The Fruits of Halakhah
Tractate Ma'aserot of the Mishnah commences with the general rule that one is not obligated to tithe fruits and vegetables until they become edible, and follows this rule with a lengthy list of different produce items alongside the time in which each one of them can be registered as "food&...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Penn Press
2021
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| In: |
The Jewish quarterly review
Year: 2021, Volume: 111, Issue: 3, Pages: 356-361 |
| Further subjects: | B
Nature
B Tithes B Ma'aserot B Mishnah B Halakhah B Fruits |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Tractate Ma'aserot of the Mishnah commences with the general rule that one is not obligated to tithe fruits and vegetables until they become edible, and follows this rule with a lengthy list of different produce items alongside the time in which each one of them can be registered as "food" and is therefore subject to tithing. This essay briefly discusses this list to elucidate the rabbinic practice of list-making as a textual, rhetorical, and cultural phenomenon. It argues that this list demonstrates the complex and multilayered textual history of the Mishnah, but also the coherent and consistent message of the Mishnah that halakhah is the ultimate way of seeing, organizing, and understanding the entire world. At the same time, this list depicts a world in which halakhah is inscribed into rather than superimposed upon the natural order, and thus rhetorically turns compliance with rabbinic law into a desired state of harmony with nature. |
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| ISSN: | 1553-0604 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: The Jewish quarterly review
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1353/jqr.2021.0029 |