Commentary: On Sifra

Abraham ben David’s penchant for commenting on relatively obscure rabbinic works led to his elucidating the Sifra, an early rabbinic commentary on Leviticus. This excerpt, from the beginning of the book, interprets R. Ishmael’s famous teaching about the thirteen hermeneutical principles of interpretation, which he refers to as “this midrash.” Abraham emphasizes the role of tradition in determining Jewish law but also underscores the role played by the intellect in understanding the biblical text.