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 Gn24-02b URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1314.htm Brief Summary: Abraham CAME [from Beer Sheva (Gn21-33:34)] to mourn Sarah (Gn24-02b)

Verse Gn24-02b discussing Abraham's coming to mourn Sarah states And Sarah died in Kiriath-Arba; which is Hebron in the land of Canaan; and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her. Rashi notes that the underlined words, came references verses Gn21-33:34 discussing Abraham's recent place of residence, in Beer Sheva. Hence the Rashi comment The statement in Gn23-02 that Abraham came to mourn Sarah references verse Gn21-33:34 which explains that Abraham founded some free hotels in Beer Sheva, preached about God and stayed there a long time.

Text of Target Verse Gn23-02	Text of Reference Verse Gn21-33:34
And Sarah died in Kiriath-Arba; which is Hebron in the land of Canaan; and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.	And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God. And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines’ land many days.
Rashi comments: The statement in Gn24-02 that Abraham came to mourn Sarah references verse Gn22-18:19 which explains that Abraham founded some free hotels in Beer Sheva, preached about God and stayed there a long time.

When Rashi uses the synonym method he does not explain the meaning of a word but rather the distinction between two similar words both of whose meanings we already know.

The following Hebrew words all refer to prayer.
• Cheth-Nun-Nun, TeXiNaH, supplication;
• Pay-Lamed-Lamed, TeFiLaH, self-judgement before God;
• Zayin-Ayin-Kuph, zeakah, screaming petition;
• hey-lamed-lamed, halel, praise;
• Sin-Vav-Cheth, LaSuAcH, pray-chat.

Today Hebrew grammar is well understood and there are many books on it. Rashi, however, lived before the age of grammar books. A major Rashi method is therefore the teaching of basic grammar.

Many students belittle this aspect of Rashi. They erroneously think that because of modern methods we know more. However Rashi will frequently focus on rare grammatical points not covered in conventional textbooks.

There are many classical aspects to grammar whether in Hebrew or other languages. They include
• The rules for conjugating verbs. These rules govern how you differentiate person, plurality, tense, mode, gender, mood, and designation of the objects and indirect objects of the verb. For example how do you conjugate, in any language, I sang, we will sing, we wish to sing, she sang it.
• Rules of agreement. For example agreement of subject and verb, of noun and adjective; whether agreement in gender or plurality.
• Rules of Pronoun reference.
• Rules of word sequence. This is a beautiful topic which is not always covered in classical grammatical textbooks.

Today we illustrate a powerful but little understood rule common to all languages - apposition. Very roughly apposition consists of breaking up a phrase mid-sentence. Instead of stating the whole phrase you instead break it up - tersely stating the main idea and then later on in the sentence filling in details. Such a technique, although sounding strange, has a very powerful effect on the reader who is forced to focus and concentrate more fully.

A classical example is Is63-07, I will recount the kindness of God, the things we praise him on. The author in beautiful poetic style converts this verse with apposition. The actual reading is as follows: The kindness of God I will recount, the things we praise God on. By breaking the phrase kindness of God, the things we praise him on into two phrases placed at different points of the verse the author achieves powerful poetic effect forcing the reader and listener to focus with more attention.

Verse Gn24-67a wishes to state Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah but instead through the use of apposition states Isaac brought her in the tent - Mother Sarah. Although the phrase is broken up into two connected phrases the effect of apposition remains. It is no longer the tent of Sarah but rather the tent - Mother Sarah. In other words the tent had achieved reknown as Mother Sarah's tent or Mother Sarah for short. Rashi gives some examples of what the tent could be known for - good food available, well lit, etc. The details need not concern us. Rather the basic idea of Rashi is that the tent was known as Sarah and this linguistic style indicates attributes for which the tent was known.

The table below presents an aligned extract of verses or verselets in Gn24-58. Both verses/verselets discuss Rivkah travelling to marry Isaac. The alignment justifies the Rashi comment that: Since one verse says will you travel with Eliezer while the response says I will travel we infer that Rivkah was seriously interested in Isaac and would travel with Eliezer and if not by herself. In clarifying Rashi's derivation we point out that many other inquiry-response patterns were possible: e.g. Will you travel with Eliezer - Yes or Will you travel to meet Isaac - I will travel. The construction Will you travel with this man uses with this man as an adverbial modifier of the verb to travel. Hence if Rivkah answers I will travel she contrastively emphasizes I will travel with Eliezer or by myself.

