The 10 RashiYomi Rules
Their presence in Rashis on Parshath Bo
Volume 15, Number 19
This weeks Weekly Rashi with Hebrew/English source tables
Is accessible at http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1519.htm
(c) RashiYomi Incorporated, Dr. Hendel, President, January 6 th, 2011
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.

    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 Ex011-08e
    URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/w33n7.htm Brief Summary: Ex11-08a, MOSES LEFT WITH GREAT ANGER reference Ex10-28 where Pharoh said DONT SEE ME ANYMORE

Verse Ex11-08e
Hebrew Verse וְיָרְדוּ כָל עֲבָדֶיךָ אֵלֶּה אֵלַי וְהִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לִי לֵאמֹר צֵא אַתָּה וְכָל הָעָם אֲשֶׁר בְּרַגְלֶיךָ וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן אֵצֵא וַיֵּצֵא מֵעִם פַּרְעֹה בָּחֳרִי אָף:
English Verse And all these servants of yours will come down to me and prostrate themselves to me, saying, Go out, you and all the people who are at your feet,' and afterwards I will go out. [Then] he [Moses] exited from Pharaoh with burning anger.
Rashi Header Hebrew בחרי אף
Rashi Text Hebrew על שאמר לו (שמות י כח) אל תוסף ראות פני:
Rashi Header Enlish with burning anger
Rashi Text English because he [Pharaoh] had said to him, “You shall no longer see my face” (Exod. 10:28)

Verse Ex08-28a discussing how Moses left Pharoh with great anger states And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down unto me, saying: Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee; and after that I will go out.' And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger. Rashi clarifies the underlined words in hot anger by referencing verse Ex10-28 which states And Pharaoh said to him, Get out from me, take heed to yourself, see me no more; for the day you see my face you shall die. Hence the Rashi comment: Moses was angry because Pharoh refused to talk to him.

Text of Target verse Ex11-08e Text of Reference Verse Ex10-28
And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down unto me, saying: Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee; and after that I will go out.' And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger. And Pharaoh said to him, Get out from me, take heed to yourself, see me no more; for the day you see my face you shall die.
Rashi comments: Moses was angry because Pharoh refused to talk to him.

Sermonic Points: The above Rashi has a simple modern interpretation: Pharoh broke off negotiations and this is a cause for anger.

      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 Ex12-11b
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/w35n4.htm
      Brief Summary: The Biblical root Cheth-Pay-Zayin means IMPETUOUS It can refer to a hasty action or a rattled emotional state.

Verse Ex12-11b
Hebrew Verse וְכָכָה תֹּאכְלוּ אֹתוֹ מָתְנֵיכֶם חֲגֻרִים נַעֲלֵיכֶם בְּרַגְלֵיכֶם וּמַקֶּלְכֶם בְּיֶדְכֶם וַאֲכַלְתֶּם אֹתוֹ בְּחִפָּזוֹן פֶּסַח הוּא לַי־הֹוָ־ה:
English Verse And this is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste it is a Passover sacrifice to the Lord.
Rashi Header Hebrew בחפזון
Rashi Text Hebrew לשון בהלה ומהירות, כמו (שמואל א' כג כו) ויהי דוד נחפז ללכת, (מלכים ב' ז טו) אשר השליכו ארם בחפזם:
Rashi Header Enlish in haste
Rashi Text English Heb. בְּחִפָּזוֹן, a term denoting haste and speed, like “and David was hastening (נֶחְפָז) ” (I Sam. 23:26); that the Arameans had cast off in their haste (בְּחָפְזָם) (II Kings 7:15). — [from Onkelos]

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 fear
  • Cheth-Pay-Zayin, ChiPaZon impetuous;
  • Pay-Cheth-Daleth, Pachad, fear
  • Yud-Resh-Eye, Yirah, revere
  • Beth-Hey-Lamed, Behalah, rattled.

    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
  • Ex12-11b embeds the Rashi translation Cheth-Pay-Zayin means impetuousness And thus shall you eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it impetuously it is the Lord’s Passover.
  • 2S04-04 embeds the Rashi translation Cheth-Pay-Zayin means impetuousness And Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son who was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the news came of Saul and Jonathan from Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled; and it came to pass, as she impetuously fled, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.

