%0 Journal Article
%T Spiritual Transformations of Torah in Biblical and Rabbinic Tradition
%A Michael Fishbane
%J Journal for the Study of Religions and Ideologies
%D 2007
%I Seminar for the Interdisciplinary Research of Religions and Ideologies
%X The article deals with changing conceptions of Torah in the formative two phases of Jewish tradition. The first major transformation in the Hebrew Bible is the ¡®arcanization¡¯ (Idel¡¯s term) or esotericization of the subject. This occurs through the use of an old term for divinization (the verbal stem darash) for exegetical inquiry into the meaning of Torah (Ezra 7: 9-10). The second is the ¡®spiritualization¡¯ of Torah, evident in the transfer to it of verbs used with respect to relationship with God (see Psalm 119). A notable transformation in early rabbinic texts is the role of study as a substitute for ritual action.
%K Torah
%K exegesis
%K arcanization
%K divinization
%K sacrifice
%K study
%K Moshe Idel
%U http://jsri.ro/ojs/index.php/jsri/article/view/449