DOCSLIB.ORG

The Generic Transformation of the Masoretic Text of Qohelet 9. 7-10 in the Targum Qohelet and Qohelet Midrash Rabbah

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Generic Transformation of the Masoretic Text of Qohelet 9. 7-10 in the Targum Qohelet and Qohelet Midrash Rabbah Durham E-Theses Wine, women and work: the generic transformation of the Masoretic text of Qohelet 9. 7-10 in the Targum Qohelet and Qohelet Midrash Rabbah Hardy, John Christopher How to cite: Hardy, John Christopher (1995) Wine, women and work: the generic transformation of the Masoretic text of Qohelet 9. 7-10 in the Targum Qohelet and Qohelet Midrash Rabbah, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/5403/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 WINE, WOMEN AND WORK: THE GENERIC TRANSFORMATION OF THE MA50RETIC TEXT OF QOHELET 9. 7-10 IN THE TARGUM QOHELET AND QOHELET MIDRASH RABBAH John Christopher Hardy This tnesis seeks to understand the generic changes wrought oy targum Qonelet and Qoheiet raidrash rabbah upon our home-text, the masoretes' reading ot" woh. 9. 7-iO. An introduction orientates the reaaer by contextuaiizing our three subsequent analyses: ot" tne masoretic text (Chapters I and II;; ot the targuin (.Chapters III and IV;; oi the midrash (Chapters V and VI;. Hence the Bibical verses are positioned within their structural context, the targumic verses within their wider thematic context (the rabbinic debate on the respective merits of Torah-study, charity and prayer) and the midrashic verses within a methodological context (differing approaches to the study of haggadic midrash). Having located Qoh. 9. 7-10 within their parent text, we are free to define them generically. In Chapter I, we examine the indices of our sample verses' poeticism; and in Chapter II, the generic "nursery" from which our putative verse-fragment emanates, comparing it with Ancient Near Eastern parallels: in the Gilgamesh Epic, Ugaritic Baal myth, Theognidean lyric and Egyptian Royal Instruction. We further argue (a) that, although these may elucidate our sample-text's Sitz im Leben, they do not, demonstrably stand in a direct literary relationship to it; and (b) that it is best understood when read intrabiblically, that is with reference to its wider Wisdom context (the Proverbial "table etiquette" and "temperance" traditions, and the Deuteronomic Calls to Joy). Chapter III introduces our chosen targum-text (Knobel's) of Qoh. 9. 7-10, and investigates its modifications of the Biblical text and co-text, accounting for these in terms of (a) the targum's exegetical presuppositions (its dogmatic agenda) and <b) generic transformation (conversion into a pro-Solomonic oracle). Chapter IV broadens our enquiry by classifying the thematic matrix of the targumic adjustments, their explicit and implicit motifs: the Messianic banquet and sages' charity-obigations (explicit); Torah-study's priority, the world to come and Torah-renewal (implicit). The rabbis' pedagogical preoccupation with personal deportment further contextualises, we argue, the targumic rendition. Our two midrashic chapters offer a selective critique of Qoheiet midrash rabbah 9. 7-10: Chapter V assesses its generic transformation of Qoh. 9. 7, principally arguing, with three examples, (one of which, the Abba Tahnah pericope, is further tendered as a case-study in "chriization" - a specialized generic change) that its diverse traditions are thematically congruent (Abrahamic), hermeneutically dextrous comments on the Aqedah. Chapter VI, a quasi-biographical reading of the haggadic stories built around Qoh. 9.10, proposes that these evidence later tradents' reiinaging of their predecessors: amoraim generally (in relation to sage-dreams), and R. Judah ha Nasi specifically (in relation to his holiness). The conclusion highights some methodological issues outstanding from our comparative survey. WINE, WOMEN AND WORK; THE GENERIC TRANSFORMATION OF THE MASORETIC TEXT OF QOHELET 9. 7-1O IN THE TARGUM QOHELET AND QOHELET MIDRASH RABBAH JOHN CHRISTOPHER HARDY Submitted in fulfllmait of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts The University of Durham Department of Theology 1 995. The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without his prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. 1 ^ NOV 1995 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful for the assistance which I have received from ray Supervisor, Dr. Robert Hayward, whose critical comments as the thesis progressed were both encouraging and helpful. Professor John Sawyer (perhaps more aware than he knew of my predilections) suggested Qohelet 9. 