1. RASHI METHOD: REFERENCES BRIEF EXPLANATION: Commentary on a verse is provided thru a cross-reference to another verse. The cross references can either provide (1a) further details, (1b) confirm citations, or (1c) clarify word meaning. This examples applies to Rashis Nu36-08a URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/ov.htm Brief Summary: Rashi illumine EVERY DAUGHTER WHO INHERITs (Nu33-08) with IF NO SON DAUGHER INHERITS (Nu27-08)

Using the verses below, which discuss inheritance by a daughter Rashi clarifies that typically a son inherits but a daughter can inherit if there were no male descendants. Read the verses yourself and experience the joy of independently deriving the Rashi comment.

Target Verse	Text	Cross Reference	Text	Rashi Comment
Nu36-08a	And every daughter, that inherits in any tribe of the children of Israel, shall be wife unto one of the family of the tribe of her father, that the children of Israel may possess every man the inheritance of his fathers.	Nu27-08	And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying: If a man die, and have no son, then the inheritance is transferred to his daughter.	Rashi illumines the underlined words Usually a daughter does not inherit since the son always inherits. However a daughter could inherit if for example there was no son.

A powerful Rashi method is the use of literary techniques available in all languages. One such technique is synechdoche, which names items by good examples of them.

Let us apply this to naming the four compass directions. A good example of the four compass directions is the first astronomical incident of the day,
• the rise of the sun in the east which happens before anything else. When you face the sun in the east,
• then the west is in Back of you.
• Furthermore your right hand points southward while your
• left hand points northward.

Nouns can become verbs in 3 ways
• to flower - That is, to create flowers
• to dust - That is, to remove the dust
• to hammer - That is, to use, in a traditional manner, the hammer.

Hence from the word end we could obtain a verb meaning just one more time, this is the end. This is similar to English usage.

Verse	Text of Verse	Rashi comment
Nu32-16a	And they came near unto him, and said: We will build sheepfolds here for our sheep, and cities for our infants;	They placed their business (Sheep) first; and their families (infants) second.
Nu32-24	Build you cities for your infants, and sheepfolds for your sheep; and do that which hath proceeded out of your mouth.'	Moses suggested/hinted that they should place their families (infants) first and their business (Sheep) second.

Sermonic Points: The very relevant sermonic points inferred from this Rashi are embodied in the Rashi comment itself. Nothing further need be added.

The table below presents presents two contradictory verses. Both verses speak about the dimensions of the outskirts of the Levite cities. The underlined words highlight the contradiction. One verse says that the outskirts are 1000 feet while the other verse says the city outskirts are 2000 feet. Which is it? Are the city outskirts 1000 or 2000 feet?

Summary	Verse / Source	Text of verse / Source
City outskirts were 1000 cubits.	Nu35-04	And the open land about the cities, which ye shall give unto the Levites, shall be from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits round about.
City Outskirts were 2000 square cubits	Nu35-05	And ye shall measure without the city for the east side two thousand cubits, and for the south side two thousand cubits, and for the west side two thousand cubits, and for the north side two thousand cubits, the city being in the midst. This shall be to them the open land about the cities.
Resolution:	2 Aspects	The inner 1000 square cubits of the city outskirts were for livestock The outer 1000 square cubits (from point 1000 to 2000) was for vineyards and gardens.

Rashi resolves this contradiction using the 2 aspects method.
• The inner 1000 square cubits of outskirts were for livestock
• The outer 1000 square cubits (from point 1000 to 2000) was for vineyards and gardens

By using the table structure with underlines we are able to participate and empathize with Rashi in construction of the Rashi comment.

When a modern author wishes to create a paragraph (s)he surrounds the paragraph sentences with one line of white empty space, thereby indicating that the group of sentences forms one paragraph. Since they form one paragraph the group of sentences is perceived as having one underlying theme, indicated by the general theme sentence. This theme is developed by the detail sentences.

We use the Biblical Paragraph Nu33-50:56 which has a structure indicating
• General Theme: Conquer the land
• Developmental Detail: Dwell in it
• General Theme: Conquer the land

Hence the Rashi comment(s): Conquer the land in order to dwell in it. The reason for the conquest is that you can't live with the Canaanite nations because their practices will lead you away from Judaism. But it e.g. suffices to expel the inhabitants (instead of killing them). The goal is dwelling.

