The 10 RashiYomi Rules
Their presence in Rashis on Parshat DeVaRiM
Volume 14, Number 23
This weeks Weekly Rashi with Hebrew/English source tables
Is accessible at http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1423.htm
(c) RashiYomi Incorporated, Dr. Hendel, President, July 15 th, 2010
Visit the Rashi website http://www.Rashiyomi.com

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. Although I frequently use my own English translations of biblical verses and Rashi comments, the Hebrew and English translations in the source tables are derived from online parshah files at chabad.org who in turn acknowledges the Judaica Press Complete Tanach, copyright by Judaica Press.

FULL HOUSE THIS WEEK ALL RASHI RULES ILLUSTRATED

    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 Dt02-16c
    URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/w34n5.htm;
    Brief Summary: The MEN OF WAR mentioned in Dt02-16 refers to 20+ year olds Nu14-29 on whom death was decreed. 20+ is military age (e.g. Nu01-20)

Verse Dt02-16a
Hebrew Verse וַיְהִי כַאֲשֶׁר תַּמּוּ כָּל אַנְשֵׁי הַמִּלְחָמָה לָמוּת מִקֶּרֶב הָעָם:
English Verse So it was, when all the men of war finished dying from among the people,
Rashi Header Hebrew ויהי כאשר תמו וגו'.
Rashi Text Hebrew
Rashi Header Enlish So it was, when [all the men of war] finished
Rashi Text English

Verse Dt02-16, discussing the death of the men of war states So it came to pass, when all the men of war had completed dying from the people, Rashi clarifies the underlined words men of war by referencing verse(s) Nu14-29,Nu01-20 discussing the death decree on those who accepted the slander of the spies which states Your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness; and all who were counted of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, who have murmured against me ....And the sons of Reuben, Israel's eldest son, by their generations, according to their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, Hence the Rashi comment: The men of war mentioned in Dt02-16 refers to the 20+ year olds who accepted the slander of spies on whom was decreed death. These 20+ year olds are called men of war since 20 is the age of military conscription (Nu01-20).

Text of Target verse Dt02-16 Text of Reference Verse Nu14-29,Nu01-20
So it came to pass, when all the men of war had completed dying from among the nation, Your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness; and all who were counted of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, who have murmured against me ....And the sons of Reuben, Israel's eldest son, by their generations, according to their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward,
Rashi comments: The men of war who died mentioned in Dt02-16 refers to the 20+ year olds who accepted the slander of spies on whom was decreed death. These 20+ year olds are called men of war since 20 is the age of military conscription (Nu01-20).

Advanced Rashi: Note the unusual feature that we have a nested reference, in the above example. Men of war who died references the 20+ year olds on whom was decreed death and 20+ year olds references the census where we are told that 20 is the age of military conscription.

We will revisit this example below in rule #3, grammar.

      2. RASHI METHOD: WORD MEANING
      BRIEF EXPLANATION: The meaning of words can be explained either by
      • (2a) translating an idiom, a group of words whose collective meaning transcends the meaning of its individual component words,
      • (2b) explaining the nuances and commonality of synonyms-homographs,
      • (2c) describing the usages of connective words like also,because,if-then, when,
      • (2d) indicating how grammatical conjugation can change word meaning
      • (2e) changing word meaning using the figures of speech common to all languages such as irony and oxymorons.
      This examples applies to Rashis Dt01-12d
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1301.htm
      Brief Summary: TORACH=troubles; MASAH=business disputes; RIV=fights;

Verse Dt01-12d
Hebrew Verse אֵיכָה אֶשָּׂא לְבַדִּי טָרְחֲכֶם וּמַשַּׂאֲכֶם וְרִיבְכֶם:
English Verse How can I bear your trouble, your burden, and your strife all by myself?
Rashi Header Hebrew וריבכם
Rashi Text Hebrew מלמד שהיו רוגנים:
Rashi Header Enlish and your strife
Rashi Text English This teaches that they [the Israelites] were contentious (Sifrei).

