What Is an Emendation? Jewish Tradition Holds That the Soferim
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Jewish Intertestamental and Early Rabbinic Literature: an Annotated Bibliographic Resource Updated Again (Part 2)
JETS 63.4 (2020): 789–843 JEWISH INTERTESTAMENTAL AND EARLY RABBINIC LITERATURE: AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIC RESOURCE UPDATED AGAIN (PART 2) DAVID W. CHAPMAN AND ANDREAS J. KÖSTENBERGER* Part 1 of this annotated bibliography appeared in the previous issue of JETS (see that issue for an introduction to this resource). This again is the overall struc- ture: Part 1: 1. General Reference Tools; 2. Old Testament Versions; 3. Apocrypha; 4. Pseudepigrapha; Part 2: 5. Dead Sea Scrolls; 6. Individual Authors (Philo, Jose- phus, Pseudo-Philo, Fragmentary Works); 7. Rabbinic Literature; 8. Other Early Works from the Rabbinic Period; 9. Addenda to Part 1. 5. DEAD SEA SCROLLS While the Dead Sea Scrolls are generally associated with Qumran, properly they also cover discoveries from approximately a dozen other sites in the desert wilderness surrounding the Dead Sea, such as those at Naal ever, Murabbaat, and Masada. The approximately 930 MSS from Qumran were penned from the 3rd c. BC through the 1st c. AD. The Masada texts include Jewish scrolls from the time leading up to the Roman conquest (AD 73) and subsequent Roman documents. The finds at Naal ever and Murabbaat include documents from the time of the Bar Kokhba revolt (AD 132–135). Other Bar Kokhba era documents are known from Ketef Jericho, Wadi Sdeir, Naal Mishmar, and Naal eelim (see DJD 38). For a full accounting, see the lists by Tov under “Bibliography” below. The non- literary documentary papyri (e.g. wills, deeds of sale, marriage documents, etc.) are not covered below. Recent archaeological efforts seeking further scrolls from sur- rounding caves (esp. -
Marc Hirshman
THE TIKVAH CENTER FOR LAW & JEWISH CIVILIZATION Professor Moshe Halbertal Professor J.H.H. Weiler Directors of The Tikvah Center Tikvah Working Paper 07/12 Marc Hirshman Individual and Group Learning in Rabbinic Literature: Some Key Terms NYU School of Law • New York, NY 10011 The Tikvah Center Working Paper Series can be found at http://www.nyutikvah.org/publications.html All rights reserved. No part of this paper may be reproduced in any form without permission of the author. ISSN 2160‐8229 (print) ISSN 2160‐8253 (online) Copy Editor: Danielle Leeds Kim © Marc Hirshman 2012 New York University School of Law New York, NY 10011 USA Publications in the Series should be cited as: AUTHOR, TITLE, TIKVAH CENTER WORKING PAPER NO./YEAR [URL] Individual and Group Learning in Rabbinic Literature INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP LEARNING IN RABBINIC LITERATURE: SOME KEY TERMS By Marc Hirshman A. Foundations of Education in Biblical and Second Temple Times Wilhelm Bacher, the great late 19th, early 20th scholar, published in 1903 a wonderful essay entitled " Das altjüdische Schulewesen", in which he declared Nehemiah 8, 1-8, which describes the public reading of scripture, " der Geburtstag des altjüdischen Schulweis". From that day on 1 Tishre 445 b.c.e, Bacher would have it, the public recitation of Torah and its teaching would become central to second Temple Judaism, and its rabbinic heirs in the first five centuries of the common era. Indeed, Ezra's commission from Artaxerxes includes appointments of "judges and magistrates to judge all the people… and to teach…" (Ezra 7, 25). This close connection between the judicial system and the educational system also characterizes the rabbinic period, succinctly captured in the opening quote of the tractate of Avot 1,1. -
The Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash
The Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash Special Holiday Shiur Yeshivat Har Etzion CHANUKA AND PURIM: A STUDY OF THEIR DIFFERENCES by Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot I - Introduction From a purely halakhic point of view, we generally regard Chanuka and Purim as equal in status. Both festivals are de-rabanan (rabbinically mandated), and the issue of "pirsum ha-nes" (publicizing the miracle) is central to both of them. This trend of thought finds expression in the Rambam's Mishneh Torah. As opposed to the other festivals, the halakhot of which are all dealt with individually - e.g. Hilkhot Shevitat He-asor (Yom Kippur), Hilkhot Chametz U-matza (Pesach) etc., the Rambam gives a joint heading to the laws of Chanuka and Purim: Hilkhot Megilla Ve- Chanuka. The first two chapters deal with the laws of Purim, and the third and fourth chapters deal with the laws of Chanuka. In addition, the Rambam further emphasizes the connection between these two festivals in his laws of Chanuka. In 3:3 he writes: And these days are called Chanuka, and eulogies and fasting are forbidden on them as on the days of Purim. And it is a mitzva to light candles on these days based on divrei soferim, as is the reading of the Megilla. And further on, in halakha 4, the Rambam draws the following parallel: All those obligated to hear the reading of the Megilla are also obligated to light candles on Chanuka. II - Differences Based on "Divrei Kabbala" Clearly, though, these quotations do not reflect the whole picture. The most obvious difference between Chanuka and Purim is that in contrast to Chanuka, on Purim we have a text - Megillat Ester, which is part of the kitvei kodesh. -
Jewish and Christian Perspectives on ??????? in Genesis 20:13 in the Ancient, Mediaeval and Reformed Exegesis
MAJT 28 (2017): 135-147 IN הִתְעּו JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVES ON GENESIS 20:13 IN THE ANCIENT, MEDIAEVAL AND REFORMATION EXEGESIS by Matthew Oseka Introduction acted as the subject in Genesis אלהים for which ,(הִתְעּו) THE PLURAL FORM of the verb 20:13, was often brought up for discussion in the history of biblical exegesis. Modern commentaries1 tend to explain this intriguing form as Abraham’s accommodation to Abimelech’s polytheistic background, namely, as a rhetorical concession made by Abraham to Abimelech. Indeed, it is arguable that within the parameters of the narrative Abraham tried to appease Abimelech and therefore adopted the phrasing which was common and absolutely inconspicuous. From a historical perspective, the plural forms concerning the Divine (e.g. Gen. 1:26; 11:7; 20:13) acted as focal points for exegetical and theological discussions in Jewish and Christian traditions. Granted that the literature on the origin of the Jewish2 1. As typified by: August Dillmann, Genesis Critically and Exegetically Expounded, vol. 2, trans. William Black Stevenson (Edinburgh: Clark, 1897), 122 [Genesis 20:13]; Samuel Rolles Driver, The Book of Genesis with Introduction and Notes (London: Methuen, 1904), 208 [Genesis 20:13]; Carl Friedrich Keil, Biblischer Kommentar über die Bücher Mose’s, vol. 1 (Leipzig: Dörffling and Franke, 1878), 204 [Genesis 20:13]; Andrew J. Schmutzer, “Did the ”,in Genesis 20:13 התעו אתי אלהים Gods Cause Abraham’s Wandering? An Examination of Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 35/2 (2010); Gordon J. Wenham, Genesis: 16-50, WBC (Dallas: Word, 1998), 73 [Genesis 20:13]. -
Narratology, Hermeneutics, and Midrash
