Introduction to Ancient Hebrew

From the Aleph-Bet 2: Ep. 04

Genesis 1 verse 1 - Part 1 - Bereshiyt

Parades: The Proper Way in Studying the Bible

The following outlines the proper way in studying the Bible. It is the Hebrew acronym for Peshat, Remez, Drash and Sod

 

• Peshat is the plain meaning of the text.
• Remez is a hint at another meeting. The Apostle Paul used this when he referred to not muzzling the ox when it treads the grain to also apply to helping out the Pastor who teaches the Bible to you.
• Drash  is a story line on a verse brining in an allegory such as when Apostle Paul compared Hagar to Mt sinai and Sarah to Jerusalem.
• Sod means secret and refers to hidden things where you have to dig a little deeper. Deut. 29:29  states: The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

The following information is directly quoted from the sites referenced....

Additional information: (http://fourquestions.us/judaism/messianic/besorot.php)

The Besorot and Rabbinic Hermeneutics

The four Besorot were written in four distinct ways that match the traditional Rabbinic teaching methods. The four methods of teaching are Peshat, Remez, Drash, and Sod, and they form the acronym PaRDeS (which means “garden”). These four methods and their interactions in the text of the Besorot are described in the table below.

PARDES	‏פְּשָׁט‎	‏רֶמֶז‎	‏דְרַשׁ‎	‏סוֹד‎
Transliteration	Peshat	Remez	Drash	Sod
Definition	Simple	Hint	Explore, Ask	Secret
Literary Level	Grammatical	Allegory	Parabolic	Mystical
Audience Level	Common People	Aristocrat, Noble	Regal, Kingly	Mystic
Hermeneutic Level	7 Laws of Hillel	13 Laws of Ishmael	32 Laws of Ben Gallil	42 Laws of the Zohar
Rabbinic Level	Mishnah	Gemara	Midrash	Zohar
Book	Mark	Luke	Mattityahu	Yochanan
Presentation	Servant of Hashem	Son of Man	The King	Son of G-d

 

Additionally: (http://www.kolel.org/torahstory/module4/page3.html)

 

PaRDeS

The word Pardes, (lit. orchard) is an acronym that was used in the Middle Ages to refer to four types of biblical exegesis:

Pshat: simple, plain, intended meaning (the opposite of Drash) (sometimes inaccurately referred to as the literal meaning- see below)

Remez: alluded meaning (reading between the lines). Remez in modern Hebrew means hint. Traditionally, remez referred to methods such as gematria (word-number values)
Drash: drawn out meaning. Homiletical or interpretative meaning. Not pshat.
Sod: (lit. secret). The mystical or esoteric meaning.

Here is an example of analysing the phrase: milk and honey according to the four models.
However, there are really only two categories: Pshat (what the text says/meant) and Drash (interpretations). Professor Barry Levy, Dean of Religious Studies, McGill University, has suggested a different apporach:

I prefer to talk about four other categories of analysis: Text, Texture, Context and Pretext. Text concerns what the text is and what it says (that's close to peshat but I avoid the word because of all the ambiguities and problems alluded to above) . Texture deals with the literary qualities of the text. Context is the historical, geographic, and cultural settings of the text. Pretext is using the text for purposes not specifically articulated in it.

---

Why not only use Pshat? In a way, Pshat is what the biblical scholar is trying to do: determine what the TEXT really meant. Drash allows us to find new meaning and new ideas, answering the question, (not what did the text mean) but what does the text say to ME.
Pshat means the simple meaning of the text, but it is not so simple! First of all, we have to decide what is the Pshat. (One person's Pshat is another person's Drash). It has been apocryphally attributed to the great scholar of our generation the late Nehama Leibowitz that 'Peshat is what she thought the text meant and derash is what everyone else thought.' The problem is that every reading of 'Pshat' must also be an interpretation, just like every translation is (even though it doesn't MEAN to be an interpretation). Professor Barry Levy, Dean of Religious Studies, McGill University, writes,

Another issue is the number of possible peshats a passage may carry. Some writers spoke of "the" peshat; others recognized a plurality of peshats and limited discussion to "a" peshat. The interesting evolution of the word in Yiddish to peshettle shows that peshat came to mean only "an interpretation." The diminutive suffix gives the word a meaning something like "a little peshat" but actually it means "a derash."

