Rabbi Ishmael Example Method:#31 of 36 ########################################################### # 10 YEAR Ayelet DAILY-RASHI-YOMI CYCLE # # Sep 11, 2000 # # Rashis 258-258 Of 7800 (3.3%) # # # # Reprinted with permission from Rashi-is-Simple, # # (c) 1999-Present, Dr. Hendel # # http://www.RashiYomi.Com/ # # # #Permission to reprint with this header but not for profit# # # # WARNING: READ with COURIER 10 (Fixed width) FONTS # ########################################################### BACKGROUND EXAMPLE ------------------ Dt25-04a Dont muzzle an OX while threshing: RASHI: Dont muzzle ANY ANIMAL Lv01-02c Offer ANIMALS--Offer OXEN SHEEP RASHI: You can **ONLY** offer OXEN and SHEEP Dt18-03b These are the laws for those who offer sacrifices Whether from Oxen or Sheep RASHI: So these laws only apply to OXEN and SHEEP not to beasts and birds Why the difference? Why in one verse do we generalize OXEN to any animal, while in the other verse we restrict the law to ONLY oxen OVERVIEW -------- This module (which we have called CLIMAX) deals with the rules governing the interpretation of Biblical examples. If the Torah for example said "Eat apple pies" how should this be interpretd? --Should we say "Eat apple pies" means **ONLY** eat apple pies --Should we say "Eat apple pies" means eat ANYTHING TASTY --Should we say "Eat apple pies" means eat FRUIT pies In other words, how do we interpret the Biblical EXAMPLE apple pie. We now review the various methods of interpreting "Don't eat apple pie" and cite supporting Rashis. -GRAND SUMMARY PART 3- -IN METHOD 2 WE DONT GENERALIZE- METHOD 2a: GENERAL-SPECIFIC-- The GENERAL WORD=The SPECIFIC word ---------------------------------------------------------------- EXAMPLES -------- Eat TASTY PIES--APPLE pies CONCLUSION: So TASTY PIES **are** APPLE pies Nu05-12d "She DESCECRATES marriage--SLEEPS with another man" CONCLUSION: DESCECRATES marriage=Adultery*10 RULE: Sometimes a verse says the same thing twice-- 1st) It first says it with a GENERAL vague term like "TASTY", "DESCECRATES" 2nd) It then defines this GENERAL term with a SPECIFIC example Thereby indicating the MEANING of the GENERAL term. So in the examples above we infer that "APPLE PIE" is what is meant by a TASTY pie; or we might infer that "ADULTERY" is what is meant by "DESCECRATING A MARRIAGE" EXAMPLES -------- (10) Gn09-11a I will fulfill my CONVENANT with Noach (BY) placing the rainbow in the clouds as a symbol that I will NOT DESTROY the world RASHI: Thus the verse identifes Gods CONVENANT with placing a RAINBOW in the cloud as a symbol that God will not destroy the world. (11) Nu03-06a & The Levites will SERVE Aaron: (BY) WATCHING the Temple RASHI: Thus the verse identifies the SERVICE of the LEVITES with the specific act of WATCHING the temple (12) Nu05-12d & She DESECRATES her marriage: (BY) Sleeping with another man RASHI: In other words it is only for SLEEPING with another man that we perform the 'suspected- wife' ceremony mentioned in Nu05 (Eg if she desecrated her marriage in some other way by eg insulting her husband we do not perform the ceremony) (13) Dt02-04a ..Jews Watch yourself when you come to Esauv:(BY) Not starting up with them RASHI: So the verse identifies the GENERAL statement of "WATCH YOURSELF with ESAUV" as DO NOT START UP WITH THEM (14) Dt06-06a You should love your Lord God (BY) placing the Torah on your heart and making sharp summaries RASHI: In other words the only way to love God is by placing the Torah on your heart and making sharp summaries *1 (15) Dt11-28a "If you don't listen to Gods commandments" "and you deviate from Gods path"----------GENERAL "to serve other gods and worship them"----DETAIL RASHI: Thus "Deviate from Gods path" (or "Don't listen to commandments" are like headlines. The details are "worshiping other Gods." In other words the only way to violate **ALL** of Gods commandments is to worship idolatry. (16) Lv19-35a Don't pervert JUSTICE: (THAT IS) in measures, in weights,in liquid measures RASHI: First some background. From the context of this chapter we see that they are talking about the individual (not the courts) While there are many crimes that an individual can commit (like stealing) nevertheless the crime of false weights is the only crime that is punished like the crime of perverted judges (and leads to destruction of the land) The reason for this is that 'false weights' is like a bad judge--you can't get caught.