Pardes (exegesis)

Pardes (Hebrew: פרד״ס) is a Kabbalistic theory of Biblical exegesis first advanced by Moses de León,^[1] adapting the popular "fourfold" method of medieval Christianity.^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6] The term, sometimes also rendered PaRDeS, means "orchard" when taken literally, but is used in this context as a Hebrew acronym formed from the initials of the following four approaches:

Peshat (פְּשָׁט‎) – "surface" ("straight") or the literal (direct) meaning.^[7]
Remez (רֶמֶז‎) – "hints" or the deep (allegoric: hidden or symbolic) meaning beyond just the literal sense. In the version of the New Zohar, Re'iah.
Derash (דְּרַשׁ‎) – from Hebrew darash: "inquire" ("seek") – the comparative (midrashic) meaning, as given through similar occurrences.
Sod (סוֹד‎) – "secret" ("mystery") or the esoteric/mystical meaning, as given through inspiration or revelation.

Each type of Pardes interpretation examines the extended meaning of a text. As a general rule, the extended meaning never contradicts the base meaning.^[8] The Peshat means the plain or contextual meaning of the text. Remez is the allegorical meaning. Derash includes the metaphorical meaning, and Sod represents the hidden meaning. There is often considerable overlap, for example, when legal understandings of a verse are influenced by mystical interpretations or when a "hint" is determined by comparing a word with other instances of the same word.

Some books, such the Tolaat Yaakov of Meir ben Ezekiel ibn Gabbai, divide Pardes into Peshat, Remez, Din (law), and Sod. According to this understanding, Derash is divided into the homiletics (classified under Remez), and legal interpretations (classified under Din).

^ ר' משה די ליאון, שו"ת לר' משה די ליאון בענייני קבלה, ישעיה תשבי, חקרי קבלה ושלוחותיה, חלק א, עמ' 64 Tishbi also published this in קבץ על יד - טו, חברת מקיצי נרדמים, which version is available on Otzar (pg. 31).
^ Caplan, Harry (1929). "The Four Senses of Scriptural Interpretation and the Mediaeval Theory of Preaching". Speculum. 4 (3): 282–290. doi:10.2307/2849551. ISSN 0038-7134. JSTOR 2849551.
^ Scholem, Gershom Gerhard (1972). On the Kabbalah and Its Symbolism. Schocken Books. p. 61.
^ Scholem, Gershom (1990). דברים בגו : פרקי מורשה ותחיה (in Hebrew). עם עובד. p. 249.
^ Idel, Moshe (1989-01-01). Language, Torah, and Hermeneutics in Abraham Abulafia. SUNY Press. p. 188. ISBN 978-0-88706-831-7.
^ Cooper, Alan (2017). "The Four Senses of Scripture and Their Afterlife". ww.sbl-site.org. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
^ Peshat in the Jewish Encyclopedia
^ Rabinowitz, Louis (1963). "The Talmudic Meaning of Peshat". Tradition: A Journal of Orthodox Thought. 6 (1) – via The Talmudic Meaning of Peshat, The Lookstein Center, Bar-Ilan University. Accessed 2020-09-15. {{cite journal}}: External link in |via= (help)

[:0-1] ר' משה די ליאון, שו"ת לר' משה די ליאון בענייני קבלה, ישעיה תשבי, חקרי קבלה ושלוחותיה, חלק א, עמ' 64 Tishbi also published this in קבץ על יד - טו, חברת מקיצי נרדמים, which version is available on Otzar (pg. 31).

[2] Caplan, Harry (1929). "The Four Senses of Scriptural Interpretation and the Mediaeval Theory of Preaching". Speculum. 4 (3): 282–290. doi:10.2307/2849551. ISSN 0038-7134. JSTOR 2849551.

[3] Scholem, Gershom Gerhard (1972). On the Kabbalah and Its Symbolism. Schocken Books. p. 61.

[4] Scholem, Gershom (1990). דברים בגו : פרקי מורשה ותחיה (in Hebrew). עם עובד. p. 249.

[5] Idel, Moshe (1989-01-01). Language, Torah, and Hermeneutics in Abraham Abulafia. SUNY Press. p. 188. ISBN 978-0-88706-831-7.

[6] Cooper, Alan (2017). "The Four Senses of Scripture and Their Afterlife". ww.sbl-site.org. Retrieved 2023-12-01.

[7] Peshat in the Jewish Encyclopedia

[8] Rabinowitz, Louis (1963). "The Talmudic Meaning of Peshat". Tradition: A Journal of Orthodox Thought. 6 (1) – via The Talmudic Meaning of Peshat, The Lookstein Center, Bar-Ilan University. Accessed 2020-09-15. {{cite journal}}: External link in |via= (help)

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