Yearning for intimacy: Pesikta d'Rav Kahana and the Temple

Marc Hirshman*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

This chapter examines the ambience of the Pesikta d'Rav Kahana and its objectives by paying close attention to some of the Greek loanwords it uses and, more generally, to the nature of the language it employs in parables when speaking of the temple and the degree of intimacy indicated between God and Israel. The Pesikta d'Rav Kahana throbs with a longing for God's presence in the temple. The longing for restoration is accompanied by a strong desire for retribution on the nations of the world, a motif that is a staple of most, if not all, of the piskaot. The king parables are employed to indicate God's desire for a place (papilion) where intimacy with Israel is assured and secure. God secures a place among the Jewish elders, abandoning the angels above (sunkleten), in order to guide the discussion of calendar, the heart of the Pesikta's concern.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationScriptural Exegesis
Subtitle of host publicationThe Shapes of Culture and the Religious Imagination Essays in Honour of Michael Fishbane
PublisherOxford University Press
ISBN (Electronic)9780191709678
ISBN (Print)9780199206575
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 May 2009

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© John Wilson Foster 2009. All rights reserved.

Keywords

  • God
  • Greek
  • Israel
  • Parables
  • Rabbinic text
  • Temple

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