Questions tagged [hermeneutics]
The hermeneutics tag has no usage guidance.
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What about 1 Samuel ch. 16?
In 1 Samuel ch. 16:14-23 there's a strange story about an "evil spirit from the LORD" who started to terrify Shaul Ha-Melech until the young David was called to present before the king & ...
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What is the meaning of Genesis 28:14?
I love this forum because I learn too much with all you. One of the most enigmatic psukim in my view is Bereshit 28:14:
וְהָיָ֤ה זַרְעֲךָ֙ כַּעֲפַ֣ר הָאָ֔רֶץ וּפָרַצְתָּ֛ יָ֥מָּה וָקֵ֖דְמָה וְצָפֹ֣נָה ...
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Is gezeirah shavah limited to specific contexts?
My understanding of gezeirah shavah (GS) was that it
must come from tradition (one cannot invent one's own)
involves identical unnecessary words in (at least) two different contexts
does not have to ...
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What is the source to forbid Toldos תולדות?
There are times that Torah gives specific "examples" of what is forbidden (e.g. 39 melachos given via a reference to the actions done in the משכן or through other means; Or The Torah ...
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Are the hermeneutic principles used for support to facts known to chazal or they used to make new rules? [duplicate]
It is my understanding that the hermeneutic principles are used as support to a list of masoretic facts that chazal had, is that true or did they use them to devise new rules? This is only with ...
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Allegory vs. Literalism in Judaism and How to Tell the Difference [duplicate]
In the following article, the author makes a compelling argument for why Judaism doesn't always approach scripture literally. However, although there are many examples throughout the Bible for the use ...
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Why include an impossible yavam in yibum?
R. Akiva states (Y'vamos 8:4) that there is a distinction between the levirate obligations of an impotent man who has been that way all his life and an impotent man who became that way during his ...
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Rejected hermeneutics doubtfully true
The gemarra often employs the different types of derashos/hermeneutics such as kal vachomer/a fortiori arguments and hekesh/juxtaposition of phrases or terms. Also often, is these derashos are ...
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The tradition of a Gezeira Shava
A number of questions and answers (here is one, for example) have pointed out that expounding text by means of a gezeriah shava requires a mesorah, a teaching from one's teacher, and that different ...
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Which drashot require a mesorah?
From what I've heard, two of them have definite rules:
Kal Vachomer doesn't need a mesorah.
Gezeirah Shavah does need a mesorah.
But what about everything else, such as a Hekesh, or a Clal u'prat, ...
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Logic behind אם אינו ענין
Every now and again Chazal use a method of exegesis of the form
אם אינו ענין ל___ תנהו לענין ___
which means that if a word or phrase is extra, due to the halacha it apparently teaches being ...
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Applying hermeneutical rules nowadays
Chazal used various hermeneutical rules, such as R' Yishmoel's, to interpret the Torah and to derive novel halachos from it (as well as get support for existing ones).
Can we use those rules ...
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What's the basis for "דברה התורה כלשון בני"א" (Torah used common language)?
The Sages used the "דברה התורה כלשון בני אדם" excuse (acc. to the WIKI page) in two ways - in the Gemmorah to resolve [the problem of] repeating languages in the Torah (like עלה נעלה or פדה תפדה) and ...
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For kiddushin, why does Rambam say kesef is "mi'divrei sofrim" but doesn't say that for shtar?
In Hilchos Ishus 1:2, the Rambam writes:
לִקּוּחִין אֵלּוּ מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה שֶׁל תּוֹרָה הֵם. וּבְאֶחָד מִשְּׁלֹשָׁה דְּבָרִים אֵלּוּ הָאִשָּׁה נִקְנֵית. בְּכֶסֶף. אוֹ בִּשְׁטָר. אוֹ בְּבִיאָה. ...
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Are there accepted rules for the exposition of a set of juxtaposed verses (סמוכים)?
This question came about from learning Gemoro Brochos 21b but the question is not limited to this daf.
The Gemoro Brochos 21b quotes Rebbi Yehoshua ben Levi as expounding verses Devorim 4 (9 & ...
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Understanding תוד״ה תפילין on קידושין דף לו ע״א
The Talmud (Kiddushin 36a) cites a view that women are exempt from the prohibition on balding themselves in mourning. Rava there says that we know of this exemption because the same words "between ...
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How it it possible to use different words and yet still be a Gezeira Shava?
I can understand how a gezeira shava would work when the word used is similar, like "kicha kicha m'sdei Ephron" in the beginning of Maseches Kiddushin.
But logically speaking, how can we have a 4 way ...
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How do we know that Shema is a time-based obligation and not an event-based obligation?
The time for reciting Shema is discussed in the Mishnah and various tannaic opinions are given, both for the morning Shema and for the evening Shema:
Berachot 2a
מאימתי קורין את שמע בערבין משעה ...
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Are There Two Kinds of "Don't Read" Expositions?
In The Practical Talmud Dictionary, by Yitzchak Frank, one can read that there are two kinds of “don’t read” expositions: one “not only in accordance with its Masoretic vocalization, but in accordance ...
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Chalitza to wife? (Qidushin 3b)
Talmud Qidushin 3b
סד''א תיתי בקל וחומר מיבמה מה יבמה שאינה יוצאה בגט יוצאה בחליצה, אשה שיוצאה בגט אינו דין שיוצאה בחליצה ... ספר כורתה ואין דבר אחר כורתה
[You could think ... if a yevama that cannot ...
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Beraita of Rabbi Ishmael
According to wikipedia:
There is a dispute regarding the thirteen principles: Either the kal va-chomer is unique among the thirteen rules in that it may be applied by anyone in any circumstance in ...
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What does Rabenu Tam think is really the source for a minyan comprising ten?
We have two Biblical sources that show by deduction than "ceremonial" acts involving k'dusha must be done in a quorum of at least ten. One pasuk is the primary one cited in the Talmud Y'rushalmi -
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Akrasia and the Yetzer Harah
I asked many questions about the Yetzarim before trying to figure out the concept, the meaning and the way it works looking at myself and different cognitive studies.
Recently I found a concept ...
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Adducing Gezerah Shavah (גזירה שוה), list of Gezerah Shavah (גזירה שוה) words
In Genesis 37:15 we read
Then a man found him, and behold, he was straying in the field, and
the man asked him, saying, "What are you looking for?"
טווַיִּמְצָאֵ֣הוּ אִ֔ישׁ וְהִנֵּ֥ה תֹעֶ֖ה ...
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נִפְתַּ֛לְתִּי "my prayer was accepted" notarikon
In Genesis 30:8 Bilhah, Rachel's maidservant, conceived and Rachel named the son Naftali נִפְתַּלְתִּי
It says here that for נִפְתַּ֛לְתִּי "my prayer was accepted"
There are many aggadic ...
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Are there Published Legal Defenses Resolving Objections Against Rabbinic Authority?
Are there Rabbinic "apologetic or polemic works" that focus only on the rational validity, and logical objections raised by other Jews1 -- against: (1.) the Rabbinate's authority in Judaism over other ...
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Is a horse included within the definition of "behema" with regard to Shabbat melacha?
Related to this M.Y. question, which I relayed to a friend, he suggested asking this related question:
Deuteronomy 5:14:
וְי֙וֹם֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֜֔י שַׁבָּ֖֣ת ׀ לַיהוָ֖֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑֗יךָ לֹ֣א
תַעֲשֶׂ֣ה ...
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is there an authoritative list of the ways to expound the torah?
We are all familiar with Rebbi Yishmael's 13 principles for expounding the torah, however there are other systems not included in his list. I remember once hearing a shiur that there are over 40 ways ...
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