When Rashi Repeats Himself

Rashi's commentary is supposedly very concise. If Rashi repeats himself on the same words with the same concept in two places or more places, it becomes a mystery.

One such case is in this past week's parasha, Ki Tissa.

God speaks to Moses in Exodus 33:2 -

2I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivvites, and the Jebusites		בוְשָֽׁלַחְתִּ֥י לְפָנֶ֖יךָ מַלְאָ֑ךְ וְגֵֽרַשְׁתִּ֗י אֶת־הַכְּנַֽעֲנִי֙ הָֽאֱמֹרִ֔י וְהַֽחִתִּי֙ וְהַפְּרִזִּ֔י הַֽחִוִּ֖י וְהַיְבוּסִֽי:
and I will drive out the Canaanites: They are six nations [although seven nations were mentioned in Gen. 15], and the Girgashites got up and emigrated from before them of their own accord.		וגרשתי את הכנעני וגו': שש אומות הן, והגרגשי עמד ופנה מפניהם מאליו:

(This Rashi translation was changed slightly by me)

Rashi explains why only six nations are listed here, and says because one of the nations, the Girgashites, already left on their own.

But then look only one chapter later, also in Ki Tissa, 34:11 (I included the verses after as well for context) -

11Keep carefully what I am commanding you today: Lo! I will drive out from before you the Amorites and the Canaanites, the Hittites and the Perizzites, the Hivvites and the Jebusites.		יאשְׁמָ֨ר־לְךָ֔ אֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר אָֽנֹכִ֖י מְצַוְּךָ֣ הַיּ֑וֹם הִֽנְנִ֧י גֹרֵ֣שׁ מִפָּנֶ֗יךָ אֶת־הָֽאֱמֹרִי֙ וְהַכְּנַֽעֲנִ֔י וְהַֽחִתִּי֙ וְהַפְּרִזִּ֔י וְהַֽחִוִּ֖י וְהַיְבוּסִֽי:
the Amorites…: Six nations are here , because the Girgashites [i.e., the seventh nation] got up and emigrated from before them.		את האמרי וגו': שש אומות יש כאן, כי הגרגשי עמד ופנה מפניהם:
12Beware lest you form a covenant with the inhabitant[s] of the land into which you are coming, lest it become a snare in your midst.		יבהִשָּׁ֣מֶר לְךָ֗ פֶּן־תִּכְרֹ֤ת בְּרִית֙ לְיוֹשֵׁ֣ב הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַתָּ֖ה בָּ֣א עָלֶ֑יהָ פֶּן־יִֽהְיֶ֥ה לְמוֹקֵ֖שׁ בְּקִרְבֶּֽךָ:
13But you shall demolish their altars, shatter their monuments, and cut down their sacred trees.		יגכִּ֤י אֶת־מִזְבְּחֹתָם֙ תִּתֹּצ֔וּן וְאֶת־מַצֵּֽבֹתָ֖ם תְּשַׁבֵּר֑וּן וְאֶת־אֲשֵׁרָ֖יו תִּכְרֹתֽוּן:

So we see, once again, the same answer in Rashi for why the Torah only lists six nations - the seventh nation had picked up and left before they came. Why?

Another question to be asked is that there are many times before this in the Torah where less than seven nations are mentioned. For example, in Exodus 3:8 and 17, we find:

8I have descended to rescue them from the hand[s] of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land, to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivvites, and the Jebusites.

חוָֽאֵרֵ֞ד לְהַצִּיל֣וֹ | מִיַּ֣ד מִצְרַ֗יִם וּלְהַֽעֲלֹתוֹ֘ מִן־הָאָ֣רֶץ הַהִוא֒ אֶל־אֶ֤רֶץ טוֹבָה֙ וּרְחָבָ֔ה אֶל־אֶ֛רֶץ זָבַ֥ת חָלָ֖ב וּדְבָ֑שׁ אֶל־מְק֤וֹם הַכְּנַֽעֲנִי֙ וְהַ֣חִתִּ֔י וְהָֽאֱמֹרִי֙ וְהַפְּרִזִּ֔י וְהַֽחִוִּ֖י וְהַיְבוּסִֽי:

17And I said, 'I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt, to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivvites, and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.'

