Midrash case study!!!
On BT Nedarim 32a we were told that the Jews were enslaved to punish Abraham for conscripting Torah scholars for his war against the Kings in Genesis 14. The author of this midrash may have intended it in one of the following ways:
1. He could have meant it literally, believing that Abraham knew the Torah via prophecy
2. He could have meant it semi literally using the word Torah to refer only to the teachings that were known to Abraham at that point as already mentioned in the text plus whatever ethical lessons Abraham had himself uncovered
3. He could have meant it playfully as the Hebrew words he is addressing can be construed to pun as "he emptied his disciples" ie he emptied them of their Torah knowledge by forcing them to go to war
4. He could have meant it polemically as a warning against mistreating scholars
5. He could have meant it figuratively in which case all bets are off because a clever person can find any sort of figurative meaning in anything.
What's your vote?
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