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 hostile interactions between two people.
  • Tet-Resh-Cheth, Torach, harassments;
  • Nun-Sin-Aleph; Masah business disputes, [ in Talmudic Hebrew, Masah-OMatan means business; ]
  • Resh-Yud-Beth, Riv fights

In our article Peshat and Derash: A New Intuitive and Logical Approach, which can be found on the world-wide-web at http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rashi.pdf we have advocated punchy translations of Biblical verses as a means of presenting Rashi comments. The following translation of verse Dt01-13d embeds the Rashi translation Riv means fights. How can I bear by myself your harassments, (business) disputes and fights. [Rashi: The use of the words fights shows that, besides (legitimate) business disputes, the Jews were paranoic and (physically) fought.]

Advanced Rashi: We could have also justified this Rashi by using the database method and reviewing all verses where the root Riv occurs. A sample verse might be Gn13-07 ....there was a fight between the shepards of Abrahams flock and the shepards of Lots flock. Such verses show that Riv does not just mean dispute but more precisely means fights.

Another alternative for explaining this Rashi would be to use the Format-Climax method since the progression, Torach-Masah-Riv suggests that the last item, Riv is the most serious.

      3. RASHI METHOD: GRAMMAR
      BRIEF EXPLANATION: Rashi explains verses using grammar principles, that is, rules which relate reproducable word form to word meaning. Grammatical rules neatly fall into 3 categories
      • (a) the rules governing conjugation of individual words,Biblical roots,
      • (b) the rules governing collections of words,clauses, sentences
      • (c) miscellaneous grammatical, or form-meaning, rules.
      This examples applies to Rashis Dt02-16a
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/w34n5.htm
      Brief Summary: WHEN ALL DRAFTABLE MEN DIED THEN GOD SPOKE TO ME. Rashi: This teaches God only spoke to Moses for the sake of the community.

Verse Dt02-16a
Hebrew Verse וַיְהִי כַאֲשֶׁר תַּמּוּ כָּל אַנְשֵׁי הַמִּלְחָמָה לָמוּת מִקֶּרֶב הָעָם:
English Verse So it was, when all the men of war finished dying from among the people,
Rashi Header Hebrew ויהי כאשר תמו וגו'.
Rashi Text Hebrew
Rashi Header Enlish So it was, when [all the men of war] finished
Rashi Text English

The multi-verse rule simply states that some Biblical sentences span multiple verses. Knowledge of the multi-verse rule enables one to see distinct Biblical sentences as contributing meaning to each other. Today's example illustrates this.

Verses Dt02-16:17 state So it came to pass, when all draftable men had completed dying from the nation, [then] the Lord spoke to me, saying. We have indicated Rashi's comment, that the two verses form one sentence, by interpolating the typeset word then, indicating causal or temporal connection between the two verses. Rashi further elaborates: Why does the verse emphasize the causal relation that God spoke to Moses after the draftable men [who accepted the slander of the spies] completed dying? This causal relation indicates that God only prophetically spoke to Moses for the sake of the community. As long as people were dying and not going to enter Israel there was no need for God to speak to Moses.

    Advanced Rashi: We have studied Dt02-16:17 using three Rashi methods:
  • The meaning method taught us that the phrase men of war is an idiom meaning draftable men.
  • The reference method taught us that the draftable men who completed dying refers to the 20+ year olds who accepted the slander of the spies on whom death was decreed. The reference method further teaches us that 20 is age of military drafting. These references in turn enable us to decipher the idiom.
  • The grammar method taught us that the two verses - one speaking about the cessation of dying of draftable men and the other speaking about God delivering prophecy to Moses - were causally connected because God only spoke to Moses for the sake of the community.

    4. RASHI METHOD: ALIGNMENT
    BRIEF EXPLANATION: Aligning two almost identically worded verselets can suggest
    • (4a) 2 cases of the same incident or law
    • (4b) emphasis on the nuances of a case
    • (4c) use of broad vs literal usage of words
    This examples applies to Rashis Dt01-23b
    URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1301.htm
    Brief Summary: a) Kuph-Cheth and Kuph-Cheth Eth means TAKE. b) Kuph-Cheth M means SELECT. Hence Rashi translates I SELECTED 12 MEN...

