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Midrash As a Refracting Lens: A.J. Heschel's Illumination of Jewish History

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Midrash As a Refracting Lens: A.J. Heschel's Illumination of Jewish History University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies The Vault: Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2016 Midrash as a Refracting Lens: A.J. Heschel's Illumination of Jewish History Andrews Pardes, Zvi Andrews Pardes, Z. (2016). Midrash as a Refracting Lens: A.J. Heschel's Illumination of Jewish History (Unpublished master's thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. doi:10.11575/PRISM/26914 http://hdl.handle.net/11023/3526 master thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY Midrash as a Refracting Lens: A.J. Heschel's Illumination of Jewish History by Zvi Andrews Pardes A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF THE ARTS GRADUATE PROGRAM IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES CALGARY, ALBERTA DECEMBER, 2016 © Zvi Andrews Pardes 2016 Abstract A.J. Heschel’s Torah Min Ha-Shamayyim BeAspaqlaria Shel Ha-Doroth (TMS) never received the comprehensive scholarly attention that it deserves. Its philosophical and theological emphasis was out of place in the oeuvre in which it was published. Decades later it resurged in popularity, but by and large not amongst those with the textual and philological grounding in rabbinics to assess it meaningfully. TMS stands as a compelling analysis of early-rabbinic theological trends and the historical ramifications therein. I pay careful attention to Heschel’s sources and other experts in the field. I demonstrate that there is a decisive difference in philosophical outlook that can be traced between the schools of Rabbis Aqiva and Ishmael respectively, just as Heschel argues. Likewise, the theological dichotomies which Heschel articulates between these two textual personalities and their schools is shown to inform later permutations of these tensions throughout the Jewish History of Ideas. ii Acknowledgements Getting to the point of writing these acknowledgements has been a far longer and more difficult process than I would ever have believed when first setting out on this process. That is not to say that it wasn’t a pleasurable or enriching experience. Far from it. The experience has deepened my intellectual awareness on multiple levels. Obviously my knowledge and love of rabbinic texts grew exponentially. More than that, though, I find myself more realised as an individual – intellectually and spiritually. I wish to express my gratitude to the Department of Religious Studies (now the Department of Classics and Religion) at the University of Calgary. The depth and passion for subject matter amongst the faculty there has imprinted on me for life. I am grateful for the time I spent there, the support I received, and the knowledge and understanding I gained. My experience would have been far diminished without the cohort of friends and colleagues that shared it with me. In particular, I want to thank Rabbi Dr. Oren Steinetz and Miriam Fry. The long talks and debates on everything from text and politics to pop culture were a precious component of my graduate studies. I would never have made it to this point without the support, encouragement, and help I received from these friends. I am indebted to them. No influence on me was more profound than that of my supervisor and mentor, Dr. Eliezer Segal. Our lengthy discussions about rabbinic texts and Jewish philosophy have shaped my intellectual approach and mindset to religion, history, and everyday life. I am unsure how to verbalize the extent of my gratitude for the guidance and teaching I received. Last to be mentioned but first in priority is my wife, Gahl Pratt Pardes. Her love, encouragement, and insistence were utterly essential to the process. Gahl has my love and gratitude forever. iii Dedication To my brilliant, beautiful, and sweet daughter Yaʿarah. ״ ַו ִיּ ְשׁ ַל ח ֶא ת- ְק ֵצ ה ַה ַמּ ֶטּ ה ֲא ֶשׁ ר ְבּ יָ דוֹ, ַוִיְּטבֹּל אוֹתָהּ ְבּ ַי ְע ַר ת ְַבהדָּשׁ; ַו ָיּ ֶשׁ ב יָ דוֹ ֶא ל- ִפּ יו ַוָתּאְֹרָנה ֵעָיניו“ (שמואל א׳ י״ד כ״ז) iv Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iii Dedication .......................................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents .................................................................................................................v List of Symbols, Abbreviations and Nomenclature .......................................................... vii Epigraph ........................................................................................................................... viii INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1 1.1 A Historical and Terminological Backdrop ...............................................................1 1.2 Varieties of Rabbinic Literature ................................................................................4 1.3 Aggadah and Halakha ................................................................................................7 1.3.1 (Sifre D. Pisqa 32) .............................................................................................9 1.4 Two Schools – Rabbis Aqiva and Ishmael ..............................................................18 1.5 Some Final Notes on Methodology .........................................................................28 CHAPTER TWO: TORAH MIN HA-SHAMAYIM ― AN ANALYTIC ASSESSMENT33 2.1 The Life and Times of Torah Min Ha-Shamayim ...................................................33 2.2 Aggadah as Theology ..............................................................................................45 2.2.2 (Sifre Devarim 49) ...........................................................................................49 2.2.3 (Lamentations Rabbah 2:5) .............................................................................55 2.3 ‘Eternal Paradigms’: Rabbi Aqiva and Rabbi Ishmael ............................................64 2.3.1 (Bereishith Rabbah 1:1) ...................................................................................70 2.4 Conclusion ...............................................................................................................76 CHAPTER THREE: HESCHEL AND THE MEKHILTOTH ― A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS ...............................................................................................................78 3.1 The Mekhiltoth: Two Schools on the Same Biblical Text .......................................78 3.2 Differences in Literary Style ....................................................................................83 3.2.1 (MI, Baḥodesh 2) .............................................................................................84 3.2.2 (MSY, Baḥodesh 49:1) ....................................................................................85 3.3 The Shekhinah .........................................................................................................94 3.3.1 (MI, Ba-Ḥodesh 1) ...........................................................................................97 3.3.2 (MSY, Ba-Ḥodesh 48:5) ..................................................................................99 3.4 A Terrestrial Lens and a Heavenly Lens ...............................................................103 3.4.1 (MI, Ba-Ḥodesh 2): .......................................................................................103 3.4.2 (MSY, Ba-Ḥodesh 49:5): ...............................................................................104 3.4.3 (MI, Ba-Ḥodesh, 4) ........................................................................................108 3.4.4 (MI, Ba-Ḥodesh, 9) ........................................................................................109 3.4.5 (MSY, 51:2) ...................................................................................................110 3.5 Miracles Aggrandized, Miracles Diminished ........................................................116 3.5.1 (MI, Ba-Ḥodesh, 9) ........................................................................................117 3.5.2 (MSY, Ba-Ḥodesh 56:2) ................................................................................117 3.6 Conclusion .............................................................................................................119 CHAPTER FOUR: RABBIS AQIVA AND ISHMAEL THROUGH THE AGES ........122 v 4.1 The Historical Argument of TMS ..........................................................................122 4.2 God and Torah: Two Views ...................................................................................128 4.2.1 (Tosefta Ḥagigah 1:9) ....................................................................................129 4.2.2 (Babylonian Talmud, Menaḥoth 29b) ...........................................................133 4.3 Rabbi Aqiva: Mysticism and the Mysteries of the Torah ......................................137
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