[Avodah] Allegory and Medrash

[Micha Berger]

From
http://rechovot.blogspot.com/2012/02/are-midrashim-to-be-taken-literally.html

    Are all midrashim to be taken literally?
    The Rebbetzin's Husband

    Several weeks ago I came across interesting 13th century comments
    recorded in the Shiltei Giborim [on the Rif] to Avodah Zarah 20. These
    comments address the question of whether midrashim are intended to
    be taken literally. You can find a text of the Hebrew -- corrected
    from manuscripts -- on-line here
    <http://www.daat.ac.il/chazal/maamar.asp?id=278>, along with some
    very important footnotes.

    Here's a quick translation of the Shiltei Giborim's words:

    Know and understand that there are three paths in midrash:

    1) Some [midrashim] exaggerate, as Chullin 90b says, "The Torah
    spoke words of emptiness, the prophets spoke words of emptiness,
    the sages spoke words of emptiness," such as in Deuteronomy 1:28
    "great, fortified cities in the heavens," and Kings I 1:40 "the
    earth split due to their voice."

    There are many of these, like the words of Rabbah bar bar Chanah in
    Bava Batra 73b; these were exaggeration, for people speak thus.

    2) Some of the midrashim present miracles, in which Gd demonstrates
    His might and displays amazing and shocking deeds, as in Daniel 10:7,
    "And I, Daniel alone, saw the vision, and the people with me did
    not see, etc." And Yonah ben Amitai who was swallowed by the fish
    and spat out. And many others like this.

    Many of these are found in the words of the sages, such as Bava
    Batra 58a regarding R' Bena'ah marking caves, and Bava Batra 58a
    with a magician digging in the caves of the dead. All of those were
    miracles, as were performed and revealed to the prophets, but not
    for other people.

    There are many of these, like the deeds of Rabbah bar bar Chana,
    things which are shocking which Gd showed His pious people who
    believe in Him wholeheartedly.

    3) In some of the midrashim the sages intend to analyze Scripture
    with any means possible, relying on Tehillim 62:12, "Gd said one
    thing; I heard two." And so Yirmiyah 23:29, "For My words are as
    fire; this is the word of Gd. And they are like a hammer, splitting
    stone." They learned from this that one sentence may lead to many
    meanings, as explained in Sanhedrin 31a.

    Do not be shocked by this; you often see that even a normal person
    speaks a complex message with two facets, and certainly words of
    wisdom spoken with Divine inspiration. Along these lines the sages
    analyze a passage in any way they can analyze it, saying (Shabbat
    63a), "The passage does not depart from its simple meaning," which
    is the essence, and regarding all of the midrashim which are drawn
    from it, some of them are of the essence and close to the literal
    read and some of them have a small hint [in the text].

    You see what one of the sages taught in Taanit 5b, "Yaakov our
    ancestor did not die." One sage replied to him, "Did the eulogizers
    eulogize him and embalmers embalm him and buriers bury him for
    nothing?" And he responded, "I am analyzing the passage." Meaning:
    I know he died, but I intend to analyze the passage in any way it
    can be analyzed, and if the midrash cannot be as it sounds, the
    passage still offers a hint that one could say "he did not die"
    as Berachot 18a says, "The righteous live even in their death,"
    for their names and memory and deeds live eternally.

    A similar case is seen in Shabbat 30b, in which the exegete taught,
    "Israel will produce cakes and fine clothing," as it is written,
    "There will be pisat bar in the land." [See Rashi there, for the
    connection between pisat and cakes and clothing.] A student mocked
    him, noting that Kohelet 1:9 says there is nothing new under the
    sun! To which he replied, "Come and I will show you an example of
    these items in this world." He went out and showed the student
    mushrooms. The sage was informing him that the midrash could be
    explained in a manner which was close to it; the original verse was
    teaching that the Creator would provide great goodness in the world.

    Similar statements occur in other midrashim

    They said in Yerushalmi Nazir 7:2, "Are the midrashot amanah? Learn
    them and receive reward." It is explained that the sages did not state
    the midrashim as matters of faith [emunah] and as the essence, but
    to increase the meanings of the text and analyze all of its facets,
    such that they might include a hint. Links to text and hints are
    among the paths of Torah study, regarding which it is said, "Learn
    them and receive reward."

    Regarding one who mocks their words it is said (Divrei haYamim II
    36:16), "And they mocked the messengers of Gd... and made light of
    His prophets." In various places we find that they were punished for
    mocking the words of the sages. Learn from the student who mocked
    the words of the sage who was analyzing Yeshayah 54:12, "And I will
    make your windows of gems," and they showed him from heaven, for the
    honour of that sage, that the words of the sage were accurate and one
    should not mock them, and the student was punished. (Sanhedrin 100a)

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             When faced with a decision ask yourself,
micha at aishdas.org        "How would I decide if it were Ne'ilah now,
http://www.aishdas.org   at the closing moments of Yom Kippur?"
Fax: (270) 514-1507                            - Rav Yisrael Salanter