Advanced Rashi: The Hebrew Cheth-Pay-Zayin is frequently translated as hastily. The last example shows that impetuousness is a more precise translation than hastily. The point of the verse is not say that she was running, but rather that she was impetuous - doing things without thinking them through - and that is why she dropped the child. For this reason Cheth-Pay-Zayin can also mean frightened and rattled, that is, being in a state of impetuousness (Dt20-03.).

      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 Ex10-02b
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1324.htm
      Brief Summary: ....how I MOCKED at Egypt RASHI: The word for ACTION/DOING in the INTERACTIVE mode means MOCKED

Verse Ex10-02a
Hebrew Verse וּלְמַעַן תְּסַפֵּר בְּאָזְנֵי בִנְךָ וּבֶן בִּנְךָ אֵת אֲשֶׁר הִתְעַלַּלְתִּי בְּמִצְרַיִם וְאֶת אֹתֹתַי אֲשֶׁר שַׂמְתִּי בָם וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי אֲנִי יְ־הֹוָ־ה:
English Verse and in order that you tell into the ears of your son and your son's son how I made a mockery of the Egyptians, and [that you tell of] My signs that I placed in them, and you will know that I am the Lord.
Rashi Header Hebrew התעללתי
Rashi Text Hebrew שחקתי, כמו (במדבר כב כט) כי התעללת בי, (שמואל א' ו ו) הלא כאשר התעולל בהם, האמור במצרים. ואינו לשון פועל ומעללים, שאם כן היה לו לכתוב עוללתי, כמו (איכה א כב) ועולל למו כאשר עוללת לי, (שם כב) אשר עולל לי:
Rashi Header Enlish I made a mockery
Rashi Text English Heb. הִתְעַלַלְתִּי, I mocked, like “Because you mocked (הִתְעַלַלְתִּי) me” (Num. 22:29); “Will it not be just as He mocked (הִתְעַלֵל) them” (I Sam. 6:6), stated in regard to Egypt. It is not an expression meaning a “deed and acts (מַעִלָלִים),” however, for were that so, He would have written עוֹלַלְתִּי, like “and deal (וְעוֹלֵל) with them as You have dealt (עוֹלַלְתָּ) with me” (Lam. 1:22); “which has been dealt (עוֹלֵל) to me” (Lam. 1:12).

Most people are aware that Hebrew verbs come from three-letter roots. Each root is conjugated in the 8 dimensions of person, gender,plurality, tense, activity, modality, direct-object, and prepositional connective. For example the root Shin Mem Resh means to watch. The conjugations Shin-Mem-Resh-Tauv-Yud and Nun-Shin-Mem-Resh-Nun-Vav mean I watched and we were watched respectively.

The rules for Hebrew grammar are carefully described in many modern books and are well known. Rashi will sometimes comment when a verse is using a rare conjugation of an odd grammatical form.

When presenting grammatical Rashis my favorite reference is the appendix in volume 5 of the Ibn Shoshan dictionary. This very short appendix lists most conjugations.

Verse Ex10-02b discussing God's treatment of the Egyptian states and that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son's son, how I have mocked Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them; that ye may know that I am HaShem.' Rashi translates the Biblical word Hey-Tauv-Ayin-Lamed-Lamed-Tauv-Yud, HithAllalTi, as coming from the Biblical root Ayin-Lamed-Lamed which means to do, to act. We have conveniently embedded the Rashi comment in the translation of the verse. The conjugation rule governing this Biblical word may be found by using tables 1 or 4 (Table 10 does not apply) in the Ibn Shoshan dictionary for the interactive mode (HiTPael). In the interactive (Hitpael) mode, this root means interactive action, mocking (interactively responding to each action of the target victim with a similar action).

    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 Ex13-09c
    URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/w33n7.htm Brief Summary: The aligned contrast HAND - HANDLET suggests a dynamic new meaing: HANDLET=Weaker hand = LEFT.