Poetik, Exegese und Narrative Studien zur jüdischen Literatur und Kunst Poetics, Exegesis and Narrative Studies in Jewish Literature and Art Band 2 / Volume 2 Herausgegeben von / edited by Gerhard Langer, Carol Bakhos, Klaus Davidowicz, Constanza Cordoni Constanza Cordoni / Gerhard Langer (eds.) Narratology, Hermeneutics, and Midrash Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Narratives from the Late Antique Period through to Modern Times With one figure V&R unipress Vienna University Press Bibliografische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über http://dnb.d-nb.de abrufbar. ISBN 978-3-8471-0308-0 ISBN 978-3-8470-0308-3 (E-Book) Veröffentlichungen der Vienna University Press erscheineN im Verlag V&R unipress GmbH. Gedruckt mit freundlicher Unterstützung des Rektorats der Universität Wien. © 2014, V&R unipress in Göttingen / www.vr-unipress.de Alle Rechte vorbehalten. Das Werk und seine Teile sind urheberrechtlich geschützt. Jede Verwertung in anderen als den gesetzlich zugelassenen Fällen bedarf der vorherigen schriftlichen Einwilligung des Verlages. Printed in Germany. Titelbild: „splatch yellow“ © Hazel Karr, Tochter der Malerin Lola Fuchs-Carr und des Journalisten und Schriftstellers Maurice Carr (Pseudonym von Maurice Kreitman); Enkelin der bekannten jiddischen Schriftstellerin Hinde-Esther Singer-Kreitman (Schwester von Israel Joshua Singer und Nobelpreisträger Isaac Bashevis Singer) und Abraham Mosche Fuchs. Druck und Bindung: CPI Buch Bücher.de GmbH, Birkach Gedruckt auf alterungsbeständigem Papier. Contents Constanza Cordoni / Gerhard Langer Introduction .................................. 7 Irmtraud Fischer Reception of Biblical texts within the Bible: A starting point of midrash? . 15 Ilse Muellner Celebration and Narration. Metaleptic features in Ex 12:1 – 13,16 . -
The Nuances of TRGM(” to Translate ”) in the Rabbinic Writings
JISMOR 6 Etsuko Katsumata The Nuances of TRGM (“to translate”) in the Rabbinic Writings1) Etsuko Katsumata Abstract This paper analyzes examples of the terms rooted in the word “TRGM” in rabbinic writing from the periods of Tannaim and Amoraim and clarifies the changing nuances of TRGM. The analysis of about 350 examples shows changes in the usage of the terms from Tannaitic materials to Amoraic materials, and more changes from Palestinian materials to Babylonian materials among the Amoraic materials. Most of the examples from the Tannaitic period are related to the public reading of the Hebrew Bible at synagogues. As for the Amoraic period, there are a significant number of examples of formulas quoted from Aramaic translations of the Bible, and derivatives of TRGM are found to be used for more common interpretation activities. In the Babylonian materials, the word “TRGM” was used to describe a rabbi’s interpretation activity. On the contrary, the Palestinian materials imply a certain kind of scorn for TRGM, which was considered separate from a rabbi’s orthodox interpretation activity, expressed by other verbs such as PTḤ (“to open, start”) and PTR (“to interpret”). This analysis of TRGM usages provides evidence of a skeptical attitude by the rabbis in Palestine toward TRGM. Keywords: Aramaic language, targum (the Aramaic translation of the Bible), rabbinic writings, interpretation of the Bible, formality 1. Introduction 1) Position of the targumim in Jewish studies The word “targum” refers to “translation” in a broad sense and an Aramaic translation of the Hebrew Bible in a more limited sense. It is said that public readings of the Torah were given on Sabbaths in Aramaic, which was current and understandable to those with difficulty in understanding Hebrew after their return from captivity.2) A targum (hereinafter meaning “an Aramaic translation of the Bible) goes beyond literal translation and is regarded as literature that contains various original commentaries and amplifications; however, its identity has not yet received much attention. -
Kitniyot on Pesah – Are They Really Forbidden?
