Methods of Torah Study
Dr. Laurence Boxer
Torah – literally, teaching /instruction

Most common reference: 5 Books of Moses

Entire Jewish Bible: TaNaCH

Torah (5 Books of Moses)

N’vi’im (Prophets)

K’tuvim (Scriptures – Wisdom Literature)

Law; tradition

Written Torah – TaNaCH
Oral Torah - Talmud
Pirkei Avot 5: 24: Ben
Bag-Bag taught: Turn it
over, turn it over, for in it
is contained everything ….
Principles of Torah study


Every word – indeed every letter (e.g., change of
spelling of name) – is significant
Study text by various techniques, including:
 P’shat – plain meaning
 D’rash / midrash – “inquire / investigate” – nonliteral
interpretation, often made up of imaginative explanatory stories
 G’zera shava – making connections between texts, hypertext-like;
typically by similarity, parallelism, or contrasts of language/theme
 Multiple interpretations of ambiguities
 Defective spellings – generally signifies diminished respect for
individual named
 Logical deduction
 Combinations of above
 Plays on words

Proximity – relate verses to nearby verses
 Similes, metaphors
 Many of these depend heavily on
Hebrew language
 Repetitions in text
Example: Gen. 29: Jacob & Rachel & Leah
– P’shat
18: Jacob loved Rachel; so he answered “I will serve you
seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.”
20: So Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed
to him but a few days because of his love for her.
23: When evening came, he took his daughter Leah and
brought her to him; and he cohabited with her.
25: When morning came, there was Leah! So he said to Laban,
“What is this you have done to me? I was in your service
for Rachel! Why did you deceive me?”
Lesson from P’shat: As Jacob had deceived his father, Isaac, to take
the blessing intended for Esau (Gen. 27), he is now deceived –
measure for measure, G-d judges the world.
Example: Gen. 29: Jacob & Rachel & Leah
– D’rash



[Lamentations Rabbah – Proem XXIV] interprets as
commentary on Lamentations and on Jeremiah 31
At destruction of Temple by Nebuchadnezzar, divine
mercy was sought in heavenly court by Abraham, Isaac,
Jacob, Moses – to no avail.
“At that moment, the matriarch Rachel broke forth into speech before
the Holy One, Blessed be He, and said: ‘Sovereign of the Universe, …
Thy servant Jacob loved me exceedingly and toiled for my father on
my behalf seven years. When … the time arrived for my marriage …,
my father planned to substitute another for me to wed my husband for
the sake of my sister…. the plot was known to me and I disclosed it to
my husband, and I gave him a sign whereby he could distinguish me
from my sister….’”
Gen. 29: Jacob & Rachel & Leah – D’rash
continued
“‘After that I relented … had pity upon my sister that she should
not be exposed to shame…. they substituted my sister for me…
and I delivered over to my sister all the signs which I had
arranged with my husband so that he should think she was
Rachel…. I went beneath the bed… and when he spoke to her
she remained silent and I made all the replies in order that he
should not recognize my sister’s voice. I did her a kindness, was
not jealous… and did not expose her to shame.’”
“‘And if I, a creature of flesh and blood, formed of dust and ashes, was not
envious of my rival and did not expose her to shame and contempt, why
shouldest Thou, a King Who liveth eternally and art merciful, be jealous of
idolatry in which there is no reality, and exile my children and let them be
slain by the sword, and their enemies have done with them as they
wished!’”
Gen. 29: Jacob & Rachel & Leah – D’rash
continued
“Forthwith the mercy of the Holy One, Blessed be He, was
stirred, and He said, ‘For thy sake, Rachel, I will restore Israel
to their place.’”
“And so it is written (Jeremiah 31, 15-17:) ‘Thus saith the Lord:
A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children; she refuseth to be comforted
for her children…. Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine
eyes from tears; for thy work shall be rewarded … there is hope
for thy future, saith the Lord; and thy children shall return to
their own border.’”
G’zera shava – making connections between texts

Origin of haftara, reading from Prophets that
follows Torah reading in synagogue:
 Romans forbade reading of Torah, attempting to
suppress Judaism as source of rebellion