Verse Ex13-09c
Hebrew Verse וְהָיָה לְךָ לְאוֹת עַל יָדְךָ וּלְזִכָּרוֹן בֵּין עֵינֶיךָ לְמַעַן תִּהְיֶה תּוֹרַת יְ־הֹוָ־ה בְּפִיךָ כִּי בְּיָד חֲזָקָה הוֹצִאֲךָ יְ־הֹוָ־ה מִמִּצְרָיִם:
English Verse And it shall be to you as a sign upon your hand and as a remembrance between your eyes, in order that the law of the Lord shall be in your mouth, for with a mighty hand the Lord took you out of Egypt.
Rashi Header Hebrew על ידך
Rashi Text Hebrew יד שמאל, לפיכך ידכה מלא בפרשה שניה (פסוק טז) לדרוש בה, יד שהיא כהה:
Rashi Header Enlish upon your hand
Rashi Text English On the left hand. Therefore, in the second section, יָדְכָה is written with the full spelling, to explain thereby [that it means] the hand (יָד) that is weaker (כֵּהָה). — [from Men. 37b]

The table below presents an aligned extract of verses in Ex13-09c, Ex13-16 Both verses discuss the obligation to place Tefillin on the left hand. The alignment justifies the Rashi assertion that The Tefillin must be placed on the handlet - the weaker hand which in most people is the left hand.

Verse Text of Verse Rashi comment
Ex13-09c And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thy hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the law of HaShem may be in thy mouth; for with a strong hand hath HaShem brought thee out of Egypt. The underlined words require that the Tefillin be placed on presumably any hand.
Ex13-16 and it shall be a sign upon your handlet .... The word handlet never occurs in the Bible. The contrastive alignment with hand suggests a coined term meaning the weaker hand. Hence the requirement is to place tefillin on the left hand.

Advanced Rashi: The actual aligned Hebrew words are Yud-Daleth-Caph vs. Yud-Daleth-Caph-Hey. A terminal hey in Hebrew indicates a feminine or weaker form. This explains the Rashi comment: the weaker hand, the left hand.

English however has no letter indicating the feminine. To mimic the Hebrew we used the let suffix: hand-handlet. The purpose of this construction was to give the feel underlying the Rashi.

The use of skillfully constructed English analogies to mirror Biblical derivations was advocated in my article Biblical Formatting found on the world wid web at http://www.rashiyomi.com/biblicalformatting.pdf.

      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 example applies to Rashis Ex12-48a
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/w35n4.htm
      Brief Summary: For a convert to bring a Passover sacrifice they must both a) circumcise and b) bring it on the proper date.

Verse Ex12-48a
Hebrew Verse וְכִי יָגוּר אִתְּךָ גֵּר וְעָשָׂה פֶסַח לַי־הֹוָ־ה הִמּוֹל לוֹ כָל זָכָר וְאָז יִקְרַב לַעֲשֹׂתוֹ וְהָיָה כְּאֶזְרַח הָאָרֶץ וְכָל עָרֵל לֹא יֹאכַל בּוֹ:
English Verse And should a proselyte reside with you, he shall make a Passover sacrifice to the Lord. All his males shall be circumcised, and then he may approach to make it, and he will be like the native of the land, but no uncircumcised male may partake of it.
Rashi Header Hebrew ועשה פסח
Rashi Text Hebrew יכול כל המתגייר יעשה פסח מיד, תלמוד לומר והיה כאזרח הארץ, מה אזרח בארבעה עשר אף גר בארבעה עשר:
Rashi Header Enlish he shall make a Passover sacrifice
Rashi Text English We might think that everyone who converts must make a Passover sacrifice immediately. Therefore, Scripture states: “and he will be like the native of the land,” [indicating that] just as the native [makes the sacrifice] on the fourteenth [of Nissan], so must a proselyte [make it] on the fourteenth [of Nissan]. — [from Mechilta]

The table below presents two contradictory verses / verselets. Both verses speak about a convert bringing a Passover sacrifice The underlined words highlight the contradiction. One verse says let him circumcise and then he brings his Passover sacrifice while the other verse states he will be like other citizens (who bring their sacrifice on their Passover sacrifice on the 14th.) We see the contradiction---which is it? Does a convert bring a personal Passover offering immediately upon conversion and circumcision or does he only bring Passover offerings on 14 Nissan like other Jewish citizens. Rashi simply resolves this contradiction using the 2 stages method: First the convert must circumcise and second the 14th of Nissan must come so that he may participate with everyone else. However if the 14th came and he did not yet circumcise he may not participate in the passover offering. The convert does not bring a personal Passover offering immediately after circumcision.

Summary Verse / Source Text of verse / Source
Circumcision is the prerequisite for a convert bringing the Passover offering Ex12-48a And when a stranger shall sojourn with you [convert], and will keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it;
He is like other citizens (Who bring the offering on Nissan 14) Ex12-48 and he shall be like citizens; for no uncircumcised person shall eat of it.
Resolution: 2 Stages First the convert must circumcise and second the 14th of Nissan must come so that he may participate with everyone else. However if the 14th came and he did not yet circumcise he may not participate in the passover offering. The convert does not bring a personal Passover offering immediately after circumcision.

