Jewish Hermeneutics: Jews and the Bible
Over the summer I taught a biblical Hebrew class for Canterbury Cathedral. When I intially proposed the course to the Dean, he thought that probably noone would come. So on the first night I expected to show up to an empty classroom. But, to my suprise—and delight—about 30 turned up. They were almost entirely retirees. The plan was to meet in the evening once a week for 8 weeks; the aim of the course was to learn to read the Hebrew text outloud, and to explore the meaning of selected passages from the Hebrew Scriptures.
One of the texts I chose was about the Exodus from Egypt. I explained that during Passover, Jews celebrate the deliverence of the Jewish people led by Moses. The term passover is derived from the account of the tenth plague in Egypt where first-born Egyptians were killed, whereas God passed over the houses of the Israelites.
I explained that in the past Jews regarded such stories as literally true. This is beause traditionally Jews viewed the Torah (the Five Books of Moses) as divinely revealed to Moses on Mt Sinai. This belief—Torah Mi Sinai—is fundamental. According to tradition, every word in Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy was divinely revealed to Moses on Mt Sinai. For over two millennia this has been a bedrock of the Jewish faith. Hence, for example, the biblical stories about Adam and Eve;
Noah; Abraham Issac and Jacob; and Moses and the children of Israel are true. Jews are literalists.
Now there is an important distinction to make at the outset of the discussion of the Jewish interpretation of Scripture. As I mentioned, according to tradition, the Five Books of Moses (called the Torah) are true because of divine revelation. Hence all the stories in the Torah are from the Almighty. But the Torah is not the only revelation. The Hebrew Bible also consists of the Prophetic books and numerous other writings—these texts are also of divine origin. They too are sacrosanct. The Hebrew Bible thus consists of three parts: Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deiteronomy), Neviim (Prophets), and Ktuvim (Writings)—in Hebrew, these biblical books are referred to as the Tanakh (a abbreviarion of these three collections of writings).
And there is one more crucial distinction. Alongside all the stories in the Tanakh, there are 613 laws in the Five Books of Moses which Jews are obliged to follow. Not just the Ten Commandents. But 603 other laws. Through the ages Jews have regarded all these laws as binding, and today among the Strictly Orthodox (callled the Haredim), these laws are rigorously followed.
But it is a mistake to think that is the end of the matter concerning the legal code. Through the centuries rabbinic scholars reflected on the meaning of these 613 commandments, and in extensive rabbinic writings—
consisting first of the Mishnah and then the Talmud— they expamded these laws, culminating in the Code of Jewish Law (Shulchan Aruch). Thus there are thousands of laws which observant Jews are bound ro follow. Traditional Judaism is thus bound by a multitude of commandments derived from the Torah.
I have so far referred to the Mishnah and the Talmud which focus on the legal elements of the Torah. But this is not the end of the matter. Through the centuries rabbinic scholars also commented on the narrarive—as opposed to the legal— parts of Scripture. Commentaries on the non-legal parts of Scripture are referred to as aggadic midrashim. These aggadic explanations could be philosophical or mystical disquistions concerning angels, demons, paradise, hell, the messiah, feasts and fasts, parables, legends, as well as satirical assaults on those who practice idolatry.
Classical aggadic midrashic texts consist of such works as
1. The Alphabet of Rabbi Akiva, concerning the names of the letters of the Hebrew Alphabet,
2. The Mekhilta which functions as a commentary on the book of Exodus;
3. The Seder Olam Rabbah which covers topics from the creation of the universe to the construction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem;
4. The Sifra on Leviticus
5. The Sifra on Numbers and Deuteronomy
6. The Sifra Zutta dealing with the book of Numbers.
In addition, there is a wide range of post-Talmudic midrashim which deal with various Scriptural texts.
Let me turn next to the methods of Scriptural interpretation used by Jewish scholars through the ages. The tradition of Bible interpretation considers the Scriptures not just as an ordinary book, but as the Divine revelation of God, containing deep spiritual truths. Uncovering these truths requires discipline. Jewish biblical interpretation takes place on 4 levels. The first level is referred to as Pshat which focuses on the simple meaning of the text. The second level, Remez, draws out an allegorical or symbolic meaning of the passage. Derash, the third level uncovers a moral lesson in the meaning of the text. And the fourth level, Sod, focuses on the text's hidden meaning or mystery. These four methods--Pshat, Remez, .Derash and Sod are traditionally referred to by the acronym Pardes (orchard or garden) which combines their first letters.
