The First Hermeneutic Principles of Rabbinic Judaism: Hillel’s Seven Hermeneutic Rules
Abstract
Rabbinic Judaism represents the understanding that after the destruction of the Second Temple at A.D. 70, the disappearance of religious approaches and practices related to the Temple, and to replace them the Tanah and its interpretation. Therefore, the Tanah and its interpretation constitutes the basis of Rabbinic Judaism. According to Rabbinic Judaism, on Mount Sinai God has revealed Torah and its interpretation and the rules which rabbis interprets Torah depending on those rules. Therefore, interpretations made by the rabbis are a part of divine revelation. However, these interpretations were made according to certain rules. Some application examples of these rules are situated in Tanah. In Rabbinic Judaism, seven interpretation rules (Middot) which attributed to Hillel are the first step in its field, and the basis and pioneer the other rules which developed after them.
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References
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