Israel's 'One Indigenous Science'

"… exegesis in the largest sense of the word is in a way
the one indigenous science
which Israel has created and developed."

Exegesis is the process of studying a piece of text and from it deriving meaning that is not immediately apparent. The roots of the word are Greek: ex, out of + hegeisthai, lead. Exegesis is not unlike extrapolation, whereby unknown information is inferred by extending or projecting known information.

Talmud exegesis has a distinctive quality; unless we understand it, the Talmud is baffling. Because the Talmud is finding its way into American law, so also will come Talmud exegetical methods. Good citizenship will require Americans to understand the process.

In Order of Appearance …

When studying the Talmud, we notice the Sages refer to Scripture ("Written Law"). We might suppose that, in the history of Judaism, the Sages first studied the Scriptures, and then extrapolated additional laws. According to Jewish experts, the actual history is somewhat different. The Jewish people had long been living by traditional "Oral Law" or "the traditions of the elders" about which Jesus of Nazareth spoke:

At some point, the Jewish leadership decided it was important to show that "the traditions of the elders" (Oral Law) had a basis in Scripture (Written Law). Rabbi Akiba, who lived between 50 and 135 A.D., is recognized as particularly adept at this task. He researched Scripture and assigned ex post facto Scriptural support for "almost every provision of Oral Law." In this passage, Rabbi Michael L. Rodkinson tells us about Rabbi Akiba's efforts.

The Very Reverend the Chief Rabbi of the British Empire, the late Dr. J.H. Hertz, also praised Akiba for his exegetic achievements.

Non-Discrete Use of Language

What is the process to which Dilling refers? The Talmud Sages formulated a number of exegetical methods. We will consider one of the more frequently encountered forms, which we might call "associative inference." Associative inference depends on a non-discrete use of language. From the viewpoint of Western thought, this is a non-rational use of language, and it deserves a thoughtful consideration. Let us take a hypothetical example, using a simple sentence, "Henry sees a cat," as though it were a Scriptural statement.

In this form of exegesis, we examine our scripture and find another verse that states, "The cat is sitting on the chair." From this second sentence, we perform the unusual process of permanently associating "cat" with "sitting" and "chair." With this association now in force, we look back at the first sentence, and find new meaning. We now discover that the first verse ("Henry sees a cat") is also a statement about chairs and sitting.

Exegesis at Work

At some time in their history, the Jews began making separate laws for the Gentiles that lived among them. Those laws were codified and associated with the Scriptural story of Noah, and came to be known as the "Noahide Laws." Formulation of the Noahide Laws is varied in the Talmud, but the following appears to be the final form:

Let us enumerate the seven Noahide Laws that the Jews feel are binding on all Gentiles:

In a subsequent passage, Sanhedrin 56b, R. Johanan seeks to prove by exegesis that the Noahide Laws were given to Man at the time of Creation. The technique of exegesis in this case is primarily the process illustrated above in our "cat" example, that is, identifying verses with parallel wording. Let us see R. Johanan's full statement first.

Now let us study each step of the process in turn to see how a Biblical basis is found for the Oral Law concerning the Gentiles, i.e., the Noahide Laws.

Step by Step Exegesis

Step 1 of Exegesis: The Sage R. Johanan tells us the verse he is using for his exegesis:

The translator, Rabbi Dr. Freedman, identifies the verse in a footnote as Genesis 2:16.

We note that the rendition of Genesis 2:16 in the Talmud closely resembles the King James Version of the same verse.

Step 2 of Exegesis: R. Johanan finds a second Biblical verse that contains two elements: the word "command" and a mention of "justice."

The translator, Rabbi Dr. Freedman, identifies the second verse in a footnote as Genesis 18:19.

Now we can see R. Johanan in his exegetical process. He couples the word "command" in Genesis 2:16 with the word "command" in Genesis 18:19. Since Genesis 18:19 also contains the words "justice and judgment," R. Johanan concludes that the mention of "command" in the Genesis 2:16 also carries the implication of "justice and judgment." ("And [He] commanded, refers to [the observance of] social laws …" says R. Johanan.)

Step 3 of Exegesis: Now, R. Johanan continues his exegesis. Taking the words, "the Lord" from his original verse, Genesis 2:16 (above), he finds another verse, this one containing the words "the Lord" and "blasphemy":

The translator, Rabbi Dr. Freedman, identifies this third verse in a footnote as Leviticus 24:16.

Again, because Leviticus 24:16 contains both the word "Lord" and the word "blasphemy," R. Johanan concludes that Genesis 2:16 contains a prohibition against "blasphemy."

Step 4 of Exegesis: R. Johanan's exegesis continues with the word "God." He selects a fourth verse that contains both "God" and the concept of idolatry:

The translator, Rabbi Dr. Freedman, identifies this fourth verse in a footnote as Exodus 20:3.

By this exegesis, R. Johanan asserts that Genesis 2:16 contains the commandment to refrain from idolatry.

Step 5 of Exegesis: R. Johanan continues with the words "the man" and a fifth verse.

The translator, Rabbi Dr. Freedman, identifies this fifth verse in a footnote as Genesis 9:6.

By this exegesis, R. Johanan asserts that Genesis 2:16 contains the commandment to refrain from murder.

Step 6 of Exegesis: Now, R. Johanan continues. He finds a verse that contains both "saying" and adultery.

The translator, Rabbi Dr. Freedman, identifies this sixth verse in a footnote as Jeremiah 3:1.