Rabbis selected readings from Prophets that would remind
of corresponding weekly Torah readings
Ex: Torah reading B’shalach
(Ex. 13:17 – 17:16) – includes
Haftara: Judges 4:4 – 5:31
•crossing Red Sea despite
Israelite fear, reluctance
•Prophetess Deborah inspires
victory over foreign oppressor
despite Israelite fear, reluctance
•Song of the Sea
•Deborah’s song of triumph
•Miriam leads women dancing
•Yael, heroine
Common theme: Women’s leadership
Multiple Interpretations of Ambiguities
Example: Judges 4:4: “Now Deborah the
prophetess was eshet Lapidot ….”
•Usual interpretation of eshet: wife of – thus, Deborah is
identified as wife of man named Lapidot
•Alternate interpretation of eshet: woman of – and Lapidot means
torches. Thus, Deborah is identified as fiery woman, inspirational
leader, illuminating teacher
Multiple Interpretations of Ambiguities
Example: Deuteronomy 29: 9-11: You are standing this day all
before the Lord your G-d: your heads, tribes, officers, even
all the men of Israel, your little ones, your wives, and thy
stranger in the midst of thy camp, from the hewer of your
wood unto the drawer of your water, that you should enter
into the covenant of the Lord thy G-d ….
•P’shat: the assembled include all, from the great leaders to
the humblest members of society
Alternately:
•Hewer of wood: Abraham, who hewed wood for sacrifice of Isaac
(Genesis 22:3)
•Drawer of water: Elijah, who supervised drawing water at
confrontation with priest of Baal (I Kings 18:34)
Abraham – patriarch; Elijah: forerunner of Messiah. Thus, the
covenant between G-d and Israel extends to all generations
Multiple Interpretations of Ambiguities
Example: Deut. 30:11-14 : “Surely, this commandment which I
enjoin upon you this day is not too baffling for you, nor is it
beyond reach. It is not in the heavens, that you should say,
'Who among us can go up to the heavens and get it for us
and impart it to us, that we may observe it?' Neither is it
beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who among us can
cross the sea and get it for us and impart it to us, that we
may observe it?' No, the thing is very close to you, in your
mouth and in your heart, to observe it
•Most commentators take “this commandment” to mean the
entire book of Deuteronomy, or the entire Torah.
•Nachmanides (1194-1270) argues “this commandment” refers to the
obligation of repentance, teshuvah (literally, return), prominent in
preceding verses Deut. 30:1-10. (This section is always read on the
Sabbath preceding Rosh HaShanah.)
Defective Spellings – Example of
Abraham & Ephron (Gen. 23)
10: … Ephron ‫ … עפרון‬answered Abraham in the hearing of
the Hittites ….
11: “No my lord, hear me: I give you the field and I give you the
cave in it; I give it to you in the presence of all my people. Bury
your dead.”
14: And Ephron replied to Abraham, saying to him,
15: “My lord, do hear me! A piece of land worth 400 shekels of silver –
what is that between you and me? Go and bury your dead.”
16: Abraham listened to Ephron ‫עפרון‬. Abraham paid out to
Ephron ‫ עפרן‬the money that he had named in the hearing of
the Hittites – 400 shekels of silver at the going merchants’
rate.
Continued on next slide
Defective Spellings –Abraham & Ephron
(cont.)
16: Abraham listened to Ephron ‫עפרון‬. Abraham paid out to
Ephron ‫ עפרן‬the money ….
•Diminished “defective” spelling indicates diminished respect for
Ephron.
•Note spelling is changed in same verse – indicates “listening” shows
respect, but paying, after Ephron’s promise of the cave as a gift, shows less
respect. It’s one thing to start negotiations at 500 shekels, then settle at 400;
it’s dishonest to claim one will make a gift, then demand a large price.
Logical Deduction
•Va-era (Ex. 6:2 – 9:34) begins with G-d’s assurances to Moses
of redemption from Egyptian slavery.
Ex. 6:9: But when Moses told this to the Israelites, they would
not listen to Moses, their spirits crushed by cruel bondage.
Ex. 6:10-11: The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Go and tell
Pharoah, king of Egypt, to let the Israelites depart from his land.”
Ex. 6:12: But Moses appealed to the Lord, saying, “The Israelites would
not listen to me; how, then, should Pharoah heed me, a man of
