Rabbi Ishmael Example Method:#34 of 36 ########################################################### # 10 YEAR Ayelet DAILY-RASHI-YOMI CYCLE # # Sep 14, 2000 # # Rashis 264-271 Of 7800 (3.5%) # # # # 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 OX and SHEEP animals RASHI: You can **ONLY** offer OX & SHEEP animals 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. Here are the rules governing interpretation of Biblical EXAMPLES---the EXAMPLES summarizing the past month will follow. -GRAND SUMMARY PART 6- -IN PART 6 WE INTERPRET A GENERAL-DETAIL-GENERAL style BY **GENERALIZING** THE DETAIL TO ALL SIMILAR ONES. The examples below illustrate this. Some come from the Talmud but not from Rashi on Chumash. (32) Ex25-31 Mnacoth 28b (In Talmud Not Rashi) Ex25-31 Make a Candellabrah-------------GENERAL it should be GOLD---------------DETAIL it should be sculptored(not soldered) The Candellabrah should be made-GENERAL TALMUD: This has a GENERAL-DETAIL-GENERAL form. Hence we GENERALIZE the DETAIL. The Menorah can be made of ANY METAL But we prohibit construction from wood &/or clay (33) Lv05-04 Shavuoth 26a (In Talmud not Rashi) Lv05-04 If a person swears with his lips--GENERAL to do good or evil ---------------DETAIL Any type of Oath------------------GENERAL TALMUD: Thus these laws apply to ANYthing that is sworn for the future, whether it be good or harmful (34) Lv02-13 Mnacoth 20a (In Talmud but not in Rashi) Lv02-13 You shall salt all SACRIFICES--------GENERAL Don't leave unsalted any MINCHAH OFFERING-----------------DETAIL place salt on ALL YOUR SACRIFICES----GENERAL TALMUD: Thus the salting law applies to ANYthing that is like a MINCHAH offering. As long as it is something that goes on the fire it must be salted. Hence we extend the salting requirement even to "wood" that is donated to the temple (Since it goes on the altar fire It too must be salted) (35) Lv05-21 Baba Kama 117b (In Talmud Not Rashi) Lv05-21 If a person DENIES TO HIS FRIEND-----GENERAL (denies) a DEPOSIT-------------------DETAILS LOAN that he STOLE from him witheld WAGES didn't return a LOSS article or ANYTHING which he denies---------GENERAL TALMUD: So the law applies to anything that is like the 5 items enumerated---that is, to any TANGIBLE OBJECT MOVABLE OBJECT THAT HAS INTRINSIC VALUE If a person denied owing this under oath the laws of this chapter apply. (This chapter does not eg apply to real estate, bonds or beauty which don't resemble the above 5 items.) (36) Dt18-01c (37) Dt18-01b (38) Dt18-01d (39) Dt18-01e (40) Dt18-02a (41) Dt18-02b The verses state ---GENERAL: Priests/Levites should have no inheritance ---DETAILS: Instead Priests eat from fires of God ---GENERAL: Priests should have no inheritance Since this has a GENERAL-DETAIL-GENERAL form therefore we interpret the DETAILS broadly. Cross referencing Nu18 we see that Priests and Levites can eat --* From the fires (sacrifices) of God --* This includes items not placed on the fire (like skins from animal offerings or parts of animals eaten by the priests) --* From the Tithes Cross referencing Nu18-24 we would conclude that the Priests Levites have no share in any land whether --* The land of Israel proper --* Land conquered in a religious (eg defensive) war --* Land like transjordan which was given to the Gadites*1 NOTES ----- *1 Notice how the above derivation comes TOTALLY FROM Style---this is in contrast to the "problem" or "what is bothering Rashi" approach---such an approach would count the "number of extra times it says that the priests will not inherit and assign an extra nuance for each extra time"--this approach is not necessary (42) Dt14-26a (43) Dt14-26g (44) Dt14-26c BACKGROUND: The Bible discusses what foods you can buy with tithe money in Jerusalem. The Bible says Dt14-26 And you will take the money and use it to buy (GENERAL) ALL THAT YOUR SOUL WANTS (PARTICULAR) Cattle(Steaks) Sheep(Lambchops) Wine Beer (GENERAL) ALL THAT YOUR SOUL ASKS FOR RASHI:The 4 items---CATTLE, SHEEP, BEER, WINE have the following 3 attributes in common. They--cattle sheep wine bear--are * EDIBLES (but not Real Estate) * DERIVED FROM THE GROUND(but not fish) * The are ORGANIC--eg SPICES,TEA (But not salt, water) Thus you may buy ANY item that resembles the 4 items mentioned in the verse such as Cattle, Sheep, Wine, Beer, spices, tea, but you may not buy fish, water. (45) Dt15-21a (46) Dt15-21b (47) Dt15-21c BACKGROUND: The Bible discusses which blemishes invalidate 1stborn animals from being offered to God. The Bible says Dt15-21 (GENERAL) If it has a blemish (PARTICULAR) LAME or BLIND (GENERAL) and bad blemish RASHI: The defects LAME and BLIND have the following in common: They are * PERMANANT BLEMISHES (but not eg a skin cut) * VISIBLE BLEMISHES (but not eg deafness) * INTEFERING WITH ANIMAL WORK So I can't offer lame animals but I can offer animals with cuts, or animals with permanant visible scars that do not intefer with work (The Talmud debates which of these attributes to include). (48) Dt15-14b Give the slave (when he leaves) from your CATTLE-----------------DETAILS GRAIN WINEVATS THAT which God gave you--------GENERAL RASHI: Since this has a DETAIL-GENERAL form we GENERALIZE the EXAMPLES---Cattle, Grain, WINEVATS to ANY ITEM capable of REPRODUCTION(like cattle, grain and grapes) but we exclude MULES (Which can't reproduce).So I can't give slaves, MULES but I can give them livestock and grains. (49) Dt21-04a (Sotah 46b) BACKGROUND: When a murder victim is found in the open the great Sanhedrin was required to go thru the YOUNG OX ritual to atone for this travesty of justice. Among the ritual requirements were that the YOUNG OX be brought down to a river that had never been worked--the Bible says Dt21-04 And they will bring the Ox down to a NATURAL RIVER-------------------GENERAL*1 that has NEVER BEEN WORKED-----------GENERAL (land) that has not been sown--------DETAIL RASHI/TALMUD: This has a GENERAL-GENERAL-DETAIL form which is interpreted like a GENERAL-DETAIL-GENERAL form. In other words ----a NATURAL RIVER---this is a GENERAL statement ----has never been worked--this also is GENERAL ----it has never been sown--this is DETAILED. We generalize this to all similar cases. The law is that if the river has had work done IN ITS LAND (like sowing, ploughing, etc) then it cannot be used. But if non-land work has been done there (like threshing, combing wool etc) then it still can be used. NOTES: ----- *1 This is a peach of a Rashi. Because the Talmud that claims that this is a GENERAL-GENERAL-DETAIL form remains enigmatic UNTIL we read Rashi in Chumash and see that Rashi interprets the Hebrew word AYTHAN which means "NATURAL" as meaning "IN ITS NATURAL STATE SO IT CAN'T BE WORKED'. By doing this RASHI identifies 2 general clauses in the verse, each of which generally says "It hasn't been worked" (THe word AYTHAN hardly ever occurs in the Bible; it has a connotation of NATURAL, PRISTINE, HARDY). #*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2000 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#