Verse Dt01-23b
Hebrew Verse וַיִּיטַב בְּעֵינַי הַדָּבָר וָאֶקַּח מִכֶּם שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר אֲנָשִׁים אִישׁ אֶחָד לַשָּׁבֶט:
English Verse And the matter pleased me; so I took twelve men from you, one man for each tribe.
Rashi Header Hebrew ואקח מכם
Rashi Text Hebrew מן הברורים שבכם מן המסולתים שבכם:
Rashi Header Enlish so I took… from you
Rashi Text English from the select that were among you, of the finest that were among you (Sifrei).

The table below presents an aligned extract of verses or verselets in Dt01-23b, Dt01-15 Both verses/verselets discuss the taking of 12 representatives for the Jewish people. The alignment justifies the Rashi comment that: In creating a hierarchical judicial system Moses took the 12 tribal leaders that had already arisen in the tribes. But in creating a representative group to spy on Israel Moses selected 12 men. The nuances of selected connote a new selection from the choicest and finest.

Verse Text of Verse Rashi comment
Dt01-23b And the response pleased me well; and I selected twelve men of you, one from each tribe; In creating a hierarchical judicial system Moses took the 12 tribal leaders that had already arisen in the tribes. But in creating a representative group to spy on Israel Moses selected 12 men. The nuances of selected connote a new selection from the choicest and finest.
Dt01-15 So I took the chiefs of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them chiefs over you, captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes.

      5. RASHI METHOD: CONTRADICTION
      BRIEF EXPLANATION:Rashi resolves contradictory verses using 3 methods.
      • (5a) Resolution using two aspects of the same event
      • (5b) Resolution using two stages of the same process
      • (5c) Resolution using broad-literal interpretation.
      This examples applies to Rashis Dt01-27c
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/w34n5.htm
      Brief Summary: The Jews complained that GOD HATES US. But God loved the Jews? The Jews projected their own hatred of God onto God.

Verse Dt01-27c
Hebrew Verse וַתֵּרָגְנוּ בְאָהֳלֵיכֶם וַתֹּאמְרוּ בְּשִׂנְאַת יְ־הֹוָ־ה אֹתָנוּ הוֹצִיאָנוּ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם לָתֵת אֹתָנוּ בְּיַד הָאֱמֹרִי לְהַשְׁמִידֵנוּ:
English Verse You murmured in your tents and said, 'Because the Lord hates us, He took us out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand[s] of the Amorites to exterminate us.
Rashi Header Hebrew בשנאת ה' אתנו הוציאנו מארץ מצרים
Rashi Text Hebrew הוצאתו לשנאה היתה. משל למלך בשר ודם, שהיו לו שני בנים ויש לו שתי שדות אחת של שקיא ואחת של בעל, למי שהוא אוהב נותן של שקיא, ולמי שהוא שונא נותן לו של בעל. ארץ מצרים של שקיא היא, שנילוס עולה ומשקה אותה, וארץ כנען של בעל, והוציאנו ממצרים לתת לנו את ארץ כנען:
Rashi Header Enlish Because the Lord hates us, He took us out of the land of Egypt
Rashi Text English His taking us out was due to hatred [they claimed]. This may be compared to a mortal king who had two sons and two fields, one well irrigated, the other dependent upon rain only. To the son he loved, he gave the well irrigated field, and to the one he hated, he gave the one dependent upon rain only. The land of Egypt is a well irrigated country, for the Nile rises and irrigates it, while the land of Canaan is dependent upon rain only. He took us out of [the irrigated] Egypt to give us the arid land of Canaan (Num. Rabbah 17).

The table below presents two contradictory verses. Both verses talk about the emotional attitude of God to the Jews. The underlined words highlight the contradiction. One verse says God hates us [the Jews] while the other verse says ...because of God's love of you [the Jews] Which is it? Does God love or hate the Jews. Rashi simply resolves this using the broad-literal method: The statement that God loves the Jews is true. The statement of the Jews because of God's hatred of us can be interpreted using the psychological phenomena of projection - that is, the Jews projected their own hatred of God onto God's attitude towards them.

Summary Verse / Source Text of verse / Source
God hates the Jews Dt01-27 And you murmured in your tents, and said, Because the Lord hated us [the Jews], He has brought us out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.
God loves the Jews Dt07-08 But because of the Love of the Lord towards you [the Jews], and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn to your fathers, has the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of slav
Resolution: Broad-literal The statement that God loves the Jews is true. The statement of the Jews because of God's hatred of us can be interpreted using the psychological phenomena of projection - that is, the Jews projected their own hatred of God onto God's attitude towards them.

