Our Gemara on Amud Aleph uses a rule of thumb that a person’s body occupies one cubit. This phrase is understood metaphysically by Rav Tzadok HaCohen (Kometz Mincha 1:81). There is a phrase called, “The four cubits of halakha”, which Rav Tzaddok explains to be referring to the four dimensions of Torah: Peshat, Remez, Derash and Sod. These are not easy to translate, but suffice it to say that they represent increasingly esoteric representations of the Torah, with of course the simplest being the peshat - plain meaning or the text.

Rav Tzaddok then says that though the Torah occupies all four dimensions, the four cubits, a person occupies only one dimension, one cubit. That is, each person, depending on his spiritual level, studies and experiences Torah in that way. This is an important point. It isn’t just that the Torah can be interpreted in different ways, as an abstraction, but also the Torah speaks for different people in different ways.

That being so, it makes it worthwhile to understand these categories better. Two are easy to define, and two not so easy.  Peshat means the simple plain meaning of the verse. Derash means the various rabbinic derivations that show either halakhos or additional lessons or points from the plays on words and textual associations. Remez, is harder to understand what it means.  Literally, remez means to hint.  But that does not help our understanding much as everything in the Torah hints at something else.  The Ramban identifies interpretations as Remez in a few places, and they seem to mean allegorical representations such as:

  • The Tenth item of tithing represents the other nine sefiros in relation to the tenth (Bereshis 1:1).
  • The lighting of the Menorah scripturally attributed to Aharon and his sons, hints to the Chanukka miracle when the Hasmoneans would reclaim the Temple and light the Menorah (Bamidbar 8:2)
  • Much of what occurred to the forefathers are a remez for cycles and patterns that will occur to the later generations (Bereshis 32:4)

And the final term, Sod, means secret. By definition then, it will be difficult for us to uncover what it means.  It seems from Ramban’s commentary, Sod is a way of understanding the deeper, meta-reason for a commandment.  Such as:

  • The mitzvah of sending away the mother bird implies something deeper, perhaps the relationship of the Shekhinah to Israel and exile. (Ramban, Devarim 22:6)
  • The secret of Sacrifices, Theurgy and the number seven is discussed by Ramban and Ibn Ezra (Bamidbar 23:1)
  • The true nature of paganism and the prohibition of idolatry is more than just worship. Rather it is a pathological splitting of forces, lack of accountability, and a degradation of morality. (Ramban Shemos 20:3)

So what kind of Jew are you? Peshat, Remez, Derash or Sod?  



Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation cool

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