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Surfing the Talmudic Seas
(C) Dr Russell Jay Hendel, 2000
Volume 6 Number 1
Produced May, 02 2000
WARNING: USE FIX WIDTH FONTS (eg COURIER (NEW) 10)
Verses/Topics Discussed in This Issue with quicky explanations
--------------------------------------------------------------
v6-5-2
NEW FORMAT DUE TO READER REQUESTS: (a) Back to
traditional notation eg. Gn13-01a refers to Rashi-#a on
Genesis Chapter 13, Verse 1. (b) Shorter compact form
(Very readable)---Postings broken up into Modules as
part of a 10 year Rashi project (c) More
v4a3-7
The phrase WATCH and DO means TRAIN and ACT--make a JOB
of doing commandments (b)The phrase WATCH my WATCHINGS
means to make PROFESIONAL SAFEGUARDS & STANDARDS--FENCES
to avoid accidents.The UNIFIED MEANING is
PROFESSIONALISM--ie TRAINING or STANDARDS
#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2000 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*
RASHI IS SIMPLE
GOALS: To grammatically defend all 8000 Rashis on Chumash.
METHOD:Every Rashi will be defended with a LIST of comparable cases
INTENDED AUDIENCE: Laymen, Academicians, Rabbis, Yeshiva students
COMMENTS,QUESTIONS: EMail to address below; (minor edits may occur)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:Always given unless 'anonymous' is explicitly asked
(UN)SUBSCRIBE: Email to above with keyword "(UN)subscribe"
JOURNAL REFERECE: Pshat & Drash, TRADITION, Win 1980, R Hendel
NOTATION: eg v2b1-8 refers to Ex(Book 2) Chap 1 Verse 8 Rashi b(#2)
SPECIALS:...on Rambam,Ramban,Symbolism,Pedagogy,Daily Questions
RASHI-IS-SIMPLE RULES...Complete set with examples ON BOTTOM
EMAIL: [email protected],[email protected],
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VERSE: v6-5-2
======
NEW VOLUME NEW VOLUME NEW VOLUME
********** ********** **********
Welcome to VOLUME 6 of Rashi is Simple. Many thanks to all the
reader comments and feedbacks. This is your list. Here are some
changes which you will see in this volume
BACK TO TRADITIONAL VERSE NOTATION
-----------------------------------
The most frequent complaint about Rashi is Simple is the notation
for verses. So we are going back to traditional notation
>Gn13-01a means Rashi #a, on Genesis, Chapter 13 verse 1
(The old v1a13-1 will still be used to name files and appear on top)
10 YEAR RASHI YOMI CYCLE
-------------------------
My interactions with another email group Chevruta (on Shamash) have
produced the following computations
2 rashis a day * 300 Non Holidays a year = 600
4 Years at 2 Rashis a day = x4 = 2400
3 Rashis a day * 300 Non Holidays a year = 900
6 Years at 3 Rashis a day = x6 = 5400
Total Rashis in 10 Years=All Chumash Rashis 7800
This suggests breaking the digests into
>MODULES
so that we have 6 short modules a week covering 15 Rashis a week.
Each MODULE should be short and punchy---something you can
read in a minute or two. If this works out we can change
our name to
>DAILY RASHI or RASHI YOMI
I already have a RASHI YOMI page on the website
>http://www.shamash.org/rashi/chevruta.htm
NEW FORMAT
----------
We have intermingled all the sections---each MODULE will be
about 25 written lines (This is the 2nd most frequent complaint
about Rashi is Simple...it is too long).
Now you can read all of it. If readers like we will start sending
out little postings once a day vs twice a week. I will be sending
out a questionairre soon.
To summarize: The VERSES, RASHIS, LISTS and EXPLANATIONS will now
all be mingled. Each
>POSTINGS will be broken up into
>25 line MODULES which will be broken up into
>3-6 EXAMPLES
We will also have foreshadowing questions for those who
wish to do home schooling
JUSTIFICATION OF TRANSLATIONS
-----------------------------
In our attempt to unify various approaches of Rashi we sometimes
are poetically loose in translation. This will now be remedied by
PUTTING UP FRONT the Rashis which justify these translations.