    6. RASHI METHOD: STYLE
    Rashi examines how rules of style influences inferences between general and detail statements in paragraphs.
    • Example: Every solo example stated by the Bible must be broadly generalized;
    • Theme-Detail: A general principle followed by an example is interpreted restrictively---the general theme statement only applies in the case of the example;
    • Theme-Detail-Theme: A Theme-Detail-Theme unit is interpreted as a paragraph. Consequently the details of the paragraph are generalized so that they are seen as illustrative of the theme.
    This examples applies to Rashis Dt02-26a
    URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1301.htm
    Brief Summary: Although the Egyptians severely tortured the Jews God did not immediately destroy them but rather offered them peace and the right to repent. From this Moses inferred that all war should be preceded by an offer of peaceful coexistence.

Verse Dt02-26a
Hebrew Verse וָאֶשְׁלַח מַלְאָכִים מִמִּדְבַּר קְדֵמוֹת אֶל סִיחוֹן מֶלֶךְ חֶשְׁבּוֹן דִּבְרֵי שָׁלוֹם לֵאמֹר:
English Verse So I sent messengers from the desert of Kedemoth to Sihon, king of Heshbon, with words of peace, saying,
Rashi Header Hebrew ממדבר קדמות
Rashi Text Hebrew אף על פי שלא צוני המקום לקרא לסיחון לשלום, למדתי ממדבר סיני מן התורה שקדמה לעולם. כשבא הקבה ליתנה לישראל חזר אותה על עשו וישמעאל, וגלוי לפניו שלא יקבלוה ואף על פי כן פתח להם בשלום, אף אני קדמתי את סיחון בדברי שלום. דבר אחר ממדבר קדמות, ממך למדתי שקדמת לעולם [בדברים]. יכול היית לשלוח ברק אחד ולשרוף את המצריים, אלא שלחתני מן המדבר אל פרעה לאמר (שמות ה א) שלח את עמי, במתון:
Rashi Header Enlish [And I sent messengers] from the desert of Kedemoth
Rashi Text English Even though the Omnipresent had not commanded me to call to Sihon in peace, I learned to do so from the incident at the desert of Sinai, i.e., relating to the Torah which preceded (קָדְמָה) the world. When the Holy One, blessed be He, was about to give the Torah to Israel, He took it to Esau and Ishmael. Although it was clear to Him that they would not accept it, nevertheless, He began with them in peace. So too, I first called to Sihon with words of peace. Another explanation מִמִּדְבַּר קְדֵמוֹת Moses said to God,“I learned this from You, Who preceeded (קָדַמְתָּ) the world. You could have sent one flash of lightning to consume the Egyptians, but instead, You sent me from the desert to Pharaoh. saying, (Exod. 5:1) ‘Let my people go’ patiently.” (Midrash Tanchuma)

Certain Biblical paragraphs are stated in an example form. In other words an example of a law is stated rather than the full general rule. The reader's task is to generalize the example. The idea that all Biblical laws should be perceived as examples (unless otherwise indicated) is explicitly stated by Rashi (Pesachim 6.). This is a rule of style since the rule requires that a text be perceived as an example rather than interpreted literally. The Rabbi Ishmael style rules govern the interpretation of style.

Verses Dt02-26:33 discussing an initial offer of peace, prior to declaring war on Sichon, states And I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying, Let me pass through your land; ..... I will purchase food that I eat... But Sihon ... would not let us pass by him; for the Lord your God hardened his spirit, .... And the Lord said to me, Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land before you; .... Then Sihon came out against us,... And the Lord our God delivered him before us; and we struck him, and his sons, and all his people Rashi commenting on the underlined phrases states: Moses generalized from God's dealing with Pharoh. Although Moses knew that Pharoh's heart would be hardened and God would defeat him nevertheless God initially offered Pharoh peace and the right to repent. Based on this incident Moses inferred that even though he knew that God would harden Sichon's heart and he would be defeated, Moses sent an initial offer of peace and good will.

