Q&A: Your Attitude Toward Aggadic Literature
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Your Attitude Toward Aggadic Literature
Question
Hello
Is your attitude toward (or: lack of attitude toward…) the aggadic literature of the Sages because, in your opinion, it contains no deep messages that can be learned from it, or because it does contain such messages but we cannot know what they are?
Thank you
Answer
On the logical level, it’s impossible to answer such a question. Even if there are such messages, what both options you suggested have in common is that it’s impossible to know what they are. But if, even when there are messages, it’s impossible to know what they are, then how could I answer whether there are or are not such messages?
Basically, there are things you read and say, “This seems to me like low-level nonsense,” and there are things where you say—maybe because of your familiarity with the author—that there’s substance here, but I just can’t understand it.