*2 --------------------------------------------------------- In the following verses the general specific nature of the verse flows naturally in the translation (which was indicated by Rashi) --------------------------------------------------------- (17) Gn45-23a & He sent as follows to his father: (NAMELY) 10 Mules etc ....*3 (18) Gn49-04b Your impetuousness prevents you from taking the birthright... BECAUSE you played with your father's beds (19) Dt04-33c ..Has anything this great happened?--(THAT IS) Has a nation heard God (20) Lv03-09a Offer Its "fat"-- GENERAL (THAT IS) The tail DETAILS: (21) Ex01-11b The Egyptians placed TAXES on the Jews...: (THAT IS) They built cities*2 RASHI: Thus the taxes (only) consisted of labor to build cities (RASHI also explains the meaning of the words "TAXES"--but this is well known.) ---------------------------------------------------------- In the following verses the GENERAL and DETAILS are separated by several verses. As such the GENERAL statement looks like a HEADLINE that hyperlinks to the DETAILS below. ---------------------------------------------------------- (22) Gn02-08a Gn01-27 And God created Man Gn02-07:09 And God created man FROM earth and placed him in the Garden of Eden and placed their trees RASHI: It **looks** like there are two stories of creation The 1st creation in Gn01-27 and the 2nd creation in Gn02-07:09. Actually however, following Rabbi Eliezers (Son of Rabbi Yosi the Galileean) who had 32 styles by which to interpret the Bible we see Gn01-27 as a sort of HEADLINE that HYPERLINKS to Gn02-07 which gives the story in complete detail (How did God make man--where did He put him etc) (23) Dt11-26a (HEADLINE) I give you today BLESSINGS,CURSES Dt11-27 (DETAILS) The blessing: if you listen to God.. Dt11-28 (DETAILS) The curse: If you don't listen..*4 NOTES ----- *1 This Rashi (and the corresonding Rambam Foundations of Torah 2:1) are sometimes seen as homiletic and not the simple meaning of the text. But in reality they are the simple meaning of the text--for this paragraph has a GENERAL-PARTICULAR form: Love thy Lord thy God BY learning The Bible uses the GENERAL-PARTICULAR form as a vehicle to show that LOVE of GOD is achieved by LEARNING. *2 In other words the verse identifies the sin of false weights with perversion of justice. The reason for this identification is that if you steal you take the risk of being caught. But a person who perverts measures cannot be caught anymore than a judge who perverts justice cannot be caught. *3 Note the complicated explanation brought by commentaries to this Rashi. Our way of taking it is simple: Rashi simply explains the verse as indicating what was sent *4 NOTE: As the sifsay chachamim points out the Details are scattered throughout the Bible *5 This Rashi (and the corresonding Rambam Foundations of Torah 2:1) are sometimes seen as homiletic and not the simple meaning of the text. But in reality they are the simple meaning of the text--for this paragraph has a GENERAL-PARTICULAR form: Love thy Lord thy God BY learning *10 It is interesting to compare Nu05-12 with Nu05-20. The Bible speaks about DEVIATING, DESECRATING=IMPURITY, and SLEEPING. So DESCECRATING a MARRIAGE=Making it impure=Sleeping with somebody #*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2000 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#