The 6 usages of the word >THE<:#12 of 35
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RULE
====
The words >THE< can be used in 4 ways

--to refer to something that immediately follows

  eg Dt04-32c >Has anyone heard THE GREAT THING-that God
  saved a nation enslaved in another nation with great miracles<

  Thus the phrase >THE GREAT THING< refers to the verse that
  follows >That God saved a nation enslaved in another nation<
  In other words the >GREAT THING< is Gods freeing one nation
  from another.

--to refer to a concept, story or thing mentioned ELSEWHERE
  (but not immediately afterwards)

  eg Nu13-33a >We saw there THE Nefilim<
  refers to the NEFILLIM nation mentined in Gn06-04

--to refer to the best known of a class

  eg  Dt01-07e >THE Mount< -- This refers to The Kings Mountain

--to refer to a qualitative best

  eg Dt05-18a >You will do the good and upright< -- ie compromise





GOALS:
=====
A person completing this module will be able to correctly
identify the specific usages of >THE< in the Bible.




TODAYS UNIT
===========
In the next few days we bring verses where
>THE< refers to >THE BEST KNOWN IN ITS CLASS<






REFERENCE:
=========
This module comes from the following digest in the
Rashi-is-Simple series


http://www.RashiYomi.Com/h9n14.htm
http://www.RashiYomi.Com/h9n16.htm


#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2001 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*

EXAMPLES 27,28:
===============


---------------------------------------------------------
  In the following verses >THE< refers to the best known
  example of a class. We therefore re-translate these
  verses as meaning >THE SPECIAL ...<
---------------------------------------------------------


EXAMPLE 27: Ex04-20a
==========
Ex04-20a they traveled by THE (SPECIAL) donkey

RASHI: This was a special species of donkey that
        was only used domestically and NEVER USED
        for military purposes.

        This is the same species of donkey that
        the Messiah will ride on and that Abraham
        rode on when he returned from Mount Moriah*6





EXAMPLE 28: Ex08-02a
==========
BACKGROUND
----------
The Bible is talking about the 2nd of the 10 plagues
brought on Egypt by Moses at the word of God.

Ex08-02a THE (SPECIAL) Frog went up over Egypt

RASHI: This was a special species of frogs known
       for their jumping capacity (hence this
       plague humiliated them much more)*7






--------------------------NOTES----------------------------

*6 Rashi literally says
   that >The phrase THE Donkey teaches us that
   this is the same donkey used by Abraham
   when he sacrificed Isaac and the same donkey
   that King Messiah will use to ride on<

   But it is rediculous to assume that a donkey
   is living several thousand years.

   A more palatable approach is that >THE DONKEY<
   refers to a special species of DONKEY known
   as ONLY being used for domestic purposes (some
   donkey species are used for both domestic
   and military purposes)---thus the phrase
   >THE DONKEY< would refer to this special species of
   donkeys known specifically for their domestication.

   Again such an approach makes the midrash
   appear palatable and deep. We do not
   in my opinion increase respect for Chazal
   by being literal on every midrash.

   TO SUMMARIZE:
   The Midrash is stating that the donkey used
   by Abraham at the sacrifice of Isaac, the donkey
   used by Moses when he went to free the Jews,
   and the donkey used by King Messiah are all DONKEYS FROM THE
   DONKEY SPECIAL DONKEY SPECIES KNOWN FOR THEIR DOMESTICATION
   ---these 3 leaders did not use military tactics. They instead
   achieved success thru their spirit.




*7 Shame on the Malbim for doubting Rashis finesse!

   Rashi here is commenting on the verse >And THE
   FROG went up over Egypt<.

   As Malbim notes the word >THE< is not needed with
   a species. Compare the sentences >I had OXEN..<
   (Gn32-05) or >He took money from FIRSTBORN (but
   it does not say THE FIRSTBORN)< (Nu03-50).

   So if it says >THE FROG< in this verse it must
   be referring to a SPECIAL SPECIES of FROG
   known for its jumping and hopping capacity.
   This was the 2nd of the plagues that Moses
   brought on the Egyptians at the hand of God
   and the humiliation of jumping frogs would
   be intensified by a species known for its
   jumping.

   Malbim gets into trouble since he interprets
   Rashi as giving two possible meanings:
   (a) ONE frog came and jumped all over Egypt
   (b) the frog species is collectively called
       frog.

   But Rashi is saying neither. Malbim got into
   this trouble because he used an abstract
   approach. What I have contributed is the
   use of intuitive idioms to help clarify
   Rashi.(This was in fact the contribution
   of my article in Tradition in Winter 1980---
   I introduced the idea of intuitive models)

   By interpreting the verse as >THE (SPECIAL)
   (Jumping) Frogs< we combine both meanings
   of Rashi and also make the 2nd plague
   plausible. It was not 1 frog that jumped;
   it was also not all frogs that jumped;
   it was rather the special jumping
   frogs that jumped and hence the >THE<
   in >& THE FROG came over Egypt<.

   Again Shame on Malbim (and anyone else)
   who doubts that Rashi-is-Simple.


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