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.

Dt11-22b:23 states For if you [The Jews] truly guard all commandments that I am commanding you to perform, to love G-d, to walk in all His ways and to cling to Him. Then God will expel all these nations before you, and you will inherit nations greater and more powerful than you.

Rashi uses Other Verses to identify the meaning of the underlined phrase to walk in all His ways.

First we examine Ex33-13 in which Moses requested that God let Moses know his ways: Now, please, if I have found favor in Your eyes, please let me know Your way, so that I will know You, that I may find favor in Your eyes; and [also] consider that this nation is [indeed] Your people. God responded to this request of Moses at verses Ex34-06:07 where God lets Moses know his ways God passed before him, and proclaimed: God, God, Almighty, merciful and kind, slow to anger, and abounding in kindness and truth. He preserves kindness for thousands [of generations], bearing [forgiving] iniquity, transgression and sin. He clears [acquits the penitent] and he does not clear [acquit the impenitent], visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and children's children, [even] upon the third and fourth [generation].

The underlined passages in the above other verses facilitate understanding the Rashi on Dt11-22b: The Biblical text to walk in his ways means Just as He is merciful--- so you should be merciful. Just as He acts kind--- so you should act kindly.

Using the methods that explain the Rashi comments we frequently go a step beyond Rashi. Rashi only selected two attributes from the other verse Ex34-06:07, merciful, kindly. The other verse method requires that we consistently apply all attributes mentioned in Ex34-06:07 to Dt11-22 Hence we might continue the Rashi comment as follows: Just as He is slow to anger so you should be slow to anger; Just as He is abounding in kindness and truth so you should be abounding in kindness and truth. etc....

Such consistent application of Rashi methods enriches our understanding of Rashi.

Dt08-04b discussing the Divine providence over the Jews during their 40 year journey in the desert states Your garment did not wear out on you, nor did your feet dough these forty years.

Rashi explains the underlined word dough: Doughed means swollen. Hence Rashi would translate this verse as follows Your garment did not wear out on you, nor did your feet swell these forty years.

To fully appreciate Rashi we classify the literary methods that he uses. Rashi on this verse uses a universal principle in all languages, the synechdoche principle which names a whole class of items by an exemplary item. Some typical examples are
• Honey can refer to anything sweet (or any person that is sweet) (Rashi Lv02-11a)
• Bread can refer generically to food (Rashi Lv03-11b)
• The word Heart can refer to the totality of a person as in e.g. My heart yearns for you, God
• Day (i.e. the lit part of the 24 hour cycle) can refer to the whole day.
• Dough can refer to anything which can significantly swell (Rashi Dt08-04b)

As shown Rashi frequently uses the synechdoche word meaning method.

Verse Dt07-23a, discussing the aid God gives the Jews in conquering Israel, states Ad-noy, your G-d, will defeat them before you, and will confuse them with great confusion until they are destroyed. The Hebrew word Hey-Mem-Mem is punctuated Kamatz-Kamatz. Rashi consequently interprets the terminal suffix letter Mem as indicating an object confuse them. Had the word been punctuated Kamatz-Patach it would simply mean to confuse without any object.

Rashi frequently taught grammar using what I have called the near miss method. Rashi examines several almost identical forms and identifies the grammatical differences between them.

Here are some further near misses presented by Rashi, that illustrate grammatical points.
• (Rashi Ex19-18a) The Hebrew word Ayin-Shin-Nun
  • When punctuated Kamatz-Kamatz means the noun, smoke
  • When punctuated Kamatz-Patach means the verb, to smoke
• (Rashi Gn49-04a ) The Hebrew word Pay-Cheth-Zayin
  • When punctuated Patach-Patach means the noun fizz
  • When punctuated Kamatz-Patach means the verb, to fizz.
• (Rashi: Dt07-23a)The Hebrew word Hey-Mem-Mem
  • When punctuated Kamatz-Patach means the verb, to confuse
  • When punctuated Kamatz-Kamatz means the verb-object pair, to confuse them.