Let me give you an example of Sod to illustate the basic assumptions and hermeneutic method of rabbinic interpretation. Rabbinic scholars, who practiced what is referred to as gematria, believed that every word in the Bible is divine, and every letter in the Hebrew alphabet is full of power. The task of the scholar was to unlock the hidden meanings of Scripture.
Now I should explain that each Hebrew letter has a numerical value. Hence each word in the Bible has a
numerical equivalent which is determined by adding up the numbers of its letters. For example, the Hebrew word for ‘son’—which in Hebrew consists of the letters bet (2) and nun (50)— is 52.
Rabbinic scholars believed that in order to unlock the secret meanings of the Bible it is necessary to focus on the numerical value of the words in a text. For example, the numerical value of ‘The Satan’ (ןטשה) in Hebrew is 364, and so it was said that Satan had authority to prosecute Israel for 364 days before his reign ended on the Day of Atonement.
We can see then that through the centuries Jews have viewed the Bible as sacrosanct. The Torah is God's revelation. It contains dinvely revealed truths about the origin of the universe as well as a code by which Jews are expected to live. The Jewish nation is God's chosen people-their role is to be a light to the nations. For thousands of years, Jews regarded the Torah as well as the other books of the Bible as sacred texts. Obediently they lived in accordance with the law given to Moses.
In modern times, however, this is no longer the case. It is a small minority--the Haredim--who continue to uphold this tradition. The vast majority of Jews--in Israel and the diaspora--no longer subscribe to this belief. No longer do they regard the Hebrew Scpitures as divinely revealed. No longer do they scrupulously obey the law. Instead, an
entirely new approach has been adopted by Jews across the religious spectrum. In contemporary society the Biblical heritage is viewed as a cultural and legal smorgasborg.
Instead of viewing the Bible in its entirety as the word of God, individual Jews decide for themselves which elements of the tradition are spiritually meaningful. This is so for Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Liberal and Humanistic Jews as well as the non-affiliated. Let me give you an example from my own family. My mother was active in the Reform synagogue in Denver, Colorado where I grew up, and served as Chairman of the Ritual Committee. As you will know, Leviticus 11:7 states that eating pork is forbidden. We never ate pork at home. But my parents liked bacon. When I was training as a rabbi, I questioned my mother. I said: 'I don't understand why you think it's ok to eat bacon. You won't eat pork, yet you think bacon is ok.' 'Well,' she replied, 'it doesn't look like pork.'
Non-Orthodox rabbis are equally selective. An old friend who served as the rabbi of a large synagogue in Washington DC, for example, would not perform marriages on the Sabbath. To do so, he believed, would be a violation of Jewish law and a desecration. Yet, despite such rigidity, he violated a wide range of Sabbath restrictions such as driving his car on the Sabbath, spending money, turning on the lights at home, watching television, making phone calls, using his IPad, going shopping and eating in restaurants.
Such self selection also occurs in the moral sphere. As you know, the Bible condemns homosexuality. Leviticus 18:22, for example, states: ‘You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.’ Again Leviticus 18:22 declares: ‘If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.’
Yet the Reform movement—the lagest Jewish religious organisation in the United Stares with millions of adherents —has a long and proud history of working for the full inclusion of homosexuals in Jewish life. The Social Justice arm of the Reform movement has been at the forefront of the fight for LGBT equality. Today homosexual Jews and their families are welcome in all Reform Temples. Most Reform rabbis and cantors gladly officiate at same-sex ceremonies.
I have said that Jewish life today is a smorgasborg. Across the Jewish religious spectrum modern Jews individually select those elements of the biblical tradition which they find meaningful and relevant, discarding the rest. This is a major revolution in Jewish life. And it has serious consequences for understanding the complications of interpreting the Bible in contemprary society.
The aim of this conference is to explore the engagement with biblical texts. Here contemporary Judaism can offer an important insight into the complexities of textual engagement. As we have seen, in the past Scripture was
perceived as the word of God. Through the centuries rabbinic scholars developed various methods of uncovering its meaning. Yet—except among the Haredim—this is no longer the case. In synagogues Jews continue to refer to the Torah as the tree of life. But in fact it no longer serves as the basis of the religious practice. Instead the Tanach is perceived as a vast repository of ancient traditions. Today Jews are free to select from the biblical heritage those elements which have personal religious significance. Such subjectivity raises serious questions about how one is to approach Scripture. Which elements continue to have religious significance? How is one to choose? Judaism thus offers to other faiths serious questions about the religious relevance of the Bible in the modern world.