Let's look at these examples:

		Moses says: Give-ear O heaven that I may speak, Let the land hear the sayings of my mouth (Deut. 32:1) Isaiah says: Hear O heaven, and give ear O land for the Lord speaks (Isa. 1:2)

(This is a good example of symmetry; Isaiah was probably using the language of Deuteronomy on purpose.)
Now Rabbi Akiva (2nd Century) interprets that hearing is something you do from far; give ear is something you do from close (like whispering in someone's ear):
This teaches that when Moses spoke the Torah he was in heaven... but Isaiah who was on land, began by saying Hear O heaven as it was far from him.
Ibn Ezra (medieval commentator, we'll be introduced to him more formally next module) says:
Now there is no distinction between Hear and Give-ear according to the Pshat method.
So the first problem is deciding what the Pshat is. Did the text mean to be interpreted? And if it clearly (?) did, as in the case of a metaphor,
What is the Pshat of a Metaphor?!

 

From the Aleph-Bet 1: Ep. 03

Learn Hebrew - lesson 8 - Where are you from?

Learn Hebrew - lesson 7

Learn Hebrew - lesson 6 - Hebrew Letters

Learn Hebrew - lesson 5 - Hebrew Letters

Ancient Hebrew Research Center

The following videos will provide some insight and teaching about the Ancient Hebrew. I will upload additional lessons this week.
Go to http://hiswordevangelized.blogspot.com/ and look to the right of the page to the video feed which says Ancient Hebrew Research Center.

Additional info can be seen at: http://www.ancient-hebrew.org
Enjoy!

An interesting video about God's Name

Names of God

As we learn about YHWH we also need to learn His names. His names demonsrate His character. In your times of need, prayer, praise, and thanksgiving, know who you cry out to. Enjoy!



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Click on the following link to get a handout of the Hebrew Alphabet AlephBetL13_AlphabetReview.pdf

From the Aleph-Bet 1: Ep. 02 - Hebrew letter "Tuf"

From the Aleph-Bet 1: Ep. 02 - Hebrew letter "Tuf" is introduced on this second lesson of "From the Aleph-Bet" series.

Learn Biblical Hebrew - lesson 4 - Hebrew Vowels EIOU

Learn Biblical Hebrew - lesson 3 - Hebrew Vowels

Passover to Pentecost, The Feasts of The Lord

As we approach Pentacost listen to the teachings about the Feasts of The Lord. All things happen in God's timing and NOT in man's timing.

For additional information and full straming of the podcast go to: http://www.elshaddaiministries.us/audio/feasts/2006springdvd.html

Passover to Pentecost -- The Feasts of The Lord

Holidays and Holy Days - The Jewish Calendar

I discovered this video which I hope you will enjoy. It is a teaching by a Rabbi about Jewish holidays, holy days and the Jewish calendar. I think that the concepts shared in this video will bless you. Enjoy!


Visit Jewish.TV for more Jewish videos.

The Spring Festivals (Feasts) Of The Messiah

We continue to rightly divide the Word to glean a deeper knowledge of what YHWH is saying to us. Let’s look at the first verse in Leviticus 23 (New King James Version). In researching some of the key words (underlined below) we see that YHWH himself has sent out a special invitation to us to partake of His feast days. Until a year ago I had no knowledge or understanding of these “appointments”, however, as we dive deeper into the Word we find that the invitation was right under our nose and we did not see it.

Feasts of the LORD

1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My [appointed] feasts.

·       Feast: Moed מוֹעֵד

Strong’s #4150 an appointment, i.e. a fixed time or season; also a signal (as appointed

beforehand):--appointed (sign, time)

Ref: http://strongsnumbers.com/hebrew/4150.htm

Gen 1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide

the day from the night and let them be for signs <owth>, and for seasons <mow`ed>,

and for days, and years:

Strong’s #226. אוֹת  'owth, (in the sense of appearing); a signal

Ref: http://strongsnumbers.com/hebrew/226.htm

·       Convocation: miqra' מִקְרָא

Strong’s #4744 from 7121; something called out, i.e. a public meeting, also a rehearsal:

Ref: http://strongsnumbers.com/hebrew/4744.htm

·       Proclaim: qara' קָרָא

Strong’s #7121 Root word (the idea of accosting a person met); to call out to (address by

name), them that are bidden, invite, mention, publish, read,

Ref: http://strongsnumbers.com/hebrew/7121.htm

Mt 22:3,4 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the

wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell

them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings

are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.

Question: Do you agree or disagree that the invitation is still valid and extended to us (Christians)? If you agree please state why? If you do not agree please state why?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts.




Ref: http://www.elshaddaiministries.us/audio/feasts/2008spring.pdf