Advanced Rashi: The contradiction here was not very deep. The resolution you need both circumcision and the 14th was sort of obvious. Rashi does have a subtle point - It might be the case that converts bring a personal Passover offering immediately upon conversion supplementing the national Passover offering. This personal offering would make sense since the conversion is an Exodus for the convert. It is also possibly implied by the Biblical text: ...then he shall offer it. Hence the resolution of Rashi that all Passover offerings are communal/national and brought on the 14th.

    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 Ex12-46c
    URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1324.htm
    Brief Summary: GENERAL: It should be consumed in one house DETAIL: Don't take meat outside DETAIL: Don't break [meaty]-bones.

Verse Ex12-46c
Hebrew Verse בְּבַיִת אֶחָד יֵאָכֵל לֹא תוֹצִיא מִן הַבַּיִת מִן הַבָּשָׂר חוּצָה וְעֶצֶם לֹא תִשְׁבְּרוּ בוֹ:
English Verse It must be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the meat out of the house to the outside, neither shall you break any of its bones.
Rashi Header Hebrew ועצם לא תשברו בו
Rashi Text Hebrew הראוי לאכילה, כגון שיש עליו כזית בשר יש בו משום שבירת עצם, אין עליו כזית בשר אין בו משום שבירת עצם:
Rashi Header Enlish neither shall you break any of its bones
Rashi Text English If it [the bone] is edible, e.g., if there is an olive-sized amount of meat on it, it bears the prohibition of breaking a bone; if there is neither an olive-sized amount of meat on it nor marrow [in it], it does not bear the prohibition against breaking a bone. — [from Pes. 84b]

Certain Biblical paragraphs are stated in a Theme-Development form. In other words a broad general idea is stated first followed by the development of this broad general theme in specific details. The Theme-Detail form creates a unified paragraph and consequently the law or narrative statement only applies to the enumerated details but not to other cases. Today's example illustrates this as shown below.

    Verses Ex12-46c discussing the requirement of eating the Pascal lamb: states
    • General: It shall be consumed in one house
    • Detail:
      • Don't take any meat outside
      • Don't break any [meaty] bones
    The general clause states it will be consumed in one house and could mean that besides consuming the meat one must consume the marrow inside the bones. The detail clause provides specificity to the general clause and describes how it should be interpreted: Although you must consume all meat you need not break bones to expose the marrow and eat it.

    Advanced Rashi: This Rashi is based on the Mechiltah which forms the basis for the Talmudic passages in Pesachim 85, 95. The Talmud adds complexity to the exegesis by bringing in an identical verse repeated in Nu09. The Talmud actually makes several inferences. My way of taking the Talmudic exegesis is as follows:
  • Eat all meat of the Passover sacrifice (Ex12-08)
  • But don't break bones to eat the marrow inside (Ex12-46c)
  • Don't break bones with meat on the outside (since nothing should be leftover) (Nu09-12)
  • It is permissable to break bones which neither have meat inside nor outside (General-Detail).

      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 example applies to Rashis Ex12-35b
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/w33n7.htm
      Brief Summary: The Jews took from the Egyptians a) silver utensils, b) gold utensils, and c) clothes (which were the most needed)

Verse Ex12-35b
Hebrew Verse וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עָשׂוּ כִּדְבַר מֹשֶׁה וַיִּשְׁאֲלוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם כְּלֵי כֶסֶף וּכְלֵי זָהָב וּשְׂמָלֹת:
English Verse And the children of Israel did according to Moses' order, and they borrowed from the Egyptians silver objects, golden objects, and garments.
Rashi Header Hebrew ושמלת
Rashi Text Hebrew אף הן היו חשובות להם מן הכסף ומן הזהב, והמאוחר בפסוק חשוב:
Rashi Header Enlish and garments
Rashi Text English These meant more to them than the silver and the gold, and [thus] whatever is mentioned later in the verse is more esteemed. — [from Mechilta]

The climax principle asserts that a sequence of similar phrases should be interpreted climactically even if the words and grammatical constructs used do not directly suggest this. That is the fact of the sequence justifies reading into the Biblical text a climactic interpretation even if no other textual source justifies it. For this reason we consider the climax method a distinct and separate method.

