Editing Judah Loew ben Bezalel (section)

==Methodology==
Loew's numerous philosophical works have become cornerstones of Jewish thought;<ref>[[sefaria]].org, [https://www.sefaria.org/person/Maharal Maharal (1520 - 1609 CE)]</ref> and he was the author of "one of the most creative and original systems of thought developed by East European Jewry."<ref name=yivo/>

He employed rationalist terminology and classical philosophical ideas in his writings,<ref name=yivo/> and supported scientific research on condition that it did not contradict divine revelation.<ref name=je/> Nevertheless, Loew's work was in many ways a reaction to the tradition of medieval rationalist Jewish thought, which prioritized a systematic analysis of philosophical concepts, and implicitly downgraded the more colorful and ad-hoc imagery of earlier rabbinic commentary. One of Loew's constant objectives was to demonstrate how such earlier commentary was in fact full of insightful commentary on humanity, nature, holiness, an other topics. According to Loew, the multitude of disconnected opinions and perspectives in classical rabbinic literature do not form a haphazard jumble, but rather exemplify the diversity of meanings that can be extracted from a single idea or concept.<ref name=yhb>{{Cite web|url=https://yhb.org.il/shiurim/המהרל-מפראג/|title=המהר"ל מפראג|accessdate=Apr 2, 2023}}</ref>

Loew's writings use as sources the Biblical verses and the recorded traditions of the rabbis, but through literary and conceptual analysis he develops these into a comprehensive philosophical system in which the following terminology recurs:<ref name=yhb/>
* ''seder'' and ''nivdal'' ("order" and "transcendence") - any realm has a natural "order" and nature, but may also contain exceptions which are entirely unlike the realm in nature.
* ''guf, nefesh, sechel'' ("body", "life-force", "intellect") - different levels of a single overall reality. ''guf'' (the material) is bounded in dimension and is acted upon. ''Nefesh'' is unbounded, and both acts and is acted upon. ''Sechel" is unbounded, and tends only to be acted upon.
* ''pail, nifal'' (active, acted upon) - describing the relationship between different levels of reality
* ''yesodot, taarovot, tarkovot'' (bases, mixtures, combinations) - when different elements of reality are combined, they may remain as separate "bases", or else form a relationship (a "mixture"), or else generate an entirely new entity ("combinations").
* ''ribui, ahadut'' (multiplicity, unity)

An example of this terminology is Loew's philosophical interpretation of the following [[midrash]]: "The world was created for three things: [[Dough offering|challah]], [[First tithe|maaser]], and [[Bikkurim (First-fruits)|bikkurim]]."<ref>[[Genesis Rabbah]] 1:4</ref> According to Loew, bikkurim represents ''yesodot'' (as individual fruit are given), maaser represents ''taarovot'' (as the fruit are gathered together and a fraction of them separated as a tithe), and ''challah'' represents ''tarkovot'' (as a new substance, dough, is created from the ingredients).<ref>Netzach Yisrael 3</ref>

Loew's approach to resolving contradictions between rabbinic literature and historical sources, emphasizing his preference for [[allegory|allegorization]]. He often interprets seemingly historical rabbinic narratives as conveying deeper, esoteric truths rather than literal historical events. For example, in the case of [[Titus]] and the ''yetosh'', Loew argues that the Talmudic story is not a factual account but a moral lesson about divine retribution. While he critiques [[Azariah de Rossi]]’s rejectionist tendencies, Loew himself avoids outright rejection of rabbinic texts, instead reinterpreting them to align with spiritual or metaphysical truths. His approach thus reflects a commitment to preserving the integrity of [[rabbinic literature]] while addressing [[Jewish history|historical]] challenges creatively.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Klein |first1=Reuven Chaim |date= 2023 |title= Are historical sections of the Talmud actually historical? Critical tools for understanding historical claims in rabbinic literature |url=https://www.academia.edu/127965994|journal=Journal of Philological Pedagogy |volume=12 |issue= |publisher=Chandler School of Education |pages=42–75 |doi=10.17613/rjp5a-md343 }}</ref>

Yet, Loew did not espouse [[kabbalah]] or other Jewish mystical traditions, though he was familiar with them.<ref name=yivo/>