Sifra, Dibbura De Sinai: Rhetorical Formulae, Literary Structures, And Legal Traditions

Book Summary

Presents a detailed study of the rhetorical structures and legal contents of approximately one-tenth of the Midrash Sifra. Apothaker makes an extremely important contribution to the study of early Rabbinic, particularly legal, Midrash. The Sifra is perhaps the earliest extant rabbinic Midrashic collection, and its Levitical subjects are critical to understanding the Rabbinic response to the loss of Israel's cultic center. Yet we have no critical edition of the whole, and no systematic treatment in light of recent advances in Midrashic studies. In a field of study that is rife with generalizations, the author performs the admirable and painstaking service of translating, analyzing, and cataloging one substantial unit of the Sifra's text, before drawing important conclusions with broad implications. Brief Summary: Examines the exegetical and rhetorical characteristics of Sifra and thereby identifies the fundamental impulses for the creation of the earliest extant Rabbinic commentary on Hebrew Scripture's Book of Leviticus.

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