7-10 as an appropriate thesis topic and supervised my work in its earliest stages. Without the typing skills of my mother, Carol Pickering, the printing-out skills of my step-father. Bill Pickering, the forbearance of my Vicar, Raymond Best, and the loving support of his - and my - congregation at Christ Church, Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne, this project would never have been finished. CONTEIISJTS INTRODUCTION i I- POETICS: POETIC INDICES IN QOH. 9. 7-10 20 II A COMPARATIVE LITERARY STUDY: QOH. 9. 7-10 49 III TQ 9. 7-10: GENERIC TRANSFORMATION OF THE MASORETIC TEXT 85 IV CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS: THE THEMATIC LOCALE OF TQ 9. 7-9 105 V QR 9.7.1: THEMATIC UNITY, HERMENEUTICAL DEXTERITY AND GENERIC TRANSFORMATION. 123 VI QR 9.10.1-3: PARANETIC SAGE-TALES 148 CONCLUDING REMARKS 168 APPENDICES 173 SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY 203 Statement of Copyright The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without his prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. Declaration I declare that none of the material contained in this thesis has previously been submitted for a degree in this or any other university. ABBREVIATIONS ( p /\/C i P AI-JET Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament ed. J.B. Fritchard. Third Edition. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969 ANETS Ancient Near Eastern Texts and Studies AF Andersen and Forbes AOAT Alter Orient und Altes Testament BDB Brown, Driver and Briggs BZAW Bethefte zur Zeitschrift fur die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft CCSL Corpus Christianorum (Series Latina) CHCL Cambridge History of Classical Literature EJ Encyclopaedia Judaica FIB Frankfurter Tudaitische Beitrage HAR Hebrew Annual Review HAT Handbuch zum Alten Testament HSCP Harvard Studies in Classical Philology HUCA Hebrew Union College Annual ICC International Critical Commentary TDOT Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament JAAR Journal of the American Academy of Religion JBL Journal of Biblical Literature JE Jewish Encyclopaedia JJS Journal of Jewish Studies JNES Journal of Near Eastern Studies JQR Jewish Quarterly Review JSOT Journal for the Study of the Old Tetament JSOTSS Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series JSS Journal of Semitic Studies JTS Journal of Theological Studies LCL Loeb Classical Library NCB New Century Bible Commentary N'EB New English Bible OCD Oxford Classicl Dictionary OLA Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta OTL Old Testament Library,, RSV Revised Standard Version (of the Bible). SCM Student Christian Movement SFCK Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge. TOTC Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries VT Vet us Test amentum VTS Vet us Testamentum, Supplements ZAW Zeitschrift fUr Alt testament liche Wissenschaft (1) Biblical books (2) targums, (3) mishnaic and talmudic tractates and (4-) midrashim other than Qoheiet Rabbah are cited in the following form: (1) Gen. 1. 1; Exod. 1. 1 etc. (2) TN; TO; FT; Ps-J. etc. (3) M. Ab. 1.1; B. Sank 99a; J. Shabb. 12 b etc. (4) Gen. R. 55.1; Lev. R. 20.2; Sg. R. 8.2; PRK; PR INTRODUCXION This thesis is a miniature exercise in comparative midrash, partially inspired by C.A. Evans' study of the interpretation-history of Is. 6. 9-10 (1). The writer seeks to understand the generic changes wrought by targum Qohelet (TQ) and Qohelet midrash rabbah (QR) upon our home-text, the masoretes' reading of Qoh. 9. 7-10. § /. Our starting-point is naturally the masoretic text (MT) of these verses. Qoh. 9. 7-10 is a triadic unit (2), often commended as a vigorous (3) and specific (4) summons, to enjoy life, a summary of Qohelet's philosophy (5), reminiscent of other such "Calls to Enjoyment" in ancient literature (6). A climactic (7) presentation of the carpe diem theme (a recurrent Qohelet- motif), in imperatival rather than 1) (J y S form, fuller than earlier statements, it also casts incidental light on the author's and addressee's socio-economic status (6), possibly intimating their bourgeois religiosity (9). The context of Qoh. 9. 7-10 in Qohelet. By way of orientating the reader, we initially offer some view of our verses' role within the macro- structure of Qohelet. While some critics, assuming Qohelet's fundamental disunity (10) have entered upon special pleading for 9. 7-10 (as being, for example, an Epicurean gloss), arguably richer findings have come from proponents of the work's organic character, its overall coherence. Referring to our Call, we therefore critique two comparable analyses based on this premise. 1. A.G. Wright, noting the variety of putative structures worked out by commentators who feel that Qohelet has a plan - "some unity or progression of thought" (11), shares their belief in the text's integrity. Inspired by Castelllno's article of 1968 (12), he uses rhetorical ("New") criticism to 2 solve the conundrum of Qohelet's structure (the "Riddle of the Sphinx"), by reference to the patent repetition of key phrases (13).
