Description
Book SynopsisPresents a study of midrash - the biblical exegesis, parables, and anecdotes of the Rabbis. This work examines early, tannaitic legal midrash, focusing on the interpretive tradition associated with the figure of Rabbi Ishmael. It also locates the Rabbi Ishmael hermeneutic within the religious landscape of Second Temple and post-Temple literature.
Trade Review"This is perhaps the most significant and innovative scholarly work on the halakhic midrashim in the past thirty years. The claims are extremely convincing, the scholarship is rigorous, and the writing is engaging. The conclusions repeatedly break new ground and dispel mistaken ideas that have been accepted among scholars. Most impressive, Yadin consistently displays a command of both textual expertise and theory." * Jeffrey L. Rubenstein, New York University *
Table of ContentsPreface. Legal Midrash
Introduction. On the Hermeneutical Dimension of Midrash Halakhah
Chapter 1. Torah and Ha-Katuv
Chapter 2. Inaction and Attention
Chapter 3. Freedom and Restraint in Midrash Halakhah: Hermeneutical Markedness
Chapter 4. The Role of Reader I
Chapter 5. The Role of Reader II: Middot
Chapter 6. Presponsive Torah
Chapter 7. Rabbi Ishmael and the Rabbis
Chapter 8. The Non-Rabbinic Landscape
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
