Sifra

R. Yishmael says: The Torah is expounded by thirteen hermeneutical principles:

1) kal vachomer (a fortiori). 2) gezeirah shavah (Identity). 3a) Binyan av vekathuv echad (a general rule implicit in one verse). 3b) binyan av mishnei kethuvim (a general rule derived from two verses). 4) kllal ufrat (general-specific). 5) prat ukllal (specific-general). 6) kllal ufrat ukllal (general-specific-general). 7) kllal shehu tzarich lifrat ufrat shehu tzarich lichllal (general requiring specific and specific requiring general). 8) kol davar shehaya bichllal veyatza min hakllal lelamed, lo lelamed al atzmo yatza ela lelamed al hakllal kulo yatza. (Anything which was subsumed in a general category, and departed from that category to teach (something) — not in order to teach about itself did it depart, but in order to teach about the entire category did it depart). 9) kol davar shehaya bichllal veyatza min hakllal lit’on to’an acher shehu ke’inyano, yatza lehakel velo lehachmir. (Anything which was subsumed in a general category, and departed from that category for a particular requirement thereof, departed for leniency and not for stringency). 10) kol davar shehaya bichllal veyatza min hakllal lit’on to’an acher shelo ke’inyano, yatza lehakel ulehachmir. (Anything which was subsumed in a general category, and departed from that category for a particular requirement foreign to it, departed both for leniency and for stringency). 11) kol davar shehaya bichllal veyatza min hakllal lidon badavar hechadash, ē ata yachol lehachziro lichllalo ad sheyachzirenu hakathuv lichlallo befeirush. (Anything which was subsumed in a general category, and departed from that category for a new learning, cannot be restored to that category unless Scripture restores it explicitly). 12a) davar halamed me’inyano (something learned from context). 12b) davar halamed misofo (something learned from its end). 13) shnei kethuvim hamakchishim zeh eth zeh ad sheyavo hakathuv hashlishi veyachriya beneihem (two verses that contradict each other until a third verse comes and resolves the contradiction).