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Source Sheet on Prohibitions on Loshon Ha-Ra and Motzi Shem Ra and Disclosing Another’S Confidential Secrets and Proper Etiquette for Speech
    Source Sheet on Prohibitions on Loshon ha-ra and motzi shem ra and disclosing another’s confidential secrets and Proper Etiquette for Speech Deut. 24:9 - "Remember what the L-rd your G-d did unto Miriam by the way as you came forth out of Egypt." Specifically, she spoke against her brother Moses. Yerushalmi Berachos 1:2 Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said, “Had I been at Mount Sinai at the moment when the torah was given to Yisrael I would have demanded that man should have been created with two mouths- one for Torah and prayer and other for mundane matters. But then I retracted and exclaimed that if we fail and speak lashon hara with only one mouth, how much more so would we fail with two mouths Bavli Arakhin15b R. Yochanan said in the name of R.Yosi ben Zimra: He who speaks slander, is as though he denied the existence of the Lord: With out tongue will we prevail our lips are our own; who is lord over us? (Ps.12:5) Gen R. 65:1 and Lev.R. 13:5 The company of those who speak slander cannot greet the Presence Sotah 5a R. Hisda said in the name of Mar Ukba: When a man speaks slander, the holy one says, “I and he cannot live together in the world.” So scripture: “He who slanders his neighbor in secret…. Him I cannot endure” (Ps. 101:5).Read not OTO “him’ but ITTO “with him [I cannot live] Deut.Rabbah 5:10 R.Mana said: He who speaks slander causes the Presence to depart from the earth below to heaven above: you may see foryourselfthat this is so.Consider what David said: “My soul is among lions; I do lie down among them that are aflame; even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword” (Ps.57:5).What follows directly ? Be Thou exalted O God above the heavens (Ps.57:6) .For David said: Master of the Universe what can the presence do on the earth below? Remove the Presence from the firmament.
    [Show full text]
  • Who Have Interested Tltemselves in the Endeavour to Acquire Any
    TilE HALACHA AND THE HAGADA. ALL who have interested tltemselves in the endeavour to acquire any knowledge of the Talmud are aware that the Rabbis who have contributed to that strange· and enormous encyclop<edia of twelve folio volumes,. fa.ll into two schools-the Halachists and the Haga­ dists ; and although an Halachist might occasionally indulge himself in Hagadoth, and a Hagadist might sometimes distinguish himself in the Halacha, 1 yet the distinction between the two schools is so radical, that we cannot advance a step until it is completely grasped and understood. I. The origin, development, and intention of the HALACHA will, I think, be clear to any reader of my papers on the Oral Law in previous numbers of Tu1c: ExPOSITOR. 2 The word (of which the plural is Hilchoth or Halachoth) is derived from I-Ialak, "to walk," and simply means a rule, a decisive tradition, "the ultimate conclusion on a matter long debated.''3 No system of laws, and above all no system so brief as the Mosaic legislation in its earliest form, could possibly include all the vast varieties of human cir­ cumstance ; and since the law was regarded as in· finitely sacred in its minutest regulations, it was x For imtnnce, R. Levi Ben Sisi tried to unite the Ha gad a and the lblacha, as R. Jochnnan Den Zakkai had tried to do befo1e him. Hamburger, s. v. v. Agada and Jochanan. 2 February, March, and May, 1S77. 1 i1:~~i1, Halachah. "Apud Rahbinos et Thalmudi<:os est constitutio juri,, sententia, decisio, traditio decisa, et usu ac consuetudine recepta et approhata.
