<br><br><div><span class="gmail_quote">On 10/8/07, <b class="gmail_sendername">saul mashbaum</b> <<a href="mailto:smash52@netvision.net.il">smash52@netvision.net.il</a>> wrote:</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<div><p>RRW wrote:</p>
<p>>><br>Hazal were rarely highly literal. Applying highly literal standards are mis-leading and often can lead to mis-perceptions of what is meant. Often the Gmara itself reformulates statemnts wti h"hachi Ko'amar...
<br>>></p>
<p>. However, when judiciously applied, RRW's priciple about literalness is sound. Too bad it's so difficult to determine when the principle applies.</p>
<p>Saul Mashbaum</p></div></blockquote><div><br>There is no simple rule but the more one learns the more likely one applies this correctly .<br><br>The idea of not being highly literal is elaboratd by R. Avraham ben Rambam's intro to Aggadah.
<br><br>The literary style of that era was to often speak in meataphors or hyperboles<br>EG: Adam rotze bekav sehlo miti'sha kabbim shel haveiro. there the Talmud tells us it is a guzma b'alma.<br><br>Remember, that seeing things as not literal is NOT meant to deny the underlying TRUH behind the statement. Rather it poisnt ot a style of getting how one gets a point across.
<br><br>Di Yehsay literally mean [ ch. 1 haftora of Hazzon] that we were as S'dom and A'morah? OR were they metpahors alluding to the kind of evil behavior and he was using hyperbole?<br> <br></div>-- <br></div>
Kol Tuv / Best Regards,<br><a href="mailto:RabbiRichWolpoe@Gmail.com">RabbiRichWolpoe@Gmail.com</a><br>Please Visit: <br><a href="http://nishmablog.blogspot.com/">http://nishmablog.blogspot.com/</a>