We present the actual verses below. We use underline to confirm the above Rashi comment:
• General Theme: Conquer the land Nu33-50:52
  And HaShem spoke unto Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying: Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: When ye pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then ye shall conquer / drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their figured stones, and destroy all their molten images, and demolish all their high places.
• Developmental Detail: Dwell in it Nu33-53:54
  And ye shall conquer / drive out the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein; for unto you have I given the land to possess it. And ye shall inherit the land by lot according to your families--to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer thou shalt give the less inheritance; wheresoever the lot falleth to any man, that shall be his; according to the tribes of your fathers shall ye inherit.
• General Theme: Conquer the land Nu33-55:56
  But if ye will not conquer / drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then shall those that ye let remain of them be as thorns in your eyes, and as pricks in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land wherein ye dwell. And it shall come to pass, that as I thought to do unto them, so will I do unto you.

Rashi's comment on the verses we study is
• not on word meaning
• not on grammar
• But rather on overall paragraph structure. From the structure we infer meaning as shown below. Rashi's sole comment is that The second bulleted paragraph below deals with willful murder (as indicated by the underlined phrases) while the first paragraph deals with negligent murder (as indicated by the underlined words).

Biblical chapter Nu35 describes treatment of murderers.
• Nu35-09:15 - Build 6 Refuge cities:
  And HaShem spoke unto Moses, saying: Speak unto the children of Israel, ... then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer that killeth any person through error may flee thither. ... For the children of Israel, and for the stranger and for the settler among them, shall these six cities be for refuge, ...
• Nu35-16:21 - A willful murderer is executed:
  But if he smote him with an instrument of iron, so that he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be executed.... And if he smote him with a ... Or if he smote him with a ... The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death; ... And if he thrust him of hatred, or hurled at him ... he that smote him shall surely be put to death: he is a murderer; the avenger of blood ....
• Nu35-22:28 - A negligent murderer goes to Refuge cities:
  But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or hurled upon him any thing without lying in wait, or with any stone, whereby a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, so that he died, and he was not his enemy, neither sought his harm; then the congregation shall judge between the smiter and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances; and the congregation shall deliver the manslayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge, ....

Verse Nu33-49 states And they [The Jews] pitched by the Jordan, from Beth-jeshimoth even to Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab.

Rashi comments: It is 12 square roman miles from from Beth-jeshimoth even to Abel-shittim. Hence we infer that the Jewish camp in the desert was 12 square miles.

Advanced Rashi: We can support this calculation further as follows:
• 1 roman mil = 2000 cubits
• 1 cubit = 1.5 to 2 feet
• # Adult Males in Wilderness = 600,000
• Approximate # People per adult male = 1 male + 1 female + 6-7 kids = Family of 8-10
• We can eg assume each person had a 20 x 20 room (Or equivalantly average space occupied per person (including room for livestock and possessions is 20 x 20)
• Total -------------------------------------------------------
• Hence this gives the equation: Total Available Space in camp = Required Space for all people.
  Total Available Space in camp: (12 mil x 12 mil) x (2000 cubits x 2000 cubits) x (2 x 2 ft per cubit) =~=
  Required Space for all people. 600,000 adult males x 10 people per family x (20 x 20 feet per person).

We believe the above approach points to a deeper understanding of Rashi.

Verse Nu35-25a states And the congregation shall deliver the negligent murderer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge, where he had fled; and he shall live there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.

Rashi comments on the connection between the underlined phrase connecting the death of the high priest to the release of the negligent murderer from the prison city of refuge:A primary task of the Priest is to atone for negligent inadvertency. For example a person who negligently descecrates the Sabbath receives atonement by bringing a sin offering and attending to the procedures performed by the priest. If the priests had done their job perfectly there would be no negligence. Consequently when the High Priest dies ( as a punishment for lack of prevention of negligence) the negligent murderer goes free.

We present an alternate reason why the death of the priest releases the prisoner, this reason also based on the motif that the priest atones for negligence. Prior to the death of the priest the blood-avenger blaimed the murder on the murderer's negligence. The blood-avenger may wish to avenge the murder by killing the murderer. However when the High Priest dies a message is sent to the blood avenger: Perhaps the murder is not the murderer's fault. Perhaps it is the priest's fault. If the priests had been more diligent in their prevention of negligence then the murder would not have happened.Since you are not certain whether the negligent murder was the fault of the priest or the murderer you shouldn't want to kill the murderer.