Rice, beans and kitniyot on Pesah – are they really forbidden? By Rabbi David Golinkin The following responsum was approved by the CJLS on December, 24 2015 by a vote of fifteen in favor, three opposed, and four abstaining (15-3-4). Voting for: Rabbis Kassel Abelson, Pamela Barmash, David Booth, Elliot Dorff, Susan Grossman, Reuven Hammer, Joshua Heller, Jeremy Kalmanofsky, Adam Kligfeld, Gail Labovitz, Jonathan Lubliner, Daniel Nevins, Paul Plotkin, Elie Spitz, and Jay Stein. Voting against: Rabbis Amy Levin, Micah Peltz, and Avram Reisner. Abstaining: Rabbis Aaron Alexander, Miriam Berkowitz, Baruch Frydman-Kohl, and Noah Bickart This responsum was originally written in Hebrew for the Va'ad Halakhah of the Rabbinical Assembly of Israel in 1989 and published in the Responsa of the Va'ad Halakhah 3 (5748- 5749), pp. 35-55 (which can be accessed at www.responsafortoday.com/vol3/4.pdf). It was aimed at Israel where hundreds of products are labeled "Kosher for Pesah for those who eat Kitniyot" and where many Ashkenazim marry Sephardim. This revised translation is addressed to all Jews. In this version, we have added some new sources and references, but we have also abbreviated some sections by referring to the Hebrew original. Since this responsum is quite lengthy, I have included a brief summary at the beginning. DG * * * * * Question: Why do Ashkanazic Jews refrain from eating rice, beans and kitniyot on Pesah? Is there any way of doing away with this custom which causes much hardship and also divides Jewish communities and even members of the same family? A Brief Summary of the Responsum: 1) In our opinion it is permitted (and perhaps even obligatory) to eliminate this custom. -
Jews and Judaism in the Rabbinic Era
Texts and Studies in Ancient Judaism Edited by Maren Niehoff (Jerusalem) Annette Y. Reed (Philadelphia, PA) Seth Schwartz (New York, NY) Moulie Vidas (Princeton, NJ) 173 Isaiah M. Gafni Jews and Judaism in the Rabbinic Era Image and Reality – History and Historiography Mohr Siebeck Isaiah M. Gafni, born 1944; BA, MA, and PhD from the Hebrew University; 1967–2012 taught Jewish History of the Second Temple and Talmudic Periods (500 BCE – 500 CE) at the Hebrew University; currently Professor Emeritus in Jewish History at the Hebrew University, and President of Shalem College, Jerusalem. ISBN 978-3-16-152731-9 / eISBN 978-3-16-156701-8 DOI 10.1628/978-3-16-156701-8 ISSN 0721-8753 / eISSN 2568-9525 (Texts and Studies in Ancient Judaism) The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliographie; detailed bibliographic data are available at http://dnb.dnb.de. © 2019 Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, Germany. www.mohrsiebeck.com 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 reproduc- tions, translations and storage and processing in electronic systems. The book was printed on non-aging paper by Gulde Druck in Tübingen, and bound by Groß- buchbinderei Spinner in Ottersweier. Printed in Germany. For Naomi Table of Contents Abbreviations.............................................................................................. IX I Introduction ......................................................................................... -
On Interpretation Author(S): Simon Rawidowicz Source: Proceedings of the American Academy for Jewish Research, Vol
On Interpretation Author(s): Simon Rawidowicz Source: Proceedings of the American Academy for Jewish Research, Vol. 26 (1957), pp. 83- 126 Published by: American Academy for Jewish Research Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3622300 Accessed: 27-05-2019 17:51 UTC JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at https://about.jstor.org/terms American Academy for Jewish Research is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Proceedings of the American Academy for Jewish Research This content downloaded from 128.83.63.20 on Mon, 27 May 2019 17:51:14 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms ON INTERPRETATION* By SIMON RAWIDOWICZ I When one thinks of Israel's spiritual and literary work through the ages - its essence, manifestations and style - one is faced, at first thought, with a peculiar double-layered phenomenon: a "text" on the one hand, its "commentary" on the other. The "text" is limited in space and time, confined to one "cycle" in the history of Israel's existence, to one layer in its thought; it has a beginning and an end, while the "commentary" has no end. The "text" is comparatively short, while the "commentary" is of very great length, continuing on and on through the cen- turies, our own century included. -
Judaism As a Religious Legal System Elliot Dorff