יזוָֽאֹמַ֗ר אַֽעֲלֶ֣ה אֶתְכֶם֘ מֵֽעֳנִ֣י מִצְרַ֒יִם֒ אֶל־אֶ֤רֶץ הַכְּנַֽעֲנִי֙ וְהַ֣חִתִּ֔י וְהָֽאֱמֹרִי֙ וְהַפְּרִזִּ֔י וְהַֽחִוִּ֖י וְהַיְבוּסִ֑י אֶל־אֶ֛רֶץ זָבַ֥ת חָלָ֖ב וּדְבָֽשׁ:

Rashi is silent in these places. And see, as well, Exodus 23:23 -

23For My angel will go before you, and bring you to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivvites, and the Jebusites, and I will destroy them.

כגכִּֽי־יֵלֵ֣ךְ מַלְאָכִי֘ לְפָנֶ֒יךָ֒ וֶֽהֱבִֽיאֲךָ֗ אֶל־הָֽאֱמֹרִי֙ וְהַ֣חִתִּ֔י וְהַפְּרִזִּי֙ וְהַכְּנַֽעֲנִ֔י הַֽחִוִּ֖י וְהַיְבוּסִ֑י וְהִכְחַדְתִּֽיו:

So if we tried to answer for Rashi that he wanted to answer the question of why six instead of seven every time it comes up, he does not do so here.

And our third question is, there is a case where only five nations are mentioned, and Rashi gives a completely different answer. See Exodus 13:5 -

5And it will come to pass that the Lord will bring you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivvites, and the Jebusites, which He swore to your forefathers to give you a land flowing with milk and honey and you shall perform this service in this month.		הוְהָיָ֣ה כִֽי־יְבִֽיאֲךָ֣ יְהֹוָ֡ה אֶל־אֶ֣רֶץ הַ֠כְּנַֽעֲנִ֠י וְהַֽחִתִּ֨י וְהָֽאֱמֹרִ֜י וְהַֽחִוִּ֣י וְהַיְבוּסִ֗י אֲשֶׁ֨ר נִשְׁבַּ֤ע לַֽאֲבֹתֶ֨יךָ֙ לָ֣תֶת לָ֔ךְ אֶ֛רֶץ זָבַ֥ת חָלָ֖ב וּדְבָ֑שׁ וְעָֽבַדְתָּ֛ אֶת־הָֽעֲבֹדָ֥ה הַזֹּ֖את בַּחֹ֥דֶשׁ הַזֶּֽה:
into the land of the Canaanites, etc.: Although [Scripture] enumerated [here] only five nations, it means all seven [of the nations], for they are all included in the [term] Canaanites, [even though] there was one of the families of Canaan that had only the name Canaanite. — [from Mechilta; Tanchuma, Bo 12]		אל ארץ הכנעני וגו': אף על פי שלא מנה אלא חמשה עממין, כל שבעה גוים במשמע, שכולן בכלל כנעני הם, ואחת ממשפחת כנען היתה שלא נקרא לה שם אלא כנעני:

Rashi, here, says that since Canaani is really the all-encompassing term that the Torah uses for all the nations in Israel, two missing are just included in the name of Canaan. So why does Rashi give this answer here and not in the other places, and not only that, but a different answer in two places?

(By the way, the question on Rashi is obvious here, why didn't it just Canaani if all the other nations are really included. Many of the meforshim deal with this. My favorite answer is that if it had just said Canaani, you would think only the 1 out of the 7. Only once you leave out two, the question is why not those two, and the answer is that they are included in the Canaani name. Others answer that Prizi and Girgashi are the smallest, or most insignificant. The Ramban and others suggest that they are considered outside the land in a technical sense, and in fact Rabbi Yossi HaGlili thought you weren't chayav to bring Bikkurim from those lands.)

A fourth question, which is perhaps not really a question, is why Rashi's dibbur hamatchils are different between 33:2 and 34:11. I'm just raising it here because its interesting to note, but I haven't seen any answer exactly to it.

Let us get to some answers.

The simplest, most obvious answer, is that there is a scribal mistake here. The Re'em, Mizrachi gives this as an answer to a different repetition in Rashi. The Torah says in Gen. 6:18 and 7:7 that Noach, his sons, his wife, his sons wife, all went into the ark. In both places, Rashi says that the men and the women went in separately:

18And I will set up My covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you and your sons, and your wife and your sons' wives with you.		יחוַֽהֲקִֽמֹתִ֥י אֶת־בְּרִיתִ֖י אִתָּ֑ךְ וּבָאתָ֙ אֶל־הַתֵּ֔בָה אַתָּ֕ה וּבָנֶי֛ךָ וְאִשְׁתְּךָ֥ וּנְשֵֽׁי־בָנֶי֖ךָ אִתָּֽךְ:
you and your sons, and your wife: the men separately and the women separately. From here, we deduce that they were prohibited to engage in marital relations [in the ark]. — [Sanh. 108b]		אתה ובניך ואשתך: האנשים לבד והנשים לבד, מכאן שנאסרו בתשמיש המטה:

