Language:
Hebrew
Year of publication:
2013
Titel der Quelle:
מכלול; עיונים ביהדות, בחינוך ובמדע
Angaben zur Quelle:
כט (תשעג) 9-33
Keywords:
חוני,
;
Aggada as literature
;
Midrash Criticism, Textual
;
Midrash Philosophy
;
Aggada Philosophy
;
Space and time in rabbinical literature
;
Miracles in rabbinical literature
Abstract:
Spatial perceptions and representations of place are central components of midrash aggadah and stories of the Sages in rabbinic literature, yet little scholarly discussion has been devoted to them. An attentive reading of midrash with a focus on spatial elements makes clear that representations of place are a formative narrative component and bear both literary and ideological meaning. This meaning is expressed through intra-textual connections between the territorial dimension, as it is formed in the text, and the temporal dimension. As a result, temporality is invested with deeper significance and no longer appears as a seemingly autonomous part of the narrative. Prof. Yonah Fraenkel's observation that in the literary text, "time" and "place" are intertwined points toward a new and more complex understanding of the poetic and ideational role of these two factors in the stories Hazal told. This paper seeks to develop the insights Fraenkel introduced in his study of aggadic literature. It includes a phenomenological reading of three narratives, with an eye to the role of spatial elements in conveying meaning: Honi Ha-me'agel in the cave (comparing versions in BT and JT); Rabbi Akiva's daughter and the snake; R. Yose in the ruins of Jerusalem. Analysis of these tales brings to light the particular "place experience" that Hazal sought to express, and demonstrates the importance that story-tellers of the Talmud attributed to literary and aesthetic components in formulating meaning. The temporal and spatial conceptions Hazal developed served as teaching tools as well, and as a means of constructing spiritual, existential and halakhic frameworks that continue to exert an influence on our worldview.
URL:
אתר את הפרסום בקטלוג המאוחד של ספריות ישראל
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