    [Show full text]
  • Sinful Thoughts: Comments on Sin, Failure, Free Will, and Related Topics Based on David Bashevkin’S New Book Sin•A•Gogue: Sin and Failure in Jewish Thought
    Sinful Thoughts: Comments on Sin, Failure, Free Will, and Related Topics Based on David Bashevkin’s new book Sin•a•gogue: Sin and Failure in Jewish Thought Sinful Thoughts: Comments on Sin, Failure, Free Will, and Related Topics Based on David Bashevkin’s new book Sin•a•gogue: Sin and Failure in Jewish Thought (Boston: Academic Studies Press, 2019) By Rabbi Yitzchok Oratz A Bashevkin-inspired Bio Blurb:[1] Rabbi Yitzchok Oratz is Rabbi of the Monmouth Torah Links community in Marlboro, NJ. His writings can be found in various rabbinic and popular journals, including Hakira, Ohr Yisroel, Nehoroy, Nitay Ne’emanim, and on Aish, Times of Israel, Torah Links, Seforim Blog, and elsewhere. His writings are rejected as often as they are accepted, and the four books he is currently working on will likely never see the light of day. “I’d rather laugh[2] with the sinners than cry with the saints; the sinners are much more fun.”[3] Fortunate is the man who follows not the advice of the wicked, nor stood in the path of the sinners, nor sat in the session of the scorners. (Psalms 1:1) One who hopes is always happy [and] without pain . hope keeps one alive . even one who has minimal good deeds . has hope . one who hopes, even if he enters Hell, he will be taken out . his hope is his purity, literally the Mikvah [4] of Yisroel . and this is the secret of repentance . (Ramchal, Derush ha-Kivuy) [5] Rabbi David Bashevkin is a man deeply steeped in sin.
    [Show full text]
  • From Falashas to Ethiopian Jews
    FROM FALASHAS TO ETHIOPIAN JEWS: THE EXTERNAL INFLUENCES FOR CHANGE C. 1860-1960 BY DANIEL P. SUMMERFIELD A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF LONDON (SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL AND AFRICAN STUDIES) FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PhD) 1997 ProQuest Number: 10673074 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10673074 Published by ProQuest LLC(2017). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 ABSTRACT The arrival of a Protestant mission in Ethiopia during the 1850s marks a turning point in the history of the Falashas. Up until this point, they lived relatively isolated in the country, unaffected and unaware of the existence of world Jewry. Following this period and especially from the beginning of the twentieth century, the attention of certain Jewish individuals and organisations was drawn to the Falashas. This contact initiated a period of external interference which would ultimately transform the Falashas, an Ethiopian phenomenon, into Ethiopian Jews, whose culture, religion and identity became increasingly connected with that of world Jewry. It is the purpose of this thesis to examine the external influences that implemented and continued the process of transformation in Falasha society which culminated in their eventual emigration to Israel.
    [Show full text]
  • Shabbat Chazon
    Sat 23 Nov 2013 -- 20 Kislev 5774 B”H Dr Maurice M. Mizrahi Congregation Adat Reyim D’var Torah on Vayeshev The Jewish view of dreams In this week's Torah portion, Vayeshev, Joseph dreams and interprets dreams: And Joseph had a dream and told his brothers..., "We were binding sheaves ... and behold, my sheaf arose and... stood upright, and... your sheaves encircled [it] and prostrated themselves to my sheaf." So his brothers said to him, "Will you reign over us? Will you govern us?" And they continued further to hate him on account of his dreams and on account of his words. And [later] he... said, "Behold, I have had another dream: ...The sun, the moon, and eleven stars were prostrating themselves to me." And he told [this] to his father and to his brothers. His father rebuked him and said to him, "What is this dream...? Will we come, I, your mother, and your brothers to prostrate ourselves to you to the ground?" [Gen. 37:5-10] Later, when Joseph is in jail, he correctly interprets the dreams of other inmates, and news of his ability spreads fast. Pharaoh summons him and he correctly interprets Pharaoh's dreams. He is then put in charge of all of Egypt to manage the consequences of his interpretations. [Gen. 40:5ff] Dreams. The Torah is full of them. Sometimes it says specifically that they convey a message directly from God: -But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night. [Gen. 20:3] -And [Jacob] dreamed, and behold! [there was] a ladder on the ground and its top reached to heaven; and behold, angels of God were going up and down on it; and behold, the Lord was standing over him.
