which refers to naming by related items. Here the holiday is named by an activity of God related to that day. Other common examples of metonomy include

3. RASHI METHOD: GRAMMAR
BRIEF EXPLANATION:Rashi explains verses using principles of verb conjugation and grammar.
This examples applies to Rashis Lv23-08c
URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/lv23-08c.htm

Lv23-08c states But you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord for a seven of days; in the seventh day is a holy gathering; you shall do no labor in it.

Rashi explains that the phrase for a seven of days should be translated for a week of days. Hence Rashi would translate this verse as follows But you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord for a week of days; in the seventh day is a holy gathering; you shall do no labor in it.

Rashi here is explaining the grammatical construct state. In English we recognize the construct state by the word of:For example, the last of the dishes, the coat of Rosemary, the wheel of the car. Roughly construct refers to possession in the broad sense of the word; it can also refer to a necessary completion. In Hebrew we recognize the construct by the suffix letter, tauv at the end of a word.

Rashi's comment appears simple and innocent but is really profound. Rashi in effect points out that we could equally translate the verse phrase as for 7 days or for a week of days. Both these translations convey the same meaning. The construct however requires that we translate using the word of: Hence we reject for 7 days, we prefer for a 7 of days and feel justified in rendering this as for a week of days.

So far Rashi is simple. However my opinion is that Rashi's primary goal was not to interpret the Biblical text but rather to preserve the Biblical text. In other words I see Rashi primarily as a Masorite, one of the great sages who preserved Biblical texts.

This provocative viewpoint of mine is most clear in this verse. For Rashi does not offer Biblical interpretation! Indeed a week of days has the same meaning as 7 days.

But what Rashi does here is emphasize that the correct Biblical text uses a construct state which as indicated above is indicated in English by the word of and in Hebrew by the suffix letter Tauv. Consequently we see Rashi's comment as preventing an emendation of the text from a tauv to a hey. Such a natural one letter emendation is prevented by Rashi's comment and hence on this verse we see Rashi functioning as a Masorite, a sage who preserves the Biblical text.

My opinion is that all Rashi comments, even when they involve interpretation, have as their primary goal to prevent minor emendations of the text.

4. RASHI METHOD: ALIGNMENT
BRIEF EXPLANATION: Rashi examines minor differences in almost identical verses.
This examples applies to Rashis Lv23-13a Lv23-13b Lv23-13c
URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/lv23-12a.htm

We first align Lv23-12:13 and Nu15-04:11 both of which discuss the quantities of flour, oil and wine accompanying offerings. Note the difference in the underlined phrases.

Lv23-12:13 states And you shall offer that day when you wave the sheaf a male lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering to the Lord.

Nu15-04:11 describes the meal offerings of general offerings:

Hence the three Rashi comments:

The underlined phrase Meal offering in Lv23-12:13 refers to the description of meal offerings, in Nu15-04:11 that must accompany certain offerings.

As can be seen, the Omer offering uses two tenths of a measure for flour while ordinary sheep offerings use one tenth.

Although the amount of flour is doubled, nevertheless, the other amounts remain the same. For example, a fourth part of wine is mentioned in both verses.

5. RASHI METHOD: CONTRADICTION
BRIEF EXPLANATION:Rashi resolves contradictory verses using 3 methods.
This examples applies to Rashis Lv23-08b
URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/gn50-16b.htm

We see the possible contradiction. Which is it? Is the requirement during Passover to simply offer an offering (from whichever animal we want) or is the requirement during Passover to specifically offer bulls, rams, oxen.?

Rashi resolves this contradiction using the modal method of resolving controversies. That is, Rashi resolves the contradiction by interpreting each verse with different modal modifiers.

In other words: If you have available bulls, rams, lambs then you should offer all three. However if you only have one type of animal available then it is permitted to offer only that one type.

6. RASHI METHOD: STYLE
Rashi examines inferences between general and detail statements.
This examples applies to Rashis Lv21-21a
URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/lv21-21a.htm

Rashi (paraphrased): The General-Detail-General format requires perceiving the entire text as one paragraph. The General component indicates the theme; therefore the Detail components indicate the paragraph development of the theme. Consequently, it is proper to generalize the Details since they are perceived as good examples (not only examples) of the paragraph theme.

Based on the above Rashi we have the rule: Besides those blemishes explicitly enumerated in the detail section of the text, a priest with other blemishes is also prohibited from serving in the Temple.

The various codes of Temple law give exhaustive lists of all blemishes that invalidate priests from the Temple service.

7. RASHI METHOD: FORMATTING
BRIEF EXPLANATION:Inferences from Biblical formatting: --bold,italics--and paragraph structure.
This examples applies to Rashis Lv16-12c
URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/lv16-12c.htm

When a modern author wishes to create emphasis they will use bold, underline or italics. When the Biblical Author wishes to create emphasis He uses repetition. In other words, the Bible uses repetition the same way a modern author uses bold: to achieve an effect of unspecified emphasis. (The December 2006 issues of The Jewish Bible Quarterly will contain my article Biblical Formatting which develops this theme more fully.)

Biblical repetition is strongest when the same word is repeated twice in succession. However this repetition-bold rule applies even when the repetition involves distant words.

The repetition is strengthened by the list of relatives--- only by the sister is it repeated who is near to him

Rashi interprets this repetition as indicating an unspecified emphasis the same way underline and bold in modern writing indicate unspecified emphasis. Just as a priest may defile himself to a virgin sister so too he may defile himself to an engaged virgin sister--- since she is still near to him--that is, she is known as his sister till she gets fully married (at which time she is known as the wife of her husband).

8. RASHI METHOD: DATABASES
BRIEF EXPLANATION:Rashi makes inferences from Database queries
This examples applies to Rashis Lv23-22ba
URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/lv23-22b.htm

Today Rashi examines a Database query on the verbs used by Biblical verses commanding charity. The output of this query is presented below.

As can be seen from the above list the Jewish conception of charity is much broader then say the United States IRS conception of charity. It involves a broad range of activity from requirements for the poor to work(by gathering produce) for this charity to simple helping out and brotherly support. All of these are considered charity. In fact Jewish law explicitly considers business support the superior form of charity gifts since the recipient is humiliated least.

10. RASHI METHOD: SYMBOLISM
BRIEF EXPLANATION: Rashi makes symbolic comments on verses and words.
This examples applies to Rashis Lv24-14b
URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/Nu08-07b.htm

There are three Biblical procedures that require a hand leaning procedure. Rashi analyzes the symbolism of hand leaning. In the exposition we present below we were greatly aided by the written works of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch who did much to enhance our understanding of Biblical Symbolism.

Rav Hirsch and Rashi's interpretation is consistent with symbolic methodology. The functional purpose of hand leaning is to support the leaner. Similarly the functional purpose of designation of a representative is to enable the representative to help and support the person who designated him.

The idea of testing the naturality of a symbol by its natural functional purpose was made explicit by Rav Hirsch.

Conclusion

This week's parshah contains no examples of the spreadsheet method. This concludes this weeks edition. Visit the RashiYomi website at http://www.Rashiyomi.com for further details and examples.