7And Noah went in and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him into the ark because of the flood waters.		זוַיָּבֹ֣א נֹ֔חַ וּ֠בָנָ֠יו וְאִשְׁתּ֧וֹ וּנְשֵֽׁי־בָנָ֛יו אִתּ֖וֹ אֶל־הַתֵּבָ֑ה מִפְּנֵ֖י מֵ֥י הַמַּבּֽוּל:
And Noah…and his sons: The men separately and the women separately, because they were prohibited from engaging in marital relations since the world was steeped in pain. — [Tan. 11]		נח ובניו: האנשים לבד והנשים לבד, לפי שנאסרו בתשמיש המטה, מפני שהעולם היה שרוי בצער:

Mizrachi writes on this:

נראה לי שבוש הוא שנפל בספרים, שמפני שראו גבי (ו, יח) "ובאת אל התיבה אתה ובניך ואשתך" וכו' שפירש "האנשים לבד והנשים לבד", חשבו שכמו כן ראוי לפרש זה אצל הפועל, דחד טעמא הוא. ואין הדבר כן

It seems to me there is an error that fell into the books, because the scribes saw that previously, Rashi gave the explanation of "men separately and women separately", and they thought that it should be explained as well where it is actually done, for it is the same reason. But that's not so...

Mizrachi goes on to explain that there is a difference between a command and what happens matter-of-fact.

Interestingly, that very idea that the Mizrachi fights against, that Rashi is just being consistent and saying the same place wherever it comes up, seems to be the Beer Besadeh's answer to the verses in our parasha. The Beer Besadeh seems to assume Rashi is usually consistent, because he puts his efforts in explaining why Rashi doesn't comment a third time, on Exodus 23:23. He answers that there is no "גרש" there.

But this answer of scribal error doesn't explain why Rashi doesn't say this before, or why he gives a different answer in 13:5.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe also asks these questions. He notes that in the two Rashis in Ki Tissa are slightly different in language:

א) בפעם הראשונה כותב רש"י ששה אומות הן ובפעם השני' כותב ששה אומות יש כאן. ב) בפעם הראשונה כותב "והגרגשי עמד" כו', ואילו בפעם השני' כותב "כי הגרגשי". ג) בפעם ה-א' מסיים רש"י "עמד ופנה מפניהם מאליו", משא"כ בפעם ה-ב', שמשמיט מילה זאת.

1) In the first instance, Rashi writes "they are six nations", and in the second, "here there are six nations." 2) In the first instance, he writes "And the Girgashites got up..." [to answer the question], while in the second, "because the Girgashites." 3) In the first instance, Rashi concludes with "got up and left from before them on their own accord," while in the second, he doesn't say "of their own accord."

He answers like this:

The earlier times in Exodus (specifically 3:8 and 17), God is saying that the Jews will be brought to the land of Israel, which is described there as "flowing with milk and honey." Thus, Rashi did not ask the question of why Girgashi was not mentioned, because there is an easy answer - perhaps Girgashi is not flowing with milk and honey like the other lands are. Thus, I'll add, Ramban on Exodus 3:8 suggests thus:

יזכיר בכאן ששה עממים ויניח השביעי, אולי לא הייתה ארצו זבת חלב ודבש כאלה. וכן בפסוק כי ילך מלאכי לפניך (להלן כג כג): הזכיר אלה הששה. ואולי הוא רמז שאלו כבשו תחלה, כי הם אשר נתקבצו על יהושע ויתנם ה' בידו. ורבותינו אמרו הגרגשי פינה (ירושלמי שביעית פ"ו ה"א), ולכך לא נזכר עם הנכרתים שנאמר בהן והכחדתיו (להלן שם). וכן בכאן ירמוז אל הנלחמים שכבשו.):

It only mentions here six nations and leaves out the seventh, and perhaps this is because the land [of the seventh] is not flowing with milk and honey like those. This may also explain verse 23:23, "I will send an angel before you..." which mentions only these six. But maybe its a hint that these were conquered first... And our sages say its because Girgashi left, and that is why it is not mentioned in 23:23...