BACKLOG OF QUESTIONS
--------------------
Finally I have about a dozen or so Reader submissions which I WILL
be posting in the near future.
Keep up the good work. Write in your comments for further
improvements. Also keep up the questions/comments and disagreements
This is YOUR email list.
Note the remarkable fact that this digest is
>HALF the SIZE of other DIGESTS but
>has TWICE as many Rashis.
Hope you like it.
With best wishes for improvements in learning
Russell Jay Hendel; Phd ASA;
Moderator Rashi is Simple
http://www.shamash.org/rashi/
Surfing the Talmudic Sea
#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2000 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*
VERSE: v4a3-7
======
************************************
MODULE 1: THE BASIC IDEA OF Sh-M-R *
************************************
>Nu03-07a And they (the Levites) shall be
RESPONSIBLE in their OFFICE
>RASHI:
>The Hebrew root
>>Sh-M-R
>throughout the Bible Denotes
>>An Appointed position,
>>An Office,
>>A Responsibility, or
>>Professionalism
NUANCE A: PROFESSIONALISM emphasizes LEARNING the TRADES PROCEDURES
-------------------------------------------------------------------
There are many Rashis where the Hebrew root
>sh-m-r
is interpreted as
>Learning
This looks at the task of the Jew as an
>"an appointed position/an office"
>something that requires vocational training (LEARNING)
In fact this is amusingly hinted at by Job's decrying
>'All the days of my APPOINTMENT I will wait
> (for death) until my replacement comes'(Job14-14)
However even without this verse, this idea flows from the explicit
statement of Rashi on Nu03-07a and is exhibited in the many examples
below.
In all these verses both of the following are mentioned
>Having a 'JOB' do watch commandments
>Actually DOING them
When BOTH these activities are mentioned Rashi interprets the
Hebrew root
>sh-m-r=Learning the Trade (of doing commandments)
I have been guided by Rashis interpretation on Nu03-07a in
reinterpreting the following Rashis so that they exhibit an
underlying unity. Comments(and/or disagreements) as usual are
welcome.
**************************************
MODULE 2: EXAMPLES OF Sh-M-R=LEARNING*
**************************************
Example A.1
-----------
>Lv22-31a 'And you shall make a JOB of doing my commandments
>Lv22-31b and you shall DO them
>RASHI:
>'Make a JOB of doing commandments' means the act of LEARNING
>'and you shall DO them' refers to the ACTS themselves
EXAMPLE A.2
-----------
>Dt04-06a'And you shall make a JOB of doing my commandments'
>Dt04-06b'and you shall DO them'
>RASHI:
>'Make a JOB of doing commandments' means the act of LEARNING
>'and you shall DO them' refers to the ACTS themselves
EXAMPLE A.3
-----------
>Dt11-22a 'For if you make APPOINTMENTS for JOBS of doing
> the commandments which I command this day in
> order to DO them
>RASHI:
>'APPOINTMENTS for JOBS'--their is an emphasis on MANY
> appointments/specializations so that every commandment
> will have their own 'VOCATIONAL TRADING' and the
> learning connected with each commandment will not be
> forgotten
EXAMPLE A.4
-----------
>Dt12-28a Make a JOB for, and OBEY all these commandments
>RASHI:
>'Make a JOB ..for commandments' means to create
>vocational codes so that the 'practice' of each commandment
>will be facilitated and possible for without learning the
>codes and procedures it will not be possible to DO the
>commandments
******************************************************
MODULE 3: EXAMPLES of Sh-M-R=Making SAFEGUARDS/FENCES*
******************************************************
NUANCE B: Professional codes create SAFEGUARDS to prevent accidents
-------------------------------------------------------------------
A key difference between a professional job vs a layman job is
that the professional job is
>smoother
>knows the ins and outs
>knows how to avoid accidents
Rashi emphasizes this nuance of safeguards in the following Rashis