Advanced Rashi: We read the rest of Rashi as follows From God's dealing with Egypt we also infer that when God gave the Torah, even though he knew that the world would reject it, He initially offered the rest of the world the Torah in peace. In this reading of Rashi we have taken Rashi's second explanation and made it primary. Since the 2nd explanation states that the basic driving force for Moses' inference was Egypt we therefore feel justified in inferring that the Midrashic statement that God offered the Torah to all nations was in fact inferred from a generalization of God's dealing with Egypt.

I might hasten to add that there is some faint scriptural support. A famous controversy on the Rashi at Ex18-01 Jethro heard ...all God did to Moses and to Israel... is whether Jethro heard only about the incidents prior to Ex18, the manna and the defeat of Amalayk, or whether Jethro also heard about events mentioned later in the Bible, such as the receipt of the Torah.

Everyone knows that Scriptural order does not imply temporal order. But why should anyone suspect that the Revelation happened before Jethro came! A possible answer is that Jethro brought back to Moses his wife and children. But at the Revelation all Jews separated from their wives! It would not make logical sense that Moses reunited with his wife prior to the Revelation where all people separated! So it would be reasonable that Ex18 the reunision of Moses and his family happened after Ex19 the Revelation.

Why then did the Bible deliberately place Ex18 Jethro's visit to Moses, prior to Ex19 the Revelation! It would appear to me that the Bible did that to juxtapose Ex17 the attack of Amalayk and Ex18 the coming of Jethro. The Bible is making a contrast: Amalayk rejected the Exodus and the Jewish God and attacked the Jews while Jethro accepted the Exodus and converted to Monotheism, founding the society of Kainites who were monotheistic.

This contrast supports the Midrashic statement that God offered everyone the Torah. Most people ignored the offer. Amalayk did not like the invasion of their personal space and attacked the Jews, while Jethro embraced monotheism.

    7. RASHI METHOD: FORMATTING
    BRIEF EXPLANATION:Inferences from Biblical formatting: #NAME?
    • Use of repetition to indicate formatting effects: bold,italics,...;
    • use of repeated keywords to indicate a bullet effect;
    • rules governing use and interpretation of climactic sequence;
    • rules governing paragraph development and discourse
    This examples applies to Rashis Dt01-22c Dt01-22d
    URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/dt01-22c.htm
    Brief Summary: Spies were to find a) easiest CITIES to conquer b) crooked ROADS with potential ambushes

Verse Dt01-22c
Hebrew Verse וַתִּקְרְבוּן אֵלַי כֻּלְּכֶם וַתֹּאמְרוּ נִשְׁלְחָה אֲנָשִׁים לְפָנֵינוּ וְיַחְפְּרוּ לָנוּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ וְיָשִׁבוּ אֹתָנוּ דָּבָר אֶת הַדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר נַעֲלֶה בָּהּ וְאֵת הֶעָרִים אֲשֶׁר נָבֹא אֲלֵיהֶן:
English Verse And all of you approached me and said, Let us send men ahead of us so that they will search out the land for us and bring us back word by which route we shall go up, and to which cities we shall come.
Rashi Header Hebrew את הדרך אשר נעלה בה
Rashi Text Hebrew אין דרך שאין בה עקמימות:
Rashi Header Enlish by which route we shall go up
Rashi Text English There is no road without a crooked portion.

We have explained in our article Biblical Formatting located on the world wide web at http://www.Rashiyomi.com/biblicalformatting.pdf, that the Biblical Author indicated bullets by using repeating keywords.

That is, if a modern author wanted to get a point across using bullets, a list of similar but contrastive items, then the Biblical Author would use repeating keywords.

Bullets whether indicated through modern notation or through the Biblical method of repeating keywords always indicate contrastive emphasis - that is, each bullet is presumed to be a distinct item contrasted to the other items on the list. Very often the bullets are also used to indicate that the entire list is exhaustive of some spectrum.

    This principle can be illustrated with verse Dt01-22 which discusses Moses' instuction to the spiees: And you came near me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall spy the land, and bring us word
  • Of which road to go up on, [to avoid ambushes on crooked roads] and
  • Of which cities to come to [for conquest.]

