15 votes
Accepted

Was Malbim an innovator?

To summarize (and perhaps embellish) Prof. Yaakov Elman's The Rebirth of Omnisignificant Biblical Exegesis in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, which addresses all this at length, Hazal seemed ...
mevaqesh's user avatar
  • 35.6k
14 votes
Accepted

Should we interpret the Torah literally or allegorically?

Almost everyone will agree that neither extreme is correct. That is to say, that almost no one will interpret every word of the Torah literally, and almost no one will interpret every word of the ...
Alex's user avatar
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11 votes
Accepted

Who has the right to come up with chiddushei Torah?

See the Pele Yoetz's discussion of this in his entry for "Chiddush". The basic idea (according to him) is that everyone can and should be mechadesh to the best of their abilities. וכל אדם אינו ...
Alex's user avatar
  • 49.2k
7 votes

Why the whole Torah is written as stories interrupted with Mitzvos and not the vice verse?

Bereishit Rabbah 60:8: אָמַר רַבִּי אַחָא יָפָה שִׂיחָתָן שֶׁל עַבְדֵי בָּתֵּי אָבוֹת מִתּוֹרָתָן שֶׁל בָּנִים, פָּרָשָׁתוֹ שֶׁל אֱלִיעֶזֶר שְׁנַיִם וּשְׁלשָׁה דַפִּים הוּא אוֹמְרָהּ וְשׁוֹנָהּ, ...
Joel K's user avatar
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7 votes

Are there unnecessary words in torah?

There are already eight answers to this question, including an accepted one, yet no one has quoted any sources where rishonim explicitly state that parts of the Torah are unnecessary. While the ...
Alex's user avatar
  • 49.2k
6 votes

Parshanut Theory/Intro Books

If you read Hebrew, check out this book. https://korenpub.com/products/parshanei-hamikra It's an amazing resource.
Bs234570's user avatar
  • 612
4 votes

Rule of first occurrence?

Rav Zaddok HaKohen of Lublin writes in Yisrael K'doshim (ot zayin): וקיבלתי שבכל דבר וענין במקום שמלה זו נזכר פעם ראשונה בתורה שם הוא שורש הענין I have been taught that regarding everything, ...
mevaqesh's user avatar
  • 35.6k
3 votes

Obligation to accept Rabbinical sayings "על ימין שהוא שמאל"

Yes, there are very many. See the mefarshim to this verse. Ramban agrees with Sifrei and disagrees with Rashi (this is in line with the Shaarei Aharon and other mefarshim), based on the fact that he ...
רבות מחשבות's user avatar
3 votes
Accepted

Why does the Torah mention the lineage of Yishma'el and Esav?

Rambam discusses the phenomenon of the Torah mentioning seemingly irrelevant genealogies in Moreh Nevukhim (3:50) (see here). He includes the listing of the descendants of Noah, the descendants of ...
mevaqesh's user avatar
  • 35.6k
3 votes

Parshanut Theory/Intro Books

In addition to Avigayil Rock's book mentioned previously, the series Masters of the Word (currently two volumes) by Yonatan Kolatch matches what you are looking for.
wfb's user avatar
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2 votes
Accepted

Why did Yehudah say "we will all be slaves" when Yosef's guy said that only the person who has the Goblet will be a slave?

They had offered to be slaves beforehand. 44:8. Yosef responded that would be the fitting punishment but he won't give it 44:9. Rashi and other Rishonim say from the Medrash Rabbah that the reason ...
Schmerel's user avatar
  • 5,160
2 votes

Are there unnecessary words in torah?

The Torah has four basic levels of interpretation: Pshat, or its basic translation. Remez, or allusions to other concepts. Drash, which is deriving halachos or additional information from a word, ...
user17093's user avatar
  • 121
2 votes

176 verses in longest parasha, longest psalm and last page of longest Talmud tractate - what is the significance?

According to Beis Moshiach magazine: The parsha Naso, which follows the Festival of Shavuos, distinguishes itself as the longest parsha in the Torah, comprising no fewer than 176 verses. It has been ...
Kfir's user avatar
  • 1,274
2 votes

Are there unnecessary words in torah?

In a responsum (Shu"t Radvaz 2:643) R. David Ibn Zimra writes the following: ובמה שכתבתי לך תוכל לתרץ כמה ספיקות אחרות כגון מה ששאלו הראשונים למה לא נכתב תורה שבעל פה או למה נכתבו קצת ספורים ...
Alex's user avatar
  • 49.2k
2 votes

Torah verses with zero educational / Halachic value

There is no such thing as a pasuk, word, letter, even in the little curve at the botton of the yud that does not have an education value or halachic value. I learned in a gemara (Menachos 29b) that ...
AvrohomKanievsky's user avatar
1 vote

Did Rabbis reflect on their cognitive processes?

The introduction to the Chovot Hallevavot (text and translation copied from Sefaria) describes the author's inner struggle on whether to write the book. He originally thought he wasn't worthy to write ...
b a's user avatar
  • 24.7k
1 vote

What prevents a needy from stealing and being sold into slavery?

God said not to steal. That stops most people. Also, he can't be sold unless there's a willing buyer. Buyers seeing the added expense will presumably not buy him (or not at the same price as without ...
msh210's user avatar
  • 73.7k
1 vote

Who has the right to come up with chiddushei Torah?

Could any Jewish Neshama, in principle, come up with a Chidushei Torah? Let's first define Chidushei Torah: A way of understanding the text that fits into the words but isn't the way the ...
Danny Schoemann's user avatar

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