Peshat

Peshat (also P'shat, פשט) is one of four classical methods of Jewish biblical exegesis used by Rabbis and Jewish bible scholars in reading the Hebrew Bible, also known as the Tanakh. Peshat is part of a group of exegetical methods known together as Pardes. While Peshat is commonly defined as referring to the surface or literal meaning of a text, numerous scholars and Rabbis have debated this for centuries, giving Peshat many uses and definitions.