Q&A: On the Formal Study of the Hermeneutical Principles by Which the Torah Is Interpreted
On the Formal Study of the Hermeneutical Principles by Which the Torah Is Interpreted
Question
Hello Rabbi.
I am interested in studying the topic of the hermeneutical principles by which the Torah is interpreted in a comprehensive and systematic way.
Is there a place that teaches this subject in depth in a formal and professional manner? If so, in what formal framework can one study it?
Thank you very much!
Answer
It is worth focusing on books about the hermeneutical principles, but reading them critically. There are several books: Birurei HaMiddot by Rabbi Chaim Hirschensohn. There is a book by Rabbi Ostrovski. On some of the principles there are books by Adolf Schwartz.
Beyond that, there are the commentaries of the medieval authorities (Rishonim) and later authorities (Acharonim) on the Sifra, on the baraita of the hermeneutical principles at the beginning of the Sifra. In particular, it is worth looking at Middot Aharon by Rabbi Aharon ibn Chaim (the first part of the book Korban Aharon).
Discussion on Answer
A question
Why does one need nowadays to delve deeply into the hermeneutical principles by which the Torah is interpreted?
Why does the Rabbi suggest reading books on the principles "critically"?
More generally, I’m asking: is it true that one can "interpret" the Torah only by means of these hermeneutical principles? What I’m really asking is whether these principles are the secret key to reconstructing the entire Oral Torah in case, Heaven forbid, it is forgotten from among us? Or is that not really enough?
One more question so I won’t forget it—I’ll write it here: why do people say the statement, "From the time the Temple was destroyed, prophecy was given to fools"? It’s well known that there were actual prophets even after the destruction—and they were not fools. What is the interpretation of that statement? Or on what basis did they say it? And did the one who said it not himself prophesy—that’s strange..
An addition:
There are also the first two books in the Talmudic Logic series (the first deals with the logical principles, a fortiori inference and paradigm constructions, the refutations of them, and all the combinations. The second deals with the principles of general and particular categories).
Moshe,
Why not? These are tools through which the Torah can be interpreted.
They should be read critically because in my opinion there are errors there, and the authors wrote what they thought, not necessarily reliable information.
The Torah can be interpreted in many ways, and these principles are only part of them. It has already been noted that if you survey all of the rabbinic interpretations, you’ll discover that only a tiny minority of them are based on Rabbi Ishmael’s hermeneutical principles.
I assume the intention is a gradual process of the fading of prophecy. The process began with the destruction (of the First Temple, of course) until prophecy disappeared entirely a bit afterward (remnants of prophecy still existed in the Great Assembly, and that was it).
And there are also the 4 volumes of Middah Tovah by the great Rabbi Michael Abraham. I’m surprised the Rabbi doesn’t know them.