uncircumcised lips!”
P’shat:
Moses had
a speech
impediment
Lesson from logical deduction:
Recall circumcision is the sign of male admission into the
covenant of the Jewish people. He says they haven’t accepted
him as spokesman, so why would Pharoah? Credible
leadership before one’s adversaries requires acceptance of
leadership by one’s followers.
Plays on words – Lessons of Amalek
Amalek, Biblical symbol of cruelty and terror, attacked the sick &
weakened at the back of the Israelite procession (Ex. 17:8-15),
shortly after the crossing of the Red Sea (Sea of Reeds) (Ex.
14) and the Song of the Sea (Ex. 15:1-18).
Attack is recalled at Deut. 25:17-19:
17: Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey, after
you left Egypt -
18: How he surprised you kar-cha ‫ קרך‬on the march, when you were
famished and weary, and cut down all the stragglers in your rear, and he
had no fear of G-d.
Continued on next slide
Amalek – Lesson 1 from wordplay
Deut. 25:18: How he surprised you kar-cha ‫ קרך‬on the
march ….
More literally: How he cooled you off kar-cha ‫ קרך‬on the
march ….
Song of the Sea (Ex. 15):
14: The peoples hear, they tremble; agony grips the dwellers in Philistia.
15: Now are the clans of Edom dismayed; the tribes of Moab – trembling
grips them; all the dwellers in Canaan are aghast.
16: Terror and dread descend upon them….
The pagan world was ready, in its fear, to accept the monotheism of Israel,
whose G-d had vanquished the gods of Egypt, until Amalek cooled off their
ardor for the G-d of Israel by showing it was still possible to shed the blood
of G-d’s Chosen People.
Amalek – Lesson 2 from wordplay
Deut. 25:18: How he surprised you kar-cha ‫ קרך‬on the
march ….
Noticing the similarity of kar-cha ‫ קרך‬and k’ri ‫( קרי‬violent
opposition; flow of semen),
some commentators say this verse indicates Amalek introduced
rape as a tactic of terror: How he raped you on the march….
Wordplay: Children/students are builders
Isaiah 54:13: And all thy banayich ‫ בניך‬children shall be
taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy
banayich ‫ בניך‬children.
Babylonian Talmud, Berachot 64a: At the 2nd instance,
read not
banayich ‫ בניך‬your children
but rather
bonayich ‫ בוניך‬your builders
Thus, children (of all ages) who study Torah (“taught of the
Lord”) are builders of a community’s peace.
Proximity – “An eye for an eye”
Ex. 21: 23 – 25: But if any harm follow, then thou shalt give life for
life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
burning for burning, stripe for stripe.
Lev. 24: 19-20: And if a man maim his neighbor; as he hath done,
so shall it be done to him: breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for
tooth; as he hath maimed a man, so shall it be rendered unto him.
So if I put your eye out, do you have the right to put my eye out? No.
Revenge is prohibited:
Lev. 19:18: Thou shalt take no vengeance, nor bear any grudge … but
thou shalt be loving toward thy neighbor as toward thyself: I am the Lord.
If I put your eye out, does a court put my eye out? No
The principle of proximity teaches us that these verses call for fair and
proportional punishment in the form of compensation by the offender to
the victim (continued on next slide).
Proximity – “An eye for an eye”
Ex. 21: 23 – 25: But if any harm follow, then thou shalt give life for
life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
burning for burning, stripe for stripe.
Note the next two verses:
Ex. 21: 26-27: And if a man smite the eye of his bondman, or the
eye of his bondwoman, and destroy it, he shall let him go free for
the eye’s sake. And if he smite out his bondman’s tooth, or his
bondwoman’s tooth, he shall let him go free for his tooth’s sake.
The master is not maimed to match his maiming of his bondman – rather,
he compensates the bondman with freedom (and the generous gifts due
to a freed bondman – Deut. 15:12-14).
More generally, “an eye for an eye” calls for monetary compensation,
proportionate to the injury. “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” –
typically, more compensation for the former, since one eye ≈ 50% visual
capacity, one tooth ≈ 3-4% chewing capacity, and loss of an eye is more
likely to impair earning a living.
