Joshua Ben Hananiah - His Exegesis

His Exegesis

In the haggadic tradition Joshua b. Hananiah's exegetical controversies with two of his most prominent contemporaries occupy an important place. These two are his colleague Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, who is frequently mentioned in the Halakah also as holding an opposite opinion, and Eleazar of Modi'im, who belonged to the school of Jabneh and was especially known as the author of haggadic expositions of the Bible. The controversies between Eliezer and Joshua refer to cosmology, to eschatology, comprising views on the period as well as on the future world and the resurrection, and to the interpretation of various Biblical passages.

The controversies between Joshua b. Hananiah and Eleazar of Modi'im are found in the tannaitic midrash to Exodus (the Mekhilta), and they form at the same time a continuous double commentary on the sections concerning the stay of the Israelites at Marah (Ex. xv. 22-27), the miracle of the manna (ib. xvi.), the fight with Amalek (ib. xvii.), and the visit of Jethro (ib. xviii.). In these controversies Joshua, as a rule, stands for the naturalistic, literal meaning of the words and the historical interpretation of the contents, putting emphasis on the meaning demanded by the context.

The Alexandrian Jews addressed twelve questions to Joshua (Niddah 69b). They fall into four groups:

1. three halakic
2. three haggadic
3. three foolishly ignorant questions (a sort of parody on the questions of halakic casuistry)
4. three questions taken from practical life.

Eleven questions also were addressed to him concerning the special position of woman in physical, spiritual, social, and religious matters (Gen. R. xvii., end). Some of these with his answers are:

• "Why is a man easy, a woman difficult, to persuade?"

"Man was created out of earth, which easily dissolves in water; woman was created from bone, which is not affected by water."

• "Why does a man have his head uncovered while a woman has hers covered?"

"Whoever has committed a sin is ashamed before people; thus woman is ashamed on account of Eve's sin, and consequently covers her head."

• "Why do women take precedence in funeral processions?"

"Because they have brought death into the world."