Advanced Rashi: In summary Rashi sees the repeating keyword, of, as indicating bullets. The bullets in turn emphasize a group of distinct concerns for spies: the identification of the good roads and the identification of the easy cities to conquer. As usual we have embedded the Rashi comments in the above translation.

      8. RASHI METHOD: DATABASES
      BRIEF EXPLANATION:Rashi makes inferences from Database queries. The precise definition of database query has been identified in modern times with the 8 operations of Sequential Query Language (SQL).

      This example applies to Rashis Dt01-23b
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1301.htm
      Brief Summary: 1) LAQAX and LAQAX ETH means TAKE. 2) LAQAX M means SELECT. RASHI: SELECTION vs TAKING connotes selection of the choicest and finest.

Verse Dt01-23b
Hebrew Verse וַיִּיטַב בְּעֵינַי הַדָּבָר וָאֶקַּח מִכֶּם שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר אֲנָשִׁים אִישׁ אֶחָד לַשָּׁבֶט:
English Verse And the matter pleased me; so I took twelve men from you, one man for each tribe.
Rashi Header Hebrew ואקח מכם
Rashi Text Hebrew מן הברורים שבכם מן המסולתים שבכם:
Rashi Header Enlish so I took… from you
Rashi Text English from the select that were among you, of the finest that were among you (Sifrei).

Today we ask the database query: What prepositional connectives are used with the verb to take.. The reader is encouraged to perform the query using a standard Biblical Konnkordance or search engine. The database query yields the list below. The list justifies the following Rashi inference: (1) In Biblical Hebrew the verb to take followed by no connective or by the connective eth means to take. (2) However the verb to take followed by the connective Mem means to select. The list below presents the results of the database query and shows examples

Verse Text of verse Connective word used with verb to take Meaning of the verb-connective phrase.
Dt01-23b I selected 12 men.... Mem Selected
Dt08-18 I took the Levites to replace the Jewish firstborn None Took
Dt01-15 I took the heads of your tribes, established and wise people.... Eth Took
Gn40-11 I took the grapes and squeezed them into Pharoh's cup.... Eth Took
Jo24-03 I took your father, Abraham from ... Eth Took

To recap there are only 14 verses in the entire Bible using the construction EQax... 13 of these verses use the form EQax eth or EQax.... Only one verse Dt01-23b uses the form EQax M. And on that one verse Rashi translates selected rather than take.

Advanced Rashi:This is a peach of a Rashi amply showing the interaction between the database method the grammar method, rule #3 and the alignment method, rule #4. It also shows the extreme sensitivity of the Talmudic mind to Biblical nuances. Rashi simple commented on the phrase and I selected from you by stating Selected from the choicest and finest. It is not immediately clear what Rashi is focusing on (or if you like, what is bothering Rashi). Some people might intuit that Rashi is commenting on the two words take from-you. But I have gone a step further. Rashi is commenting on the intrinsic meaning of the phrase take from which he translates as a dynamic new concept, select. Rashi then is really commenting that select vs take connotes taking from the finest and choicest. Thus we see that the whole Rashi is based on the very find point that take typically uses the word eth as a connective but Dt01-23 is the only verse where the Hebrew EQax uses the connective word mem. Thus this deceptively simple-appearing Rashi shows broad erudition and verse-comparison capabilities similar to our modern computer capacity.

In the very first article I ever wrote I stated The only way we can insure respect for chazal is by portraying them as they were∙men of vast encyclopedic knowledge, keen analytic insight, subtle ethical awareness, and moving moral motivation. The superiority of talmudic interpretation mu the flimsy and whimsical caprices of modern interpretation. Otherwise, even if modern interpreters do not lead the layman astray, his respect for midrashic rabbinics will be minimal. I still stand by this statement and hope the elaborate study of Dt01-23b in rules #3,#4,#8 gives a glimpse of this basic attitude on faith in the Talmudic sages.

Praise be Him who chose them and their learning!

      9. RASHI METHOD: SPREADSHEETS
      BRIEF EXPLANATION: The common denominator of the 3 submethods of the Spreadsheet method is that inferences are made from non textual material. The 3 submethods are as follows:
      • Spreadsheet: Rashi makes inferences of a numerical nature that can be summarized in a traditional spreadsheet
      • Geometric: Rashi clarifies a Biblical text using descriptions of geometric diagrams
      • Fill-ins: Rashi supplies either real-world background material or indicates real-world inferences from a verse. The emphasis here is on the real-world, non-textual nature of the material.
      This example applies to Rashis Dt02-03a
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/w34n5.htm
      Brief Summary: turn/face NORTHWARDS = walk on the EAST coast, FROM the SOUTH end TO the NORTH end.