    Verse Ex12-35b discussing what the Jews took from Egypt when they left states And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they asked of the Egyptians
    • Silver utensils
    • Gold utensils
    • and clothing

Rashi interprets this Biblical verse Climactically: Silver utensils were the least important, gold utensils were more important and clothing was most important. We infer this from the fact that clothing is mentioned last in the verse.

Advanced Rashi: Rashi tells us that clothing were the most important but does not elaborate further. Perhaps he is being discrete. After all slaves do not traditionally wear good clothing. The Midrash relates that Vashti, the Queen or Persia, used to make her Jewish slaves work naked to humiliate them. In such a context Rashi's statement the clothing was the most important emphasizes the degraded state in which the Jewish slaves were - all they could think about was getting a good pair of clothing.

What we have called the climax method, modern scholars call parallelism. Modern scholars classify climactic parallelism in what we have called the alignment method. Dr. Kugel particularly emphasized that parallelism requires a climactic increasing intensity of interpretation.

      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 Ex10-01a
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1518.htm
      Brief Summary: The 10 plagues punished Pharoh by sea(#1,4), land (#2,5), and by air (#7,8). The 10 plagues punished Pharoh for making the Jews feel like non-citizens (#1,4,7), like slaves (#2,5,8) and for inflicting pain (#3,6,9).

Verse Ex10-01a
Hebrew Verse וַיֹּאמֶר יְ־הֹוָ־ה אֶל מֹשֶׁה בֹּא אֶל פַּרְעֹה כִּי אֲנִי הִכְבַּדְתִּי אֶת לִבּוֹ וְאֶת לֵב עֲבָדָיו לְמַעַן שִׁתִי אֹתֹתַי אֵלֶּה בְּקִרְבּוֹ:
English Verse The Lord said to Moses: Come to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, in order that I may place these signs of Mine in his midst,
Rashi Header Hebrew ויאמר ה' אל משה בא אל פרעה
Rashi Text Hebrew והתרה בו:
Rashi Header Enlish The Lord said to Moses
Rashi Text English Come to Pharaoh: and warn him.

We ask the following database query: What are the characteristics of the 10 plagues? 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: The 10 plagues were delivered in military formation. The 10 plagues punished Pharoh by sea(plagues #1,4), by land (plagues #2,5), and by air (plagues #7,8). The 10 plagues punished Pharoh for making the the Jews go through the three stages of non-citizenship mentioned at Gn15-13 in the Convenant of cuts. Pharoh was punished for making the Jews feel like non-citizens (#1,4,7), like slaves (#2,5,8) and for inflicting pain (#3,6,9). The list below presents the results of the database query.

Gn15-13 Non Citizens Slaves Pain
10 Plagues Non Ownership No Social Prominence Pain
By sea Blood Non Ownership of Nile Frogs Embarassment in one's own house Lice Pure pain
By land Animal mixtures Non ownership of your land Animal plagues Loss of Egyptian Prominence - Egypt known for horses Boils Pure pain
By air Hail Non ownership of your air space Locusts Loss of Egyptian Prominence - Egypt exported flax Darkness /immobilization Pure pain

Just to clarify the use of the table we illustrate with the first plague, blood. Recall that Moses was sent to free the Jews from Egypt. In his dialogue with Pharoh, Moses, at the order of God, brought 10 plagues on Egypt. The plague of blood consisted of turning the Nile river into blood. Thus this plague attacked Egypt by sea. Furthermore the message in this plague was You do not even own your own Nile...if I,God, want I will turn it into blood. So the plague of blood is the intersection of the two parameters sea and non-citizenship.

    The correspondences of Gn15-13 and the 3 sets of punishments should be clear:
  • non-citizenship is punished by lack of ownership.
  • slavery is punished by lack of honor and social prominence.
  • pain is punished by pain.

    While presented this Rashi this week someone asked my about the 10th plague, the plague of the firstborn. Rav Hirsch points out that the plague of the firstborn combines aspects of all three punishments:
  • Lack of ownership: People don't own their own family (Their children die)
  • Lack of Social Prominence: The eldest son who continues the family name, dies.
  • Pure pain: Loss fo a child.

Rashi Hirsch, following Rashi, points out that because plagues #3,6,9, dealt with pure pain, there was no warning to Pharoh. By contrast, plagues #1,2,4,5,7,8 were to educate Pharoh to his lack of citizenship and his lack of social honor in God's world, and consequently, Moses was told to prepare Pharoh for the plague by warning him.