 This answer is somewhat difficult, to extend to 23:23 as well, since there "a land flowing with milk and honey" is not mentioned, but in 13:5 it is.

To continue in the Lubavitcher Rebbe's answer of why Rashi seemingly repeats himself:

So those verses were in relation to the lushness of the land of Israel. But in 33:2, God is promising Moses He will send an angel to clear out Israel for them, and doesn't mention the Girgashi. So Rashi needs to explain why it seems as if God would not clear out the Girgashites. Rashi answers that they were no longer there. Thus, they left "of their own accord." Meanwhile, in 34:11, the question is completely different. God gives a command to the Jews to destroy the idols and altars of the nations. But God makes it seem as if there is no obligation to do so for the Girgashis. So he answers, that when you enter the land, "there are here", i.e. in the land as you enter, only six, "because" the Girgashites already left. The "because" is to give a reason why you need not, in this mitzvah, destroy the Girgashi altars etc. Meanwhile, in the first instance, "they are", in the land from a distance, six that I, God, will clear out, since the seventh is gone on its own accord.

There are a few difficulties with this answer. Firstly, the "because" seems to be necessary in both places, but that is glossed over in the answer. Secondly, it doesn't answer 23:23. Thirdly, this answer relies on the premise that Rashi is silent when there are only six nations when it applies to the lushness of the land flowing with milk and honey, but that is disrupted by the fact Rashi does indeed ask and answer differently on 13:5.

There is an answer by Rav Avraham Yitzchak Brazil, in his Iyyunei Rashi, who says this:

We can say simply that all those other verses [besides for the two with Rashi's answer of the Girgashis leaving] refers to entering the land, so its obvious why Girgashi is not mentioned, since God just didn't bring them to the Girgashi land. But here, it says "I will remove the Canaanites...", which has nothing to do with going into the land, but only who God will expel. So then the question is, why wouldn't the Girgashites be expelled.

Thus, his answer is that Rashi repeats himself, yes, but for the two and only times that God says He will expel other nations.

I asked Rav Yisrael Herczeg, a rebbe of mine and author of the Artscroll edition of Rashi on Chumash, what he thought of this issue. He points out that Rashi has a curious comment on Deuteronomy 20:17 -

17Rather, you shall utterly destroy them: The Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivvites, and the Jebusites, as the Lord, your God, has commanded you.		יזכִּי־הַֽחֲרֵ֣ם תַּֽחֲרִימֵ֗ם הַֽחִתִּ֤י וְהָֽאֱמֹרִי֙ הַכְּנַֽעֲנִ֣י וְהַפְּרִזִּ֔י הַֽחִוִּ֖י וְהַיְבוּסִ֑י כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוְּךָ֖ יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ:
as [the Lord your God] has commanded you: [This is] to include the Girgashites.		כאשר צוך: לרבות את הגרגשי:

Here, Rashi (based on the Sifrei) actually includes the Girgashites, and in a phrase ("as He has commanded you") that seemingly does not imply the Girgashites at all.

So Rav Herczeg says that Rashi was concerned in Ki Tisa for a specific issue. It states:

Keep carefully what I am commanding you today: Lo! I will drive out from before you the Amorites and the Canaanites...

Why did God want them to drive out the nations and keep the commandments? Surely, it was to keep the Jewish people a distinct people, with no influence. If the Torah keeps out the Girgashites from the list, it kind of sounds like it is fine for the Jews to assimilate with them, and fraternize with them. To this, Rashi was determined to teach that this is not so. "There are six nations here..." - as in, there are only six nations stated in this verse because of a technical reason that God can't drive out a people already driven out, but all are included in the concept of "don't assimilate with these nations."

Now we understand why Rashi thinks the Girgashites should be included in "as He has commanded you" - since the commandments are meant to keep us from all the other nations, including the Girgashites.

Myself, I'm interested in finding out if there is a universal answer to why Rashi repeats himself. To do this, I need to start listing all the times Rashi clearly didn't need to write the same answer a second time, if the first time would have been known to the reader. So the first two are what we've seen before, and the rest I am adding as I see them:

1. Exodus 33:2 and 34:11
2. Genesis 6:8 and 7:7
3. Genesis 42:4 and 44:29
4. Genesis 1:20 and 1:21 and 1:24 - as summarized here with his answers: Rashi repeats the same brief comment three different times on the words nefesh chaya when these words appear in different verses one after the other. In each case he does so for different reasons. In the first case, to help us avoid a misunderstanding of these words, in another case to reject a Midrash. In short, each comment must be seen in its own particular context.