Editing Hermeneutics (section)

=== Talmudic hermeneutics ===
{{Main|Talmudic hermeneutics}}
{{See also|Judaism#Rabbinic hermeneutics|l1=Judaism § Rabbinic hermeneutics}}
{{Eras of the Halakha}}

Summaries of the principles by which Torah can be interpreted date back to, at least, [[Hillel the Elder]], although the thirteen principles set forth in the [[Baraita of Rabbi Ishmael]] are perhaps the best known. These principles ranged from standard rules of logic (e.g., [[A fortiori argument|''a fortiori'' argument]] [known in [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] as {{Lang|he|קל וחומר}}&nbsp;–&nbsp;{{Transliteration|he|kal v'chomer}}]) to more expansive ones, such as the rule that a passage could be interpreted by reference to another passage in which the same word appears ([[Talmudical Hermeneutics#Gezerah Shavah|Gezerah Shavah]]). The [[rabbi]]s did not ascribe equal persuasive power to the various principles.<ref>See, e.g., Rambam Hilkhot Talmud Torah 4:8</ref>

Traditional Jewish hermeneutics differed from the Greek method in that the rabbis considered the [[Tanakh]] (the Jewish Biblical canon) to be without error. Any apparent inconsistencies had to be understood by means of careful examination of a given text within the context of other texts. There were different levels of interpretation: some were used to arrive at the plain meaning of the text, some expounded the law given in the text, and others found [[Western esotericism|secret]] or [[Mysticism|mystical]] levels of understanding.