Peshat: Difference between revisions

== Definitions ==

 

 

Linguistically, the term Peshat finds its root in the [[Biblical Hebrew]] term meaning "to flatten out," or "to extend."<ref name="EJ">Rabinowitz, Louis Isaac. "Peshat." Encyclopaedia Judaica. Ed. Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik. 2nd ed. Vol. 16. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2007. 8-9. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 5 Nov. 2010</ref> In the Talmudic Era, this definition was expanded to mean "to propound."<ref name ="EJ"/><ref name="Rabinowitz">Rabinowitz, Louis. "The Talmudic Meaning of Peshat." Tradition: A Journal of Orthodox Thought 6.1 (1963). Web.</ref> Often when defining Peshat, a quote from the [[Shabbat (Talmud)|Shabbat]] tractate of [[Talmud]] is referenced, stating "אין מקרא יוצא מידי פשוטו," or, "a text cannot be taken from the meaning of its peshat."<ref name ="EJ"/><ref name ="Rabinowitz"/> Some have used the Talmudic definition of Peshat to widen its overall definition, stating that the Peshat interpretation of a particular passage is "the teaching recognized by the public as obviously authoritative, since familiar and traditional," or "the usual accepted traditional meaning as it was generally taught."<ref name ="EJ"/> Based on the definitions provided by Talmud, it may be inferred that Peshat is solely a literal exegetical method. Others, though, have attributed this line of thought to the work of [[Rashi]], and that he strictly defined Peshat and Drash years later - often his definitions have been used to redact the meaning of Peshat within its Talmudic usage.<ref name ="EJ"/><ref name ="Rabinowitz"/>