(Note how many of them have the double language
>And you shall make APPOINTMENTS for JOBS)
EXAMPLE B.1
-----------
>Gn26-05b (And I will reward Abraham) because he
> made a COMMANDMENT CODES to do
> my commandments, statues and ordinances
>RASHI:
>COMMANDMENT CODES refers to rabbinical ordinances
>that facilitate commandment performance and
>prevent 'accidents'. A Simple example (not given
>by Rashi) is the prohibition of using a wet rag
>on the Sabbath (Rabbinical ordinance) lest you
>accidentally squeeze it out(A Biblical violation)
EXAMPLE B.2
-----------
>Lv18-30a 'And you shall make COMMANDMENT CODES so
> so as not to do the (sexually) disgusting
> things done by these people (the Canaanites)
>RASHI:
>COMMANDMENT CODES refers to the activities of the
>courts that enact decrees to prevent sexual violations
>(A good example (not brought by Rashi) is the Rabbinical
>ordinance against boys and girls hanging around in parks
>on the Jewish festivals (lest 'something' happens)
>
>In passing we note the excessive repetiveness of this
>whole chapter. Thus we have
> >Lv18-24:25 Don't defile yourselves like Canaanites
> >Lv18-26:29 Watch my commandments or you'll be cut off
> >Lv18-30 And you shall make Commandment Codes...
>
>In this light we can easily see how the triple repetition
>of WATCHING THE COMMANDMENTS led Rashi to identify the
>last verse as referring to the activities of the court
>while the previous verses refer to the negative (don't
>defile) and positive (watching) activities of the
>individual
********************************************
MODULE 4: Further Examples of Sh-M-R=Fences*
********************************************
EXAMPLE B.3
-----------
>Lv26-03b If you will WALK in my commandments
> and you will make CODES for them
> and you will DO them
>RASHI:
>These 3 activities are interpreted using the principle
>of increasing climax. We have
> >WALK in may commandments = Learning Torah
> >Make CODES for them = making fences to fulfill
> >and you will DO them = actual performance
Note how Rashi only speaks about
>WATCHING the commandments in order to fulfill them
However we think it consistent with the other Rashis in this list
to identify this
>WATCHING = MAKING ORDINANCES
The reader is invited to study these two interpretations themselves
and come to their own conclusion
EXAMPLE B.4--We close with a 'cute' example
-----------
>Ex12-17a 'And you shall WATCH the MATZOHs
>RASHI:
>WATCH them (from becoming leavened). So that eg
>if they get puffed from non water sources then
>quickly chill them to remove the puffiness
As can easily be seen this Rashi is FULLY consistent with our
interpretation of the Hebrew root
>Sh-M-R = WATCH
as meaning
>Make ordinanaces and fences to prevent 'accidents'
So in this case we prevent all puffiness since it resembles
leavening. In fact support for this interpretation that
>preventing puffiness = creating ordinances
is brought by the conclusion of Rashi
>RASHI:
>....This same principle applies TO ALL COMMANDMENTS
>If you have the opportunity to do a commandment then
>do it immediately...do not let it fester (the same
>way you wouldn't let flour fester since it would
>become leaven).
**************************************************
MODULE 5: A Beautiful Example of Rabbinic Fences*
**************************************************
EXAMPLE B.5---Is the following Rashi a contradiction?
-----------
>Lv22-09a And they(the priests) will WATCH MY WATCHINGS
>RASHI:
>The priests should avoid eating TERUMAH in ritual
>impurity.
Doesn't this Rashi look like it is contradicting our whole thesis
that
>WATCHING = MAKING ORDINANCES/FENCES?
But a closer examination shows that our interpretation is correct
For
>the mass production of ordinanaces and fences
is exactly what the sages did to prevent TERUMAH from being eaten
while impure. For example BIBLICAL law says only your whole person
can become ritually impure while RABBINIC FENCES says that the
HANDS alone can become impure.