Verse	Text of Verse	Rashi comment
Gn24-58	Will you travel with this man [Eliezer]? [Rivkah responds: Yes] I will travel.	Since one verse says will you travel with Eliezer while the response says I will travel we infer that Rivkah was seriously interested in Isaac and would travel with Eliezer and if not by herself. In clarifying Rashi's derivation we point out that many other inquiry-response patterns were possible: e.g. Will you travel with Eliezer - Yes or Will you travel to meet Isaac - I will travel. The construction Will you travel with this man uses with this man as an adverbial modifier of the verb to travel. Hence if Rivkah answers I will travel she contrastively emphasizes I will travel with Eliezer or by myself.
Gn24-58	Will you travel with this man [Eliezer]? [Rivkah responds: Yes] I will travel.

Verse Gn23-01b discussing Sarah's life states states
• General Theme: This is the life of Sarah
• Detail:
  • The 100-year life [maturity],
  • The 20-year life [the young-adult life]
  • The 7-year life [innocence]
• General: The years of Sarah's life

Rashi comments on the Theme-Detail-Theme form which creates the illusion of an entire paragraph. Although her life had 3 distinct aspects - maturity, young-adulthood, innocence - nevertheless these 3 aspects were illustrative of her life as a whole. That is her life had a unified theme of personal-fulfillment and growth.

Advanced Rashi: We have not explained why we translated the verse as the 100 year life, the 20 year life, the 7 year life. This is in fact the subject of another Rashi. We are simply not covering it today. However it will be justified, possibly next year. We also seem to have taken sides on what the 100 year, 20 year and 7 year life mean. There is considerable controversy among Rashi-ists on this point. We will explain this also next year. Right now, we are focusing on the general-theme-general form which justifies that the three stages be nevertheless perceived as aspects of one whole life.

The Formatting rule includes the methods of writing consecutive paragraph or sentences. Just as a paragraph is a collection of sentences unified by a topic sentence and developed by supporting sentences, so too, a chapter very often has a theme that is developed by a skillfully sequenced set of paragraphs. Rashi knew of 3 methods of writing consecutive paragraphs
• Cause-effect: The second paragraph is the effect of the first paragraph. The first paragraph is the cause of the second paragraph.
• Contrast: The two paragraphs illustrate contrasting sides of a theem.
• Unified theme: The two or more paragraphs illustrate a common theme. For example a common theme may be illustrated by a sequence of paragraphs each of which exemplifies and illustrates the theme idea.
The above three principles indicate methods for paragraph development into chapters as well as method for sentence development into paragraphs.

We formerly classified paragraph and chapter development under the grammar rule. However we think it more proper to devote the grammar rule to the relation between meaning and form, for example how verb conjugational forms indicates meaning. As indicated above the formatting rule governs use of sequence to indicate climax and paragraph sequencing.

Rashi on Gn24-67b explains the sequence in two paragraphs/sentences indicating a cause-effect relationship.
• Gn24-67b. And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her.
• Gn24-67b And Isaac was comforted for his mother.

Advanced Rashi: Rashi can be further understood with the following Zohar: In a mature husband-wife relationship the wife functions in three ways: a) as co-spouse, b) maternally (caring and nuturing) and c) as student and disciple. So I think Rashi's intent here is that Rivkah assumed the maternal caring role of Sarah and consequently since someone else is caring for him - in those situations where caring was needed - therefore, he was comforted on his mother's deat.

We ask the following database query: What does bowing symbolically affirm in the Bible? The reader is encouraged to perform the query using a standard Biblical Konnkordance or search engine. This database query yields the list below. The list justifies the following Rashi inference: Bowing can symbolically affirm 4 items:
1. A greeting of 'Hello.'
2. Expression of Thanks
3. Acknowledgement of Power
4. Worship
The list below presents the results of the database query and shows examples.