    [Show full text]
  • The Greatest Mirror: Heavenly Counterparts in the Jewish Pseudepigrapha
    The Greatest Mirror Heavenly Counterparts in the Jewish Pseudepigrapha Andrei A. Orlov On the cover: The Baleful Head, by Edward Burne-Jones. Oil on canvas, dated 1886– 1887. Courtesy of Art Resource. Published by State University of New York Press, Albany © 2017 State University of New York All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher. For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY www.sunypress.edu Production, Dana Foote Marketing, Fran Keneston Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Orlov, Andrei A., 1960– author. Title: The greatest mirror : heavenly counterparts in the Jewish Pseudepigrapha / Andrei A. Orlov. Description: Albany, New York : State University of New York Press, [2017] | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2016052228 (print) | LCCN 2016053193 (ebook) | ISBN 9781438466910 (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781438466927 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Apocryphal books (Old Testament)—Criticism, interpretation, etc. Classification: LCC BS1700 .O775 2017 (print) | LCC BS1700 (ebook) | DDC 229/.9106—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016052228 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 For April DeConick . in the season when my body was completed in its maturity, there imme- diately flew down and appeared before me that most beautiful and greatest mirror-image of myself.
    [Show full text]
  • The Nonverbal Language of Prayer
    Texts and Studies in Ancient Judaism Texte und Studien zum Antiken Judentum Edited by Martin Hengel and Peter Schäfer 105 Uri Ehrlich The Nonverbal Language of Prayer A New Approach to Jewish Liturgy Translated by Dena Ordan Mohr Siebeck Uri Ehrlich: Born 1956; 1994 Ph.D. in Talmud and Jewish Philosophy, Hebrew University, Jerusalem; Senior lecturer, Department of Jewish Thought, Ben-Gurion University. ISBN 3-16-148150-X ISSN 0721-8753 (Texts and Studies in Ancient Judaism) Die Deutsche Bibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliographie; de- tailed bibliographic data is available on the Internet at http://dnb.ddb.de. © 2004 by Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, Germany. Authorised English translation of "n:-ßxn 'ra^a © 1999 by Hebrew University Magnes Press, Jerusalem. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form (beyond that permitted by copyright law) without the publisher's written permission. This applies particularly to reproductions, translations, microfilms and storage and processing in electronic systems. The book was printed by Guide-Druck in Tübingen on non-aging paper and bound by Buchbinderei Spinner in Ottersweier. Printed in Germany. In memory of my grandparents Martha and Arthur Dernburg Preface to the English Edition Prayer has many names: tefillah (petition), tehinah (beseeching), le'akah (shouting), ze'akah (cry), shavah (cry for help), renanah (cry of prayer), pegi'ah (plea), nefilah (falling down); amidah (standing). (Tanhuma, Va-ethanan 3) This midrash highlights the multidimensional nature of the Prayer and names a variety of expressive means alongside the Prayer's verbal aspect. It is this book's aim to portray the nonverbal components of the Prayer - physical gestures, attire, and vocality - and to demonstrate their impor- tance for, and integrality to, the prayer-act.
