The 6 usages of the word >THE<:#9 of 35 ########################################################### # 10 YEAR Ayelet DAILY-RASHI-YOMI CYCLE # # Mar 21, 2001 # # Rashis 656-658 Of 7800 (8.4%) # # # # VISIT THE RASHI YOMI ARCHIVES # # ----------------------------- # # http://www.RashiYomi.Com/calendar.htm # # # # Reprinted with permission from Rashi-is-Simple, # # (c) 1999-Present, RashiYomi Inc., Dr Hendel President # #Permission to reprint with this header but not for profit# # # # WARNING: READ with COURIER 10 (Fixed width) FONTS # # # ########################################################### RULE ==== The word >THE< can be used in 4 ways --to refer to something that immediately follows eg Dt04-32c >Has anyone heard THIS GREAT THING-that God saved a nation enslaved in another nation with great miracles< Thus the phrase >THIS 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 unit we bring verses where >THE< refers to >THE BEST KNOWN IN ITS CLASS< ACKNOWLEDGEMENT =============== About a dozen of the examples in this posting come from one of our great Acharonim, the Malbim. Malbim in the 6th chapter of his >MORNING STAR< presents some of the principles on >THE<. We have built on this contribution. The details of what we have contributed as well as some further insightful comments on the Malbim will be made in the footnotes. This posting is a must for those involved in advanced talmudic study. Our email group is named after AYELET the name of the daughter of the moderator of Chevruta who hosts our series. AYELET, is also the name of the Malbims famous summary of his 613 principles governing all midrash, the so called AYELET HASHACHAR the morning start which may be found in his introduction to his commentary on Leviticus. 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 (Up next Sunday) #*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2001 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#* EXAMPLES 19-21: =============== --------------------------------------------------------- In the following verses >THE< refers to the best known example of a class. We therefore translate it these verses as meaning >THE SPECIAL ...< --------------------------------------------------------- EXAMPLE 19: Lv01-02c ========== Lv01-02c If you offer a sacrifice to God then bring the sacrifice FROM THE SPECIAL ANIMALS RASHI: The phrase >FROM THE SPECIAL ANIMALS< implies that the animals must be special and e.g. have not been used for bestiality*1 *2 EXAMPLE 20: Lv01-02d ========== Lv01-02d if you offer a sacrifice...if you offer it FROM THE (SPECIAL) CATTLE *1 RASHI: >FROM THE (SPECIAL) CATTLE<; but you may not offer sacrifices from animals that were worshipped *2 EXAMPLE 21: Lv01-02f ========== Lv01-03 If you offer an ELEVATION offering FROM THE (SPECIAL) cattle*3 RASHI: >FROM THE SPECIAL CATTLE<; but you may not offer a sacrifice from wounded cattle *2 --------------------------NOTES---------------------------- *1 Here are the differences between me and Malbim in approach * Malbim posits that >THE< refers to the species and derives the above Rashis by playing on the 2 words >FROM< and >THE< * By contrast I have simply interpreted >THE< to refer to something >SPECIAL< and >WELL KNOWN< Hence the verse >FROM THE animals< should be read as >FROM the SPECIAL animals< which would indicate that eg they were special but had not been subjected to bestiality. Thus my approach is based on supplying intuitive keywords (like SPECIAL) which capture the flavor of the word >THE< as well as the midrash *2 The Midrash does not DIRECTLY derive that >From the SPECIAL animals< means to exclude those animals that have had bestiality. Rather all the Midrash does is infer that these animals are SPECIAL in some way. We are not told in WHAT way they are special. MALBIM citing the Sifray and Talmud shows that in each case the SPECIALNESS is interpreted as consistent with the particular item mentioned. Thus eg CATTLE (Vs Wild beasts) are known for their domestication and hence we exclude bestiality. *3 e.g The phrase >THE CATTLE< is mentioned twice (Lv01-02, Lv01-03). Hence there are two aspects of specialness: (a) The cattle was not worshipped and (b) the cattle was not wounded. It is a mistake (as Malbim notes) to apply any particular derivation to any particular word. Rather for each mention of >THE< some type of SPECIALNESS is given #*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2001 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*