Rashi Learning Leining Tips

Originally posted 6/26/07, 3:28 PM, Eastern Daylight Time
How were YOU taught how to use Rashi on Humash?
Below I have pasted an example from the leining group of how to use Rashi for:

1. More accurate leining
2. Better understanding of the peshat
3. Getting a feel for the nuances of dikduk

Were YOU taught to use Rashi that way?
If not - why not?
What is going on with our modern education? - The World wonders!

KT,
RRW

RRLT = Russell's Rashi leining tips

Every baal koray knows that there are two MINCHAS KENAOTH in the 4th
aliyah of Naso. One concludes HO and one concludes HE.

Rashi comes to the rescue by stating that the pronoun refers back to
the beginning of the verse.

Nu04-15
- Make it a BARLEY Minchah...no OIL..for IT is a vengenance Minchah
(Here IT refers back to BARLEY and is masculine)

Nu04-18
- He places the MINCHAH on her hands....IT is venegenance Minchah
(Here IT refers back to MINCHAH and is feminine)

We had a survey a few years ago on whether Baalay Keriah use
surrounding cues while leining. Here is an example where you have to
have the totality of the verse in mind.

One Baal Koray asked me this week: "OK Rashi explains it...IT refers
back to BARLEY...but what is the point of the verse....couldnt IT
equally refer back to MINCHAH---BARLEY MINCHAH...IT IS VENGEFUL"?

Strong question: Actually though Rashi answers this also. Most
Minchahs are WHEAT. Barley, says Rashi, is ANIMAL food. This MINCHAH
is brought on an ANIMAL ACT (Suspected adultery). So the whole verse
reads "...she brings ANIMAL FOOD-BARLEY.
..AND THEREFORE YOU DONT HAVE
OIL (SYMBOLIZING SATIATION)-BECAUSE THIS MINCHAH IT IS VENGEFUL ON
ANIMAL ACTIVITY

This is a complicated application of Rashi. We have discussed this
before. Some baalay keriah will simply memorize that it is HO vs HE.
But it is nice to know that you can actually see it in the meaning.

- Russell