Hastings Law Journal Volume 29 | Issue 6 Article 4 1-1978 Judaism as a Religious Legal System Elliot Dorff Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.uchastings.edu/hastings_law_journal Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation Elliot Dorff, Judaism as a Religious Legal System, 29 Hastings L.J. 1331 (1978). Available at: https://repository.uchastings.edu/hastings_law_journal/vol29/iss6/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Journals at UC Hastings Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Hastings Law Journal by an authorized editor of UC Hastings Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Judaism as a Religious Legal System By ELLIOT DoPFF* Introduction I MERICANS are accustomed to thinking about Judaism as a religion, comprised primarily of beliefs and moral max- ims. Judaism is a religion; it does espouse beliefs and norms of behavior, but it includes much more. As Mordecai Kaplan has suggested, Judaism is best described as a civilization because Jewish identity involves attachment to a specific land, language, lit- erature, music, art, and people, in addition to beliefs and morals.' The religion is the core of the civilization because it gives all the other elements their distinctly Jewish character, but it is not the to- tality of what it means to be Jewish. The fact that Judaism is a religious civilization is important for two reasons. First, along with the specific attachments identified by Kaplan, Judaism includes a body of law. In fact, this body of law is central to the meaning of Judaism. -
The Poetic Superstructure of the Babylonian Talmud and the Reader It Fashions
The Poetic Superstructure of the Babylonian Talmud and the Reader It Fashions by Zvi Septimus A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Joint Doctor of Philosophy with Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley in Jewish Studies in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Daniel Boyarin, Chair Professor David Henkin Professor Naomi Seidman Spring 2011 The Poetic Superstructure of the Babylonian Talmud and the Reader It Fashions Copyright 2011 All rights reserved by Zvi Septimus Abstract The Poetic Superstructure of the Babylonian Talmud and the Reader It Fashions by Zvi Septimus Doctor of Philosophy in Jewish Studies University of California, Berkeley Professor Daniel Boyarin, Chair This dissertation proposes a poetics and semiotics of the Bavli (Babylonian Talmud)—how the Bavli, through a complex network of linguistic signs, acts on its implied reader's attempt to find meaning in the text. In doing so, I advance a new understanding of how the Bavli was composed, namely as a book written by its own readers in the act of transmission. In the latter half of the twentieth century, Bavli scholarship focused on the role of the Stam (the collective term for those people responsible for the anonymous voice of the Bavli) in the construction of individual Bavli passages (sugyot). Stam theory details how sugyot were crafted out of pre-existing sources and how the Stam works to control those sources in the service of a particular worldview. This dissertation locates a different force at work in the construction of the Bavli as a single unified book, an authorship that is above and against the work of the Stam—a Superstam. -
Reading Shir Hashirim, Ruth, Eicha and Kohelet
265 Reading Shir haShirim, Ruth, Eicha and Kohelet By: ZVI RON The reading of Megillat Esther on Purim is dealt with extensively in the Mishna and Talmud in Masechet Megilla. Today it is customary to read Shir haShirim on Pesach, the Book of Ruth on Shavuot, Eicha on the Ninth of Av and Kohelet on Sukkot. None of these readings are mentioned in the Talmud. In this article we will trace the origin of this custom, the ways it was performed and the reasons given for it. The Traditional Connections Between the Holidays and the Megillot Shir haShirim A possible conceptual source for reading Shir haShirim on Pesach is found at the end of R. Saadia Gaon’s introduction to his commentary to Shir haShirim. He states there “and when Solomon reigned and sat on his (ניבא throne in the last days of Pesach he prophesized in Shir haShirim The source for this idea is unknown, but it may explain ”.בשיר השירים) the connection between Shir haShirim and the last days of Pesach, when it is customarily read.1 The earliest source that provides explanations for reading each of the megillot on a particular holiday is the 11th-century work Machzor Vitry. Machzor Vitry explains that Shir haShirim is read on Pesach because it was understood to hint to the redemption of the Israelites in 1:9, “I have lik- ened you, my darling, to a mare in Pharaoh’s chariots.”2 In the 1300s, R. Avraham b. Natan haYarchi reiterated the explanation found in Machzor 1 S. Wertheimer, Geon haGeonim vol.