Verse Dt02-03a
Hebrew Verse רַב לָכֶם סֹב אֶת הָהָר הַזֶּה פְּנוּ לָכֶם צָפֹנָה:
English Verse You have circled this mountain long enough; turn northward.
Rashi Header Hebrew פנו לכם צפנה
Rashi Text Hebrew סובו לכם לרוח מזרחית מן הדרום לצפון, ופניכם לצפון, נמצאו הולכין את רוח מזרחית. וזהו שנאמר (שופטים יא, יח) ויבואו ממזרח שמש לארץ מואב:
Rashi Header Enlish turn northward
Rashi Text English Turn along the eastern side [of Moab], from the south to the north, facing northerward. Consequently, they were traveling in an easterly direction, and this is what is meant by “And they came from the sun rise [i.e., east side] to the land of Moab” (Jud. 11:18).

Verse Dt02-03a states You have wandered around this mountain long enough; turn/face northward Rashi interprets the underlined phrase, turn/face northward, diagramatically, Face northward means to walk along on the east cost from the south to the north. Rashi's diagramtic statement is illustrated in the diagram below.

'	---------NORTH-------------|
'                                  |
'                                  ^
'                                  |EAST
'                                  |
'                                  ^
'     --------- SOUTH --------------

      10. RASHI METHOD: SYMBOLISM
      BRIEF EXPLANATION: Rashi provides symbolic interpretations of words, verses, and chapters. Rashi can symbolically interpret either
      • (10a) entire Biblical chapters such as the gifts of the princes, Nu-07
      • (10b) individual items, verses and words
      The rules governing symbolism and symbolic interpretation are presented in detail on my website.

      This examples applies to Rashis Dt01-44
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/dt01-44a.htm
      Brief Summary: The LION kills through POWER; the BEE kills thru VENOM without using power.

Verse Dt01-44a
Hebrew Verse וַיֵּצֵא הָאֱמֹרִי הַיֹּשֵׁב בָּהָר הַהוּא לִקְרַאתְכֶם וַיִּרְדְּפוּ אֶתְכֶם כַּאֲשֶׁר תַּעֲשֶׂינָה הַדְּבֹרִים וַיַּכְּתוּ אֶתְכֶם בְּשֵׂעִיר עַד חָרְמָה:
English Verse And the Amorites, dwelling in that mountain, came out towards you and pursued you as bees do, and beat you down in Seir, as far as Hormah.
Rashi Header Hebrew כאשר תעשינה הדבורים
Rashi Text Hebrew מה הדבורה הזאת כשהיא מכה את האדם מיד מתה, אף הם כשהיו נוגעים בכם מיד מתים:
Rashi Header Enlish As bees do
Rashi Text English Just as a bee dies instantly after stinging a person, they too [the Amorites], upon touching you, died immediately.

    Military activity is often vigorously described using animal metaphors. Here we use the symbolism principle that items can symbolize their function. Examples are plentiful
  • Nu24-09 states He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion. Who shall stir him up? Blessed is he who blesses you, and cursed is he who curses you.
  • Jr05-06 states Therefore a lion from the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the deserts shall destroy them, a leopard shall watch over their cities; every one who goes out there shall be torn in pieces; because their transgressions are many, and their apostasies are great.
  • Jr46-12 states Her sound is like that of a serpent on the move; for they shall march with force, and come against her with axes, like wood cutters.
  • Dt01-44a states And the Amorites, who lived in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah.

The interpreter's task is to identify the unique military characteristics of each animal. Rashi commenting on the last verse Dt01-44a states The military characteristic of the bee is the swiftness of conquest without exertion of power. That is a bee kills thru an instantaneous sting with venom, not by the type of power and interactive fight shown by a lion.

Conclusion

This week's parshah contains examples of all Rashi methods. Visit the RashiYomi website at http://www.Rashiyomi.com for further details and examples.