Isaac Gottlieb | Bar-Ilan University (original) (raw)

Papers by Isaac Gottlieb

Ve-’Ed Ya‘aleh (Gen 2:6), 2021

Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations, 2013

Joseph Bekhor Shor of Orléans was a French Tosafist, a student of Rashi's grandson Rabbenu Tam. H... more Joseph Bekhor Shor of Orléans was a French Tosafist, a student of Rashi's grandson Rabbenu Tam. His commentary is considered to be the last northern French commentary on the Pentateuch to be written in the mode of the peshat, with its stress on literal or straightforward explanation of the text, in place of the traditional midrashic approach. 2 As is well known, twelfth-century Northern France is the place where this "dramatic change" took place in biblical interpretation. 3 According to Yehoshafat Nevo, who published this commentary, Bekhor Shor was born around 1140 and apparently died around the year 1200. 4 Rupert of Deutz (c. 1075-1129) was born in Liège, Belgium, and served as a monk at the nearby abbey of St. 1 The research for this paper was supported by the Israel Science Foundation (grant No. 483/12). 2 For a readable and insightful explanation of midrash and peshat, we suggest the chapters "Midrash" by Barry W. Holtz and "Medieval Bible Commentaries" by Edward L. Greenstein in Back to the Sources: Reading the Classic Jewish Texts, ed.

Journal of Hebrew Scriptures, 2012

BAR-ILAN UNIVERSITY 2 JOURNAL OF HEBREW SCRIPTURES as a noun describing the literature itself ("m... more BAR-ILAN UNIVERSITY 2 JOURNAL OF HEBREW SCRIPTURES as a noun describing the literature itself ("midrashic literature") and as a verbal form (e.g., "midrashic exegesis") denoting homiletical interpretation. Midrash interprets the Bible by expanding the biblical story, seeking additional meaning in wordplays and analogies, and employing an intertextuality that takes no account of context. Thus a verse in Genesis can be illuminated by a passage from Chronicles if the same word or expression is found in both. Midrashic technique is oblivious to history: the aim of midrashic homily is not explication de texte but rather the derivation of ethical and religious messages and normative observances of Judaism. The former are derived from the narratives, the latter, called Halakha, from the legal portions. 2 Both types of midrash, the legal (or Halakhic) and the narrative (or Aggadic), were developed in the Second Temple period and practiced through the first seven centuries of the common era. 3 The legal interpretations were the result of scholastic efforts in the Pharisaic or rabbinic study hall, while the Aggadic homilies originated in sermons delivered in the synagogue on Sabbaths and holidays by the Palestinian Rabbis. These sermons were later given literary shape and called midrashic literature. The Karaites rejected the authority of the Rabbis and the validity of their biblical interpretations, preferring to explain the Bible according to its context, grammar, and syntax. The Karaite scholar Yefet ben 'Eli (Basra, Iraq, mid-10 th century) moved to Jerusalem and wrote Judeo-Arabic commentaries on every book of the Bible. 4 At about the same time, David ben Abraham al-Fasi, also a Karaite, wrote a Hebrew-Arabic dictionary of the Bible.

Journal of the American Oriental Society, 1980

The Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy, 1993

Hebrew Studies Journal, 2010

Many references to Solomon in the Bible seem to be the outcome of innerbiblical exegesis applied ... more Many references to Solomon in the Bible seem to be the outcome of innerbiblical exegesis applied to earlier texts. This study highlights the particular forms of exegesis that were used and their proximity to later midrashic explanation. By submitting earlier narratives to midrashic techniques, the books of Writings reveal their relatively late dating. However, the use of these techniques does not automatically discredit the historical kernel of a particular reference; rather, it lends it an interpretive "spin," enlarging the character of Solomon to legendary proportions.

Prooftexts, 1991

... GOTTLIEB Sof Davar: Biblical Endings ... Likewise the phrase "until the dayof his death&... more ... GOTTLIEB Sof Davar: Biblical Endings ... Likewise the phrase "until the dayof his death" at the end of Jeremiah (but not in the otherwise identical verse at the end of 2 Kings); Job's passing in the final verse; and, in the case of Daniel, the notice that he is destined to rest. Page 3. ...

Vetus Testamentum 40, 1990

The Mishnaic tractate The Ethics of the Fathers is a continuation of biblical Wisdom in its forms... more The Mishnaic tractate The Ethics of the Fathers is a continuation of biblical Wisdom in its forms and concerns.

Proceedings of the 2006 and 2007 SBL Midrash Sections, 2008

Midrashic interpretation of Esther is, like the book itself, laden with reversals, paradox, and e... more Midrashic interpretation of Esther is, like the book itself, laden with reversals, paradox, and exaggeration. But midrash is, paradoxically, trying to 'save' the scroll, not ridicule it.

Journal of Hebrew Scriptures 12 , 2012

An examinationof dual opening formulae in the Pentateuch and the response of medieval Jewish exeg... more An examinationof dual opening formulae in the Pentateuch and the response of medieval Jewish exegesis