Proximity: Don’t think with your loins
Deut. 21: 10-14 (Soldier falls in love with beautiful captive woman;
marriage is discouraged, but permitted)
Deut. 21: 15-17 (If first-born is son of less favored wife, he still has
rights of first-born – inherits double portion)
Deut. 21: 18-21 (Son, rebellious, gluttonous, drunkard, refusing
parental discipline, may be tried and sentenced)
Proximity: These lessons are related. If a man marries a woman whose
only attraction for him is sexual, he’ll eventually realize they have little in
common. If he later takes a 2nd wife, a better match for him, the first wife
and her children are likely to be disfavored; the rights of the 1st wife’s
children trampled; the family becomes dysfunctional; the neglected or
abused children become rebellious, criminal.
It’s OK to marry a beautiful woman, but a man’s attraction should be
based on more than her sexual appeal. A better guide for a man seeking
a mate: Proverbs 31:10-31
Similes and Metaphors for Torah
Deuteronomy 31:19: And now, write down this song and teach it
to the children of Israel ….
• P’shat: song is Deuteronomy 32:1-43
• Metaphoric interpretation: song is entire Torah. Why compare
Torah to song?
• Unlike many other areas of knowledge (science, philosophy,
economics, etc.), music, and Torah, can be learned and enjoyed at all
levels of intellectual endeavor.
• Torah is chanted, not merely read aloud. Use of music internalizes text,
makes it easier to learn.
Proverbs 3:18: She is a tree of life …
• “She” - “wisdom” (Proverbs 3:13), itself a metaphor for Torah
Similes and Metaphors for Torah
Isaiah 55:1: Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye for water, and he
with no money, come ye, buy, and eat; yea, buy wine and milk.
• As one cannot go 3 days without drinking, Israel does not go 3
days without public reading of Torah (every Monday, Thursday,
Saturday), which is “bought” not by money, but by study.
Song of Songs 2:13: The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, ….
• Fig tree: beautiful, shady; fruit doesn’t ripen at once, but continuously over
long period, representing continuous, eternal teachings of Torah
Song of Songs 4:3 … thy temples are like a pomegranate split open
behind thy veil.
• As a pomegranate is full of seeds, Torah is full of beautiful teachings.
Song of Songs 4:11: Thy lips, o my bride, drop honey – honey and milk are
under thy tongue ….
Metaphorical interpretation: words of Torah are in your mouth (children are
introduced to Torah study with drop of honey on page or finger)
Repetitions in text
Deuteronomy 16:20: Justice, justice shall you pursue ….
Why is justice repeated?
• P’shat: emphasis
• Repetition of justice moderates the zeal connoted by Hebrew
tirdof ‫( תרדף‬pursue). Justice must outweigh zeal: justice must
be pursued justly – end does not justify means
Numbers 7:12-83 describes, tribe by tribe, identical gifts by princes of the
12 tribes on consecutive days to construction of the Tabernacle. Except
for number of day, name of tribe, name of prince, there’s no variation.
What do we learn from what seems mind-numbing repetition?
Key: 2nd day: Netanel son of Tzuar, prince of Issachar, could have topped
the offering of 1st prince; instead, he matched it, for sake of peace within
community. Successive princes followed his example.
Combination – example of G’zera Shava
(connection) and wordplay
Gen. 25:20: Isaac … took to wife
Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel the
Aramean of Paddan-Aram, sister of
Laban the Aramean.
Song of Songs 2:2: As a
lily among thorns, so is
my love among the
daughters.
Aram – rama’i (swindler)
Song of Songs Rabbah: R. Isaac: …. It is to tell us that her father was a
swindler, her brother was a swindler, and all the men of her place were
swindlers, and this virtuous one came forth from … them. What does she
resemble? A LILY AMONG THORNS.
References



Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary, Jewish Publication
Society, Philadelphia, 2001
The Midrash (Midrash Rabbah) [multi-volume commentary
on the 5 Books of Moses and the 5 Megilot (scrolls) –
Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther],
Soncino Press, London, 1961
The Talmud, Soncino Press, London, 1961