    [Show full text]
  • Iying¹wxt¹lretd¹z@¹Xkeyd
    IYING¹WXT¹LRETD¹Z@¹XKEYD ])8U| vO)[{Nz8[(T{C)[{Nz8.wTwSRLxLzD)2yU ])8U| vOOxU)5|G]wC[xN)9|G :@¹DPYN¹¹fol. 44c )[{Nz8P)Z{QzOP)Z{2yQ.wTwSRLxLOw:]LyD{JLyO[xDvUvG)O[|Q{Cw:Ly5O|UV|C]w[wJ|CG{NC{OzQ)2yU [{<(Q Mishnah 1: If somebody hires a worker to work for him on libation wine, his wages are forbidden1. If he hired him for other work, even though he told him, transport an amphora of libation wine for me from one place to another, his wages are permitted2. 1 If a Gentile hires a Jewish worker fact that libation wine is forbidden for specifically to work on his wine, the wages usufruct for a Jewish owner. are forbidden to the worker for all usufruct. 2 The moment that libation wine was not The rule which makes it impossible for the mentioned at the time of the hiring, there is Jewish worker to be hired in this way is no obligation on the worker to refrain from purely rabbinical; it is not implied by the being occupied with libation wine. i¦A¦x m¥W§a Ed¨A©` i¦A¦x .Fl o¥zFp `Ed Fx¨k§U `Ÿl§e .'lek l¥rFRd © z¤` x¥kFVd © :@¹DKLD (44c line 50) .EdEq¨p§w q¨p§w .o¨p¨gFi zFxi¥t§A .`xi ¨r§ ¦ f i¦A¦x x©n¨` .zi¦ria§ ¦ U o¨x¨k§U zi¦ria§ ¦ X©A oi¦UFrdÎl¨ ¨ k§e mit¨ ¦ Y©M©d§emi¦ x¨O©g©d .i¥P©Y x¨k¨W oi¦l§hFp Ed§i `ŸNW ¤ i`©P©i i¦A¦x zi¥a§C oi¥Ni¦`§l o¨p¨gFi i¦A¦x i¥xFdc § `i¦d©d§e .`¨zi¦p§z©n `id ¦ x¥zid ¥ d¨x¨f d¨cFa£r zFxi¥t§A .i©li¦i iA¦ ¦ x x©n¨` .oFd§li¥ xFd d¨i§n¤g§p i¦A¦x§kE dcEd§i ¨ i¦A¦x§M zFr¨n `¨N¤` o¦i©i o¤dici ¥ A ¦ .EdEq¨p§w q¨p§w K¤q¤p o¦i©i§A .o¨p¨gFi i¦A¦x m¥W§a Ed¨A©` i¦A¦x x©n¨c§M .`¨zi¦p§z©n `i¦d Halakhah 1: “If somebody hires a worker,” etc.
    [Show full text]
  • The Anti-Samaritan Attitude As Reflected in Rabbinic Midrashim
    religions Article The Anti‑Samaritan Attitude as Reflected in Rabbinic Midrashim Andreas Lehnardt Faculty of Protestant Theology, Johannes Gutenberg‑University Mainz, 55122 Mainz, Germany; lehnardt@uni‑mainz.de Abstract: Samaritans, as a group within the ranges of ancient ‘Judaisms’, are often mentioned in Talmud and Midrash. As comparable social–religious entities, they are regarded ambivalently by the rabbis. First, they were viewed as Jews, but from the end of the Tannaitic times, and especially after the Bar Kokhba revolt, they were perceived as non‑Jews, not reliable about different fields of Halakhic concern. Rabbinic writings reflect on this change in attitude and describe a long ongoing conflict and a growing anti‑Samaritan attitude. This article analyzes several dialogues betweenrab‑ bis and Samaritans transmitted in the Midrash on the book of Genesis, Bereshit Rabbah. In four larger sections, the famous Rabbi Me’ir is depicted as the counterpart of certain Samaritans. The analyses of these discussions try to show how rabbinic texts avoid any direct exegetical dispute over particular verses of the Torah, but point to other hermeneutical levels of discourse and the rejection of Samari‑ tan claims. These texts thus reflect a remarkable understanding of some Samaritan convictions, and they demonstrate how rabbis denounced Samaritanism and refuted their counterparts. The Rabbi Me’ir dialogues thus are an impressive literary witness to the final stages of the parting of ways of these diverging religious streams. Keywords: Samaritans; ancient Judaism; rabbinic literature; Talmud; Midrash Citation: Lehnardt, Andreas. 2021. The Anti‑Samaritan Attitude as 1 Reflected in Rabbinic Midrashim. The attitudes towards the Samaritans (or Kutim ) documented in rabbinical literature 2 Religions 12: 584.
