More Discussions for this daf
1. A blind person's dreams 2. Allegory of the Rashba 3. Birchos Ha'Gomel
4. Birkas ha'Gomel for Women 5. Four must thank Hash-m... 6. Yakov's stone
7. She'asa li neis 8. Avnei Elgavish
DAF DISCUSSIONS - BERACHOS 54

hg asked:

In your Insights to the Daf you bring an allegorical explanation of the Gemara here in the name of the Rashba.

Was not the Rashba (Teshuvah 1:417/418) the one who banned allegorocal interpretations of chumash.... yet here on the gemara but it is a story in Chumash. please explain where he draws the line.

hg, ny usa

The Kollel replies:

Here is what I wrote elsewhere, based on the introduction of the Mosad Harav Kook edition of the Chidushei Agadah of the Rashba.

The Rashba offers a general approach to Agadah at the beginning of his Sefer on Agadah (first paragraph), and - at very great length - in Teshuvos ha'Rashba 1:414-418. In the latter, he chastises those who consider verses in the Torah that discuss Adam and Chava and the Avos, and words of Chazal, to be parables and not actual descriptions of what happened.

He sums up what can and what cannot be a parable in another Teshuvah (1:9), where he writes that if we have a Masores that a certain event actually happened we must take it literally - and if not, we can consider it a parable.

Best wishes,

Mordecai Kornfeld