Q&A: Aggadic Teachings of the Sages
Aggadic Teachings of the Sages
Question
Hello Rabbi,
A friend of mine asked me a question: do you have somewhere that you explain the “rationale” of the aggadic teachings of the Sages? (Like the wonderful article about forced interpretations.)
And this is what he wrote:
Hello,
Does our teacher, Michael Abraham, have any response regarding the aggadic passages of the Talmud?
I’m learning tractate Megillah, and because of that my faith has weakened tremendously.
Answer
I haven’t written about this. There are several articles printed at the beginning of volume 1 of Ein Yaakov, and there you can see some important ideas on this subject. In general, I don’t treat the aggadic teachings of the Sages with excessive seriousness. As far as I’m concerned, these are literary creations or homiletic remarks meant to convey one idea or another. I wouldn’t be overly precise with them or attribute too much importance to them, just as I wouldn’t do so regarding the homiletic remarks and sermons heard nowadays even from leading rabbis. I don’t think this is supposed to undermine faith. There is a genre of homily, and someone it doesn’t speak to (like me) simply shouldn’t engage with it.
By the way, if you want more serious engagement with aggadah, turn to academic works. There you can find more meaningful interpretations of the aggadic passages, both in terms of the seriousness of the treatment and the commitment to a fitting and consistent interpretation, and in terms of the level.
And as a starting point I’d recommend the three course booklets on Midrash and Aggadah from the Open University, edited by Jonah Frankel. The reader will be amazed by the literary sophistication and depth of this genre. I have to say that when I read those books, my faith in academia was shaken! Because I wasn’t prepared to believe—based on my yeshiva mindset—that the aggadic teachings of the Sages were so profound. It felt to me like someone hanging a teaching from a source where it doesn’t appear. Today I think Frankel is right, and that in the aggadic teachings of the Sages there is something of the genius that characterizes the finest writers, and more. Many thanks to you, academ-ia, for restoring my faith!