Note the contradiction in the following verses:
• Verse Dt07-22a discussing Gods conquest of Israel for the Jews states Ad-noy, your G-d, will expel these nations before you, gradually; you will be unable to exterminate them rapidly, lest the wild animals multiply against you. This verse seems to imply that Jews must worry about animals and their possible damages. But
• Verse Lv26-03:06 states If you follow My statutes, keep My commandments and fulfill them, then I will provide your rains in their proper time.... I will grant peace in the land; you will lie down (sleep) without disturbance (fear). I will banish evil beasts from the land, ...

We see the contradiction indicated by the underlined words: Which is it? Will the Jews be free of worry about animal-beast damage or will this be one concern during the military conquest?

Rashi resolves this contradiction using the 2 aspects method. The 2 aspects are explicitly indicated by the bolded words above If you follow My statutes, keep My commandments and fulfill them. Hence the Rashi
• When the Jews observe the commandments they have no worries about animal damage
• When the Jews sin they have normal worries about animal damage.

Biblical paragraph Dt06 - Dt07-26 has a theme-detail-theme structure as shown
• General Theme: Observe God's commandments---it will be good for you: These are the commandments, the statutes and the laws that Ad-noy, your G-d, commanded to teach you to fulfill in the land that you are crossing over there to inherit. ....You will heed, Yisroel, ....so that you will multiply exceedingly, ...--- a land flowing milk and honey.
• Details: Particular Commandments to observe:
  • You are to love Ad-noy, your G-d, with all your heart, ....
  • You are to teach them to your children and you are to discuss them, when you sit at home, and when you journey on the road, and when you go to sleep, and when you rise.
  • You are to tie them as a sign on your arm [Tefillin] and they are to be totafos between your eyes.
  • You are to write them on the doorposts of your house, [Mezuzoth]and on your gateposts.....
  • Do not make a treaty with them [The Canaanite nations]...
  • and do not do favors to them.....
  • Do not inter-marry them [With the Canaanite nations];...
• General Theme: Observe God's commandments--it will be good for you: As a consequence of your heeding these laws, G-d, will guard for you the covenant .... He will love, bless and multiply you;

When a modern author wishes to write a paragraph they indicate the paragraph structure with indentation and surrounding white space. When God wishes to write a paragraph He indicates the paragraph structure by using a theme-detail-theme method. The Rabbi Ishmael style guidelines present the interpretation of the theme-detail-theme method: The paragraph is interpreted as a unified whole - the detail section is perceived as the development of the general theme section and consequently the details are perceived as good examples of similar items illustrating the theme. Such a perception encourages and requires Development / generalization of the examples in the detail section.

Rashi notes that many items in the detail section in the above passage deal with symbolic, emotional, and informational items, love, teaching, Tefillin, Mezuzoth, favors. People tend to belittle such laws as non-important since they are means to an end. The important law is not to forsake one's own religion. Consequently Rashi paraphrased interprets the detail section as prototypical The Torah promises Gods providence in exchange for the Jews following all commandments of separation from the Canaanite nations. This includes both major items such as the obligation to conquer them and the prohibition of worshipping idols as well as minor items such as the symbolic, emotional and intellectual commandments affirming our values against those of the Canaanites. This includes the commandments such as love, symbols (Tefillin, Mezuzah), education, lack of favors etc.

The traditional interpretation of this Rashi comment, as found in modern and midieval Rashi commentators, focuses on the strange Hebrew word used for consequence, Ayin-Kuph-Beth which normally means heel. In English also the phrase such and such came in the heels of such and such can connote causality. Rashi seems however to make a pun on the word heel: The Bible speaks about minor commandments which people step on with their heels. This literal Rashi phrase suggested to many people that Rashi's focus in this verse was the unusual Hebrew word Ayin Kuph Beth. We however believe that the explanation we presented above, focusing on the overall structure of the Biblical paragraph is deeper, sounder and more mature. True, Rashi expressed this sound idea by creating a pun on the Hebrew word Ayin Kuph Beth--heel-consequence-despise. However it would appear that the primary reason for the Rashi comment is the paragraph structure cited.