Acknoweldgement: Rashi Ex08-17b introduced the idea of the plagues being in military formation. Rav Hirsch further developed this idea and corresponded the three sets of plagues to the three stages of non-citizenship mentioned in the convenant of cuts at Gn15-13. I introduced the idea that the Pain plagues were not by sea,land and air while the non citizenship and slavery plagues were by sea,land and air.

Praise be Him who chose them and their learning.

      9. RASHI METHOD: NonVerse
      BRIEF EXPLANATION: The common denominator of the 3 submethods of the NonVerse 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 examples applies to Rashis Ex10-13a
      URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/rule1324.htm
      Brief Summary: (Ex10-13a) ...An EAST WIND carried the locust RASHI: The locust came FROM Israel to EGYPT which was in the SOUTHWEST of Israel (Nu34-03:05)

Verse Ex10-13a
Hebrew Verse וַיֵּט מֹשֶׁה אֶת מַטֵּהוּ עַל אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם וַי־הֹוָ־ה נִהַג רוּחַ קָדִים בָּאָרֶץ כָּל הַיּוֹם הַהוּא וְכָל הַלָּיְלָה הַבֹּקֶר הָיָה וְרוּחַ הַקָּדִים נָשָׂא אֶת הָאַרְבֶּה:
English Verse So Moses stretched forth his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord led an east wind in the land all that day and all the night. [By the time] it was morning, the east wind had borne the locusts.
Rashi Header Hebrew ורוח הקדים
Rashi Text Hebrew רוח מזרחית נשא את הארבה, לפי שבא כנגדו שמצרים בדרומית מערבית היתה, כמו שמפורש במקום אחר:
Rashi Header Enlish the east wind
Rashi Text English The east wind bore the locusts because it [the east wind] came opposite it [the locust swarm], for Egypt is southwest [of Israel], as is explained elsewhere (Num. 34:3).]

Todays Rashi presents a map, a geographical description, of Israeli geography and the surrounding (Biblical countries). The map is presented below and appropriate footnotes outline Rashi's comment. Because Rashi clarifies diagrammatic material we classify this Rashi as non-Verse. We have explained the Rashi Ex10-13a using two methods: The NonVerse method and the reference method. We have begun the explanation of this Rashi above in rule #1, reference.

===========================================================
MAP OF SOUTHERN BORDER OF ISRAEL (Nu34-03:05)
=========================================================== 
'  Great  |        ISRAEL        |
'  Sea    |                      |Salt
'         |                      |Sea
'         |                      |
'         |                      |
'         |Egypt River           |
' -------------------------------|            
'                Kadesh Barnaya       EDOM
' EGYPT
'
'
'                 Sinai
'                 Peninsula
'                              Ezion Geber
'

    Verses Nu34-03:05 states the following
  • The Salt Sea and Edom define the South-East border of Israel Nu34-03
  • Kadesh Barnaya, the Egyptian River and the Great Sea define the South-West border of Israel Nu34-04:05.

The above picture shows that Egypt is on the South-West of Israel. Hence God transported locusts from Israel to Egypt via an Eastern wind (Ex10-13a) which brought the locusts to the South-West Egyptian-Israel border.

Verse Ex03-02b
Hebrew Verse וַיֵּרָא מַלְאַךְ יְ־הֹוָ־ה אֵלָיו בְּלַבַּת אֵשׁ מִתּוֹךְ הַסְּנֶה וַיַּרְא וְהִנֵּה הַסְּנֶה בֹּעֵר בָּאֵשׁ וְהַסְּנֶה אֵינֶנּוּ אֻכָּל:
English Verse An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from within the thorn bush, and behold, the thorn bush was burning with fire, but the thorn bush was not being consumed.
Rashi Header Hebrew מתוך הסנה
Rashi Text Hebrew ולא אילן אחר, משום עמו אנכי בצרה (תהילים צא טו):
Rashi Header Enlish from within the thorn bush
Rashi Text English But not from any other tree, because of “I am with him in distress” (Ps. 91:15). — [from Tanchuma, Shemoth 14]

Conclusion

This week's issue does not contain examples of method #10,symbolism of the Rashi methods. Visit the RashiYomi website at http://www.Rashiyomi.com for further details and examples.