    [Show full text]
  • The Prophet Jeremiah in the Talmud and Midrash Chronology
    Sun 4 Nov 2007 Dr Maurice M. Mizrahi Congregation Adat Reyim Joint series on Jeremiah with Beth El Hebrew Congregation The Prophet Jeremiah in the Talmud and Midrash Chronology 640-609 BCE: Josiah [Yoshiyahu], King of Judah. Marched against Pharaoh Necho and was killed at Megiddo. Strong religious reforms, restoration of Jewish practices, Temple-centered. 626-585 BCE: Jeremiah’s [Yirmiahu] 41 years of prophecy. Torn between love of Jews and love of Judaism. 609 BCE: Jehoahaz, son of Josiah, King of Judah. 3-month reign, died in exile in Egypt. 609-598 BCE: Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, King of Judah. Died during siege of Jerusalem. Burned scroll of Lamentations. Return of idolatry and corruption. 598 BCE: Jeconiah [Jehoiachin], son of Jehoiakim, King of Judah. Was 18, reigned 3 months, exiled to Babylon. 598-587 BCE: Zedekiah [Tzidkiyahu], son of Josiah, last king of Judah . Was 21 when began reign, exiled to Babylon. 589-586 BCE: Siege and sack of Jerusalem, destruction of Temple and exile to Babylon ========================== Authorship Jeremiah wrote the books of Jeremiah, Kings, and Lamentations (Talmud) Moses received the Torah from God and wrote the Book of Job, Joshua wrote his book and the last eight verses of Deuteronomy (that is, the account of the death of Moses); Samuel wrote his book, Judges and Ruth; David wrote the Psalms; Jeremiah wrote his book, the Book of Kings and Lamentations; Hezekiah and his council wrote Isaiah, Proverbs, Song of Songs, and Ecclesiastes; the men of the Great Assembly wrote Ezekiel, the Twelve Prophets, Daniel, and the Scroll of Esther; Ezra wrote his book and the genealogy of Chronicles down to himself.
    [Show full text]
  • A Whiteheadian Interpretation of the Zoharic Creation Story
    A WHITEHEADIAN INTERPRETATION OF THE ZOHARIC CREATION STORY by Michael Gold A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of The Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, Florida May 2016 Copyright 2016 by Michael Gold ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author wishes to express sincere gratitude to his committee members, Professors Marina Banchetti, Frederick E. Greenspahn, Kristen Lindbeck, and Eitan Fishbane for their encouragement and support throughout this project. iv ABSTRACT Author: Michael Gold Title: A Whiteheadian Interpretation of the Zoharic Creation Story Institution: Florida Atlantic University Dissertation Advisor: Dr. Marina P. Banchetti Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Year: 2016 This dissertation presents a Whiteheadian interpretation of the notions of mind, immanence and process as they are addressed in the Zohar. According to many scholars, this kabbalistic creation story as portrayed in the Zohar is a reaction to the earlier rabbinic concept of God qua creator, which emphasized divine transcendence over divine immanence. The medieval Jewish philosophers, particularly Maimonides influenced by Aristotle, placed particular emphasis on divine transcendence, seeing a radical separation between Creator and creation. With this in mind, these scholars claim that one of the goals of the Zohar’s creation story was to emphasize God’s immanence within creation. Similar to the Zohar, the process metaphysics of Alfred North Whitehead and his followers was reacting to the substance metaphysics that had dominated Western philosophy as far back as ancient Greek thought. Whitehead adopts a very similar narrative to that of the Zohar.
    [Show full text]
  • Sholom Aleichem Prayer, the Angels Are Accompanying Us
    Anshe Sholom Chabad JCC Shabbos Parshas Chukas , Taamuz,10 5778 Edition 1, Volume 19 MESIBOS SHEL SHABBOS WITH RABBI MORDECHAI Z. HECHT מלאכי השרת,ושלוםANGELS ON SHABBOS:I The Angels note how Shabbos atones: companion, do not put your confidence in an intimate “Rav Ḥisda said that Mar Ukva said: One who prays on friend” (Micah 7:5)? If the evil inclination says to you: Sin, Shabbat evening and recites vaychulu, the two ministering and the Holy One, Blessed be He, will forgive, do not trust angels who accompany the person at all times place their it, since it is stated: “Trust not in a companion [rei’a].” And hands on his head and say to him: “And your iniquity has rei’a is referring to none other than the evil [ra] inclination, passed, and your sin has been atoned” (Isaiah 6:7). It was as it is stated: “For the inclination of the heart of man is evil taught in a baraisa: Rabbi Yosei bar Yehuda says: Two [ra]” (Genesis 8:21). (Talmud Chagiga 16a) ministering angels accompany a person on Shabbat evening from the synagogue to his home, one good angel and one evil The Gemora then continues and says: angel. And when he reaches his home and finds a lamp “And “intimate friend” is referring to none other than the burning and a table set and his bed made, the good angel says: Holy One, Blessed be He, as it is stated: “You are the intimate May it be Your will that it shall be like this for another friend of my youth”(Jeremiah 3:4).
    [Show full text]