The Bible like modern authors can communicate through formatting. One powerful formatting method is a listing of items in a climactic manner. An author using the climax method thereby indicates that the terminal elements of the list are the most important. A reader of the list therefore has the right to interpret the list items as reflecting this climactic development even if the wording and grammar of the list do not explicitly suggest it. In other words the climax formatting in and of itself communicates exegesis.

Let us apply these ideas to Dt11-17:18 whose clauses we list below:
• For Ad-noy, your G-d, is G-d over judges and Lord over lords;
• the Almighty---the Great, the Powerful, and the Awesome [One]---
• Who neither exercises favoritism
• nor accepts bribes.
• Who performs justice for orphan and widow,
• and loves the convert to give him bread and a garment.

The climax principle requires that we perceive the the terminal underlined phrase as the climax of the list. Rashi, Dt11-18b comments: This, giving bread and garments is a significant matter, as Ya'akov devoted himself totally to praying for this, as it says ...and gives me bread to eat and clothing to wear. Rashi's sole purpose in this comment is to indicate that the terminal list member is significant. In other words the list concludes with climax showing that God's power is not used for conquest but rather for helping the helpless (Rashi Dt11-18a).

Certain Rashis can best be understood using a listing of verses and/or events in tabular form in a spreadsheet. Verses Dt09-09 - Dt10-05 summarizes the 3 fourty day ascents of Moses on Mount Sinai. The passages here in Deuteronomy parallel other passages in Exodus. The best way to understand this Rashi is to list the items in spreadsheet form as shown below.

The above table or spreadsheet is simply a convenient vehicle for understanding the various Rashi comments. Rashi summarizes almost all his comments on Dt11-18a. We present sample citations and comments below.
• Verse Dt09-09, speaking about the receipt of the 10 commandments after the revelation of God at the Decalogue on Mount Sinai explicitly states that Moses remained 40 days and 40 nights When I went up the mountain to take the stone tablets, .... I remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights;
• Verses Dt09-11:18 clearly states that at the end of the 1st 40 days God told Moses to go down because of the sin of the golden calf upon which Moses prayed to God for 40 days and 40 nights (The second set of fourty). When, at the end of forty days and forty nights, Ad-noy gave me the two stone tablets, .... Ad-noy said to me, "Get ready! Go down ... I turned and descended the mountain, ... I beheld that you had just sinned ... you had made yourselves a golden calf; ... I prostrated myself before Ad-noy as before, forty days and forty nights, for all of your sin ....in Ad-noy's eyes to anger Him. Because I was afraid of the anger ....that Ad-noy raged at you to destroy you;
• Rashi points out that this description of the 2nd ascent of fourty days to pray for the Jews is continued in Dt09-25:29 which presents the actual text of the prayer. I prostrated myself before Ad-noy the forty days and the forty nights .... because Ad-noy intended to destroy you. I prayed to Ad-noy and said, "Ad-noy, G-d, do not harm Your people ...
• Finally Dt10-01:05 describe the 3rd ascent to receive the 10 commandments a second time At that time, Ad-noy said to me, Hew for yourself two stone tablets like the originals, and ascend to Me on the mountain;..... The number 40 is not mentioned here but is confirmed in the corresponding passages in Exodus as presented in the above table.
• Finally Rashi goes into the issue of dates
  • Shavuoth, holiday of the decalogue happened on the 6th of Sivan. The first 40 days started on the 7th, giving 23 days in Sivan, and 17 days in Tamuz, making 40 days in total. This computation shows that the first descent was on 17 Tamuz which corresponds to a famous Jewish fast day
  • A similar calculation shows that the 120 days (3 sets of 40) ended on 10 Tishray, the Day of Atonement. It is because of the calculation that Rashi identifies the day, of final forgiveness of the Golden Calf sin with receipt anew of the 10 commandments, with the Day of atonement

Much more can be said. Our goal above was to show how the skillful use of spreadsheets can lead to a richer understanding of Rashi by allowing each Rashi comment to be pegged into some point on the spreadsheet. We encourage each reader to go further.

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