Limmud NY 2016

How should Talmudic stories about the sages be studied? From the Middle Ages until recent times, interpreters adopted an historical approach that understood “sage-stories” as recording the lives and deeds of the sages. More recently, scholars have shifted to a literary approach that rejects the historicity of the stories and understands them as didactic literature, teaching morals, and lessons to the audience. This talk will explore the reasons for this shift in scholarship and its implications.