Because the two words, "say" and "adultery" appear together in the Jeremiah verse, R. Johanan infers that the word "saying" in the Genesis verse implies adultery. The Bible Timeline (8) estimates that Jeremiah was written 600 years after the books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). Recall that R. Johanan is performing exegesis on Genesis 2:16.

Step 7 of Exegesis: R. Johanan's exegesis continues with the words "of every tree of the garden" and an inherent inference.

Thus, according to R. Johanan, Genesis 2:16 contains the prohibition against robbery.

Step 8 of Exegesis: R. Johanan's exegesis concludes with the words "thou mayest freely eat" and another inherent inference.

How does R. Johanan get from "thou mayest freely eat" to a prohibition against eating the "flesh cut from a living animal"? The translator, Rabbi Dr. Freedman, explains in a footnote, and goes on to comment on the exegesis of the whole verse.

Thus, Rabbi Dr. Freedman concurs with R. Johanan: Genesis 2:16 contains the prohibition against eating a limb cut from a living animal, and the other six Noahide Laws as well. To recap, Genesis 2:16 (And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat) is shown to contain all of the Seven Noahide Laws:

And because they were given to Adam at Creation, the seven Noahide Laws are binding upon all men. The Noahide laws are exegetically associated with other Biblical bases. Search for "Noah" and "Noachide" with the Come and Hear™ Search Engine.

There are many other examples of exegesis in the Talmud, and examples can be found in almost every folio. As well, there are other kinds of exegesis. Tractate Sanhedrin is one of the more interesting tractates for the beginning reader, and is rich with exegesis.

Exegesis — Israel's "One Indigenous Science"

The Jewish Encyclopedia continues with naming the great developers of the science of exegesis:

The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia continues the history, describing some of the achievements:

The history continues, of course, down through the ages, for the development and purification of Jewish law, philosophy, and mysticism did not cease.

Numerology and Ciphers

There are other exegesis techniques, aside from those we have examined above. Professor E.M. Butler, in his book, Ritual Magic, describes some techniques based on numerology and ciphers. See the Appendix: Practical Kabbalah, "A Veritable Storehouse for Magicians …"

Exegesis in American Law

We have seen weaker forms of exegesis in American law since its founding, of course. Let us hark to the words of Rabbi Dr. J.H. Hertz as he writes of the Torah-Talmud:

Given any Article in the Bill of Rights, the plain language reading does not necessarily govern in the present-day American legal system. The United States Constitution has "evolved" through successive interpretations (exegeses) by judges; in this case, rather than the Torah, the judges are unfolding the "living Constitution."

Now comes the Institute of Judaic Law to America to introduce Talmudic law more directly into the courts and law schools. With the welcome the Institute has received from the Supreme Court, (7) we can look forward to further metamorphosis of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

The direct introduction of Talmud law will be one kind of change (see Sentence and Execution [10]). But the increased use of Talmudic exegesis in American jurisprudence will undoubtedly work more profound changes than any we have seen to date. Without doubt, we live in interesting times.

Thank you for your consideration of the above,
Carol A. Valentine, Ear@Come-and-Hear.com
July 14, 2003 ( This article is on line at http://www.come-and-hear.com/editor/exegesis.html )

NEXT: The Roadmap 6: Is Talmud Law in Order or Disorder?

Endnotes:

This and other Come and Hear™ Studies on Talmudic Judaism can be found online:: http://www.come-and-hear.com/editor
The Jewish Religion: Its Influence Today by Elizabeth Dilling, complete with all 300 exhibits, can be found online:: http://www.come-and-hear.com/dilling
Soncino Babylonian Talmud tractates, with Forewords, Introductions, Glossary, List of Abbreviations, and footnotes. Now you can study the Babylonian Talmud in full context and with the running commentary of the finest scholars of Judaism:: Tractate Berakoth: http://www.come-and-hear.com/berakoth; Tractate Shabbath: http://www.come-and-hear.com/shabbath; Tractate Yebamoth: http://www.come-and-hear.com/yebamoth; Tractate Kethuboth: http://www.come-and-hear.com/kethuboth; Tractate Nedarim: http://www.come-and-hear.com/nedarim; Tractate Nazir: http://www.come-and-hear.com/nazir; Tractate Sotah: http://www.come-and-hear.com/sotah; Tractate Gittin: http://www.come-and-hear.com/gittin; Tractate Baba Kamma: http://www.come-and-hear.com/babakamma; Tractate Baba Mezi'a: http://www.come-and-hear.com/babamezia; Tractate Baba Bathra: http://www.come-and-hear.com/bababathra; Tractate Sanhedrin: http://www.come-and-hear.com/sanhedrin; Tractate Abodah Zarah: http://www.come-and-hear.com/zarah; Tractate Horayoth: http://www.come-and-hear.com/horayoth; Tractate Niddah: http://www.come-and-hear.com/niddah; Tractate Tohoroth: http://www.come-and-hear.com/tohoroth; Search the Talmud http://www.come-and-hear.com/tindex.html
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Appendix: Practical Kabbalah, "A Veritable Storehouse for Magicians …"

According to Professor E.M. Butler of the University of Cambridge, Kabbalists use three crytogrammic methods to extract hidden meaning from the Old Testament. Here is an excerpt from Professor Butler's Ritual Magic:

Footnotes
Full specifics for each of the printed sources are provided in the Bibliography. Outside URLs were valid at the time this article was written. However, be mindful that URLs do change.