In fact the whole custom of
>WASHING HANDS
before eating bread came from a long line of Rabbinical fences
and ordinances that were designed to prevent priests from
'accidentally touching' impure items.
In fact certain non priests
formed the FRATERNAL FRIENDSHIP community---these were great Rabbis
who were NOT priests but nevertheless ATE THEIR FOODS in the same
ritual purity as Priests.
Note how our interpretation of this verse ONLY appears
straightforward when VIEWED IN CONTEXT of the other dozen
or so examples that we have brought. There is strength in lists.
*******************
MODULE 6: SUMMARY*
*******************
In conclusion we see that this verse really says
>Lv22-09a Make
> >COMMANDMENT CODES
>to prevent eating the Terumah in ritual impurity.
In other words this verse is the SOURCE for all the Rabbinical
fences that we find listed in Jewish Law (For further details
see e.g Rambam, Fathers of Ritual Impurity Chapters 7 and 8)
{LIST1} {In summary we have suggested a unifying meaning to
>Sh-M-R(Watch)
>WATCH and DO = LEARN and ACT (Vocational training)
>
>WATCH the WATCHINGS = Make Professional codes
>
>The underlying unifying meaning is
>
>Professionalism, Vocationalism, Appointments, Positions
{LIST1} below contains a summary.}
VERSE INTUITIVE TRANSLATION MEANING of Sh-M-R
======== ================================ ==================
Nu03-07a*1 RESPONSIBLE in OFFICE OFFICE APPOINTMENT
Lv22-31b*2 make a JOB of DOING commandments Learning
Dt04-06a*2 make a JOB of DOING commandments Learning
Dt11-22a*2 APPOINTMENTS for JOBS for DOING Learning
Dt12-28a*2 Make a JOB and OBEY Learning
Gn26-05b*3 Made COMMANDMENT CODES Rabbinical fences
Lv18-30a*3*4 Make COMMANDMENT CODES Rabbinical fences
Lv26-03b*4 WALK..WATCH...DO Rabbinical fences
Ex12-17a*5 WATCH the MATZOHS Rabbinical fences
Lv22-09a*3*6 WATCH my WATCHINGS on TERUMAH Rabbinical Fences
FOOTNOTES
---------
*1 We consider this the MAIN Rashi on Sh-M-R
*2 Note how all these verses state WATCH & DO
WATCH=LEARN
DO =ACTION
*3 Note the double verb--WATCH the WATCH
*4 The principle of CLIMACTIC interpretation applies here
Both verses are interpreted in a climax of 3 stages
(Rashi explicitly points this out on Lv26-03)
*5 Although Rashi only gives an EXAMPLE here
>if matzoh becomes puffy, chill it
He nevertheless concludes with a GENERAL approach
(Watch ALL commandments (by making fences))
*6 Although applies this verse specifically to Terumah,
(See Sifsay Chachamim who points out that this is in context)
nevertheless TERUMAH is surrounded with a rich rabbinic
lore of fences (such as 'washing the hands before a meal')
This confirms or is consistent with our thesis
PRINCIPLES USED: UNIFIED MEANING
CLIMAX
#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2000 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*
THE 2 DOZEN RASHI-IS-SIMPLE RASHI RULES
=======================================
I: RASHI gives MEANING
======================
A: WORD MEANINGS--(eg)"on the face of"=during the lifetime
(v2n6,v4-3-4), http://www.shamash.org/rashi/v4-3-4.htm
B: SPECIAL WORDS--(eg)ACH=USUALLY;USUALLY observe shabbath!
