Biblical Translations

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  1. Introduction to Sefer Shoftim

    Rabbi Michael Hattin

    This course on Sefer Shoftim shall grapple not only with textual difficulties and the intricacies of exegesis, but will also encounter many important and thought-provoking issues that are introduced by the narratives of this Book.  Included among them: defining the confluence of Divine intervention and human initiative, understanding the role played by good or bad leadership in shaping the political contours and underlying value system of the tribe or state, considering how to effectively address surrounding cultural values and their related religious practices when these are at odds with the mission of the people of Israel, delineating the parameters of the oft-stated Biblical link between fidelity to God and national success, and recognizing the awesome effort needed to forge disparate tribes and their self-interested local leadership into the united people of Israel.

  2. Targum Onkelos

    Dr. Avigail Rock

    In this first lesson of the series Targum Onkelos is examined. There is no doubt that Targum Onkelos succeeded, for over a millennium, in maintaining its honored place in the Jewish community as the authoritative translation of the Torah.  In every publication of the Torah with commentaries, Targum Onkelos maintains its place of honor, and throughout the Jewish world, the weekly study of the Targum is a halakhic obligation.

    The challenges, difficulties and limitations of any translation of the Bible are visited as well as the specific overarching principles of Targum Onkelos that include:

    • Simple translation of the text without details from the Midrash
    • Avoids the anthropomorphization of God
    • Explanation – not translation – of metaphors
    • Explanation – not translation – of biblical poetry
    • Varying translations of similar terms in different contexts in order to avoid the desecration of God’s name
    • Maintain the dignity of the leaders of the Jewish nation, often concealing questionable actions
    • In accordance with Halakha

  3. Saadia Gaon

    Dr. Avigail Rock

    The person who had the most profound and wide-ranging influence upon the development of the Jewish tradition in the early medieval period, was Rabbeinu Saadia Gaon. Rasag was a revolutionary in many spheres.  In the discipline of linguistics and halakhic writing, his work marks a turning point and a paradigm shift in the Jewish tradition. In the realm of parshanut, he is one of the founding fathers and trailblazers of the Jewish exegesis of Tanakh.

    The historical background of Rasag’s Commentary is a response to the rise of Islam and to the Karaite movement that denied the Oral Law and its divinity.

    The main aim of Rasag in his short commentary was to translate the Torah into the spoken Arabic of his world, in order to make it approachable for everyone, without dealing with broader issues of exegesis. However, even in this simple version Rasag was guided by several principles:

    ·         Avoids the anthropomorphization of God

    ·         Commentative elucidations

    ·         The identification of places, nations, objects and animals

    ·         Clarifications in the sphere of faith and philosophy

    ·         Alterations to prevent the desecration of God’s name

    In his longer commentary, of which we have only small portions, Rasag’s modus operandi was to explain the verses according to their simple meaning, unless: the sensory perception of the world or intellect refute the peshat, the Sages’ tradition refuted the peshat or the existence of contradicting verses forced one to reevaluate the peshat.