Meaning of Bowing	A Supportive Verse	Text of Verse
Greeting of Hello	Ex18-07	And Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and bowed down and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came into the tent
Expression of Thanks	Gn24-52	And it came to pass, that, when Abraham's servant heard their words, he bowed himself down to the earth unto the LORD
Acknowledgement of Power	Gn37-10	he told it to his father, and to his brethren; and his father rebuked him, and said unto him: 'What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down to thee to the earth?'
Worship	Ex24-01	And unto Moses He said: 'Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and bow ye afar off;

The non-verse method refers to clarification of textual content by any non-verse method including spreadsheets, geometry, and logic. Verses Gn24-03:08 discussing Abraham's orders to Eliezer on whom he should select as a wife for Isaac his son,states:
• A: And I will make you swear by the Lord, ... that you shall not take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, ....
• B: But you shall go to my ... family, and take a wife ...
• C: And the servant said ... Perhaps the woman will not be willing; would I then be allowed a Canaanite wife.
• A': And Abraham said to him, Beware that you bring not my son there again.
• B': The Lord God of heaven, ...shall send his angel before you, to take a wife from my relatives
• C: And if the woman will not be willing to follow you,
• B'': then you shall be free from this my oath; [Rashi: From part B of the oath]
• A'':only bring not my son there again.
• D: [Rashi: So take a wife from my friends, Aner, Esckol and Mamre.]
We have used bold letters A,B,C,D with and without primes to show the flow of logic.
• A: No Canaanite wife
• B: A wife from relatives is preferred
• C: If not a wife from relatives then
• D: select a wife from friends, Aner, Eshkol, Mamre
Rashi's sole contribution here is to clarify the flow of logic. For example Rashi contributed D: the idea of obtaining a wife from the family of friends if relatives are uncooperative. Since Rashi clarifies the flow of logic we have classified this Rashi as a non-verse Rashi.

Verse Gn24-22c discussing the gifts that Eliezer gave Rivkah states And it came to pass, as the camels finished drinking, that the man took
• a golden ear ring of half a dollar value, and
• two bracelets for her hands of
• ten shekels weight of gold;

The Rashi symbolic interpretations of these gifts seems strange:
• a golden ear ring of half a dollar value, [Rashi: corresponding to the Biblical commandment to give a half-dollar]
• two bracelets for her hands of [Rashi: Corresponding to the 10 commandments given on two stones]
• ten shekels weight of gold; [Rashi: Corresponding to the 10 commandments]

This Rashi is strange because it implies that Eliezer is prophesying that Rebekkah will be a matriarch to a people who will receive the 10 commandments and be commanded on the giving of the half-dollar. Rebekkah was in no position to know this at this stage of her life.

However the Rashi interpretations can be made plausible if we use one simple Rashi rule: Rashi does not speak using abstract concepts but rather Rashi speaks using examples of these concepts. Hence
• The concept of caring about the little man in the street is symbolized by the half dollar vs. say the $1 bill. The half dollar symbolism is also used in the commandment for every Jew to give a half dolloar symbolizing that all the little people in the nation count. Consequently instead of using the abstract concept of the little man in the street Rashi uses an example of this concept: The commandment to give a half dollar. Here we have used our understanding of Rashi's style to make his commentary plausible.
• The abstract concept of a dual emphasis on commandments between man-and-man vs. commandments between man-and-God is exemplified by the two tablets containing the ten commandments since one side the ten commandments contains commandments between man-and-God while the other side contains commandments between man-and-man.
• The abstract concept of community is symbolized by the plural number ten. One example of this is the quorum of people needed for a religious service,10, since the service must be delivered by the community. Another example might be the 10 commandments which contain the basic laws and ethics needed by the community.

Using this principle that Rashi expresses abstract concepts by using examples of them we can translate the Rashi symbolism into traditional abstract language. Rashi is explaining what Eliezer liked about Rivkah which would make her a good wife for Isaac:
• a golden ear ring of half a dollar value, [Rashi: She cared about the little man; Eliezer knew this since she gave a slave water to drink]
• two bracelets for her hands of [Rashi: She had a dual caring about both people and God---since she cared about the person, Eliezer, and also showed caring behavior to his animals(a man-God commandment)
• ten shekels weight of gold; [Rashi: Corresponding to her concerns for the community since she fed the camels which were presumably carrying commercial loads for community business]

As shown the Rashi symbolic interpretation is plausible and not far fetched. The sole tool we used to make Rashi plausible is replacing examples by the abstract concepts they exemplify. Rashi was not attributing prophetic knowledge to Rivkah or Eliezer. Rather Rashi was explaining how the events which just happened indictated personality traits desirable in a mate.