Some wisdom from Avigdor Bonchek...

With classes done for the semester, I'm trying to get a bit of a jump start on next semester. So I've been doing some reading for my independent study on Narrative Criticism in the Hebrew Bible. The first book I read was Avigdor Bonchek's wonderful little book Studying the Torah. As a conservative Jew, Bonchek has an intriguing take on exegesis. Not surprisingly many of his "keys" for interpretation mirror traditional Christian hermeneutical rules. For example, one of his overarching keys to a proper reading of Torah is to always read the Torah in context. Likewise his third "key" of finding similarities between texts within the whole of Torah sounds a great deal like the traditional Christian understanding of the "analogy of scripture" (though, to be sure, there are some differences).

However, while I was reading the book I was especially struck by Bonchek's second overarching key: the Law of Parsimony. Basically, what this means is that a reader of scripture ought always to go with an interpretation that is the simplest, most concise, and deals with any questions about the text in a clear way. To put it another way, always use the principle of Occam's razor when interpreting. If a particular reading of a text is convoluted and has to do textual jumping jacks to make sense, avoid it.

Granted, there are plenty of places in scripture where one has to embrace a convoluted reading. However, as whole I think Bonchek's on to something. If we have to do too much special pleading for our reading of a certain text, one has to wonder how accurate it is.

In closing let me leave you with a wonderful quote from Bonchek on reading the Torah:

The Torah uses words sparingly. Phrases are chosen with a premeditated conception and a fine-tuned sensitivity to what the reader needs to hear in order to understand its message. At the same time, the Torah is quite subtle in its method of conveying its message. A sharp eye and sensitive ear are necessary to mine its meaning.

But even more important than this reading skill is one's basic attitude toward the Torah-text. Essential to productive and creative In-Depth Interpretation of the Torah is a deep-seated respect for the significance of every word and every nuance in the text. The attitude that nothing in the text is for naught is the springboard which impels us in our search for meaning in the Torah. This attitude hardens into firm conviction the more one successfully probes the depths of Torah interpretation. (15-16)