(v2n6, v4-1-49),http://www.shamash.org/rashi/v4-1-49.htm
C: SYNONYMS--(eg)YShV=RESIDE; GARTI='INNED'--temporary say
(v1n1, v1-32-5), http://www.shamash.org/rashi/v1-32-5.htm
D: UNIFIED MEANING--(eg)Tz Ch K = (a) laugh, OR (b) mock
(v4n4, v1-21-9), http://www.shamash.org/rashi/v1-21-9.htm
E: NEW MEANINGS--(eg)HEAD-MOUTH of garment = HEM of Garment
(v5n10,v2a28-32),http://www.shamash.org/rashi/v2a28-32.htm
II: RASHI teaches GRAMMAR/STYLE
===============================
F: CLASSICAL GRAMMAR--(eg)HEY+CHATAF PATACH=QUESTION
(v2n24,v1b3-11),http://www.shamash.org/rashi/v1b3-11.htm
G: USAGE(NEW GRAMMAR)--(eg)INFINITIVE=GERUND;WATCHING laws;
(v2n10,v4-32-6),http://www.shamash.org/rashi/v4-32-6.htm
H: ROOT+PREPOSITION--(eg) BCH AL=cries about,BCH ETH=mourn
(v1n14,v1a45-14),http://www.shamash.org/rashi/v1a45-14.htm
I: SEMANTIC RULES--(eg) WAGES="ENDoF"="END oF Work Day';
(v1n10,v1b1-1),http://www.shamash.org/rashi/v1b1-1.htm
J: STYLE--(eg)REPETITION denotes Endearment;'Abraham,Abraham
(v1n6,v2-1-1),http://www.shamash.org/rashi/v2-1-1.htm
K: DOUBLE NOUNS--(eg)HIT HIT by sword ('even without sword')
(v2n20,v2a22-25),http://www.shamash.org/rashi/v2a22-25.htm
L: PRONOUNS--(eg) sanctify OTHO = sanctify ONLY IT;
(v2n10,v4a7-1),http://www.shamash.org/rashi/v4a7-1.htm
III: OVERALL TEXTUAL STRUCTURE
==============================
M: OTHER VERSES--(eg)STONE(3-25-13)=BALANCE STONES(3-19-36)
(v3n9,v5b25-13),http://www.shamash.org/rashi/v5b25-13.htm
N: EXTRA SENTENCES--(eg)he'll dress his measurement=TAYLORED
(v1n20,v3a6-3),http://www.shamash.org/rashi/v3a6-3.htm
O: DOUBLE PARSHAS-'he WILL pray'-'he WON'T pray';So Optional
(v3n12,v5a24-14),http://www.shamash.org/rashi/v5a24-14.htm
P: CLIMAX-(eg 5-19-11)(a)Hate, (b)spy, (c)confront,(d)Murder
(v3n9,v5-19-11),http://www.shamash.org/rashi/v5-19-11.htm
Q: OVERALL STRUCTURE-growing nails=despisement(from context)
(v3n8,v5-21-12),http://www.shamash.org/rashi/v5-21-12.htm
IV: IMPLICATIONS & DERIVATIONS
==============================
R: STAGES-learn HUMAN marital frequency from ANIMAL ratios
(v1n14,v1a32-15),http://www.shamash.org/rashi/v1a32-15.htm
S: MORAL LESSONS/REASONS-God spoke before punishment;we too
(v2n12,v4-12-9),http://www.shamash.org/rashi/v4-12-9.htm
T: RabbiIshmael-(eg)When an OX gores; OR ANY animal gores;
(v2n19,v2-22-17),http://www.shamash.org/rashi/v2-22-17.htm
V: OVERALL
=================
U: SYMBOLISM-'WASHING his clothes in wine'=PLENTY of wine;
(v4n18,v1a49-11),http://www.shamash.org/rashi/v1a49-11.htm
V: PICTURES--(eg) The TZITZ was like a HELMET over a turban
(v5n12,v2-40-35),http://www.shamash.org/rashi/v2-40-35.htm
W: TABLES/SPREADSHEETS---To appear
End of Rashi-Is-Simple Digest
#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# (C) Dr Hendel, 2000 *#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*