The "Right" Interpretation and Esoteric Methods in the Commentaries of R. David Messer Leon to The Guide of the Perplexed

Abstract

This article depicts R. David Messer Leon’s (~ 1470–1535) exegetical methods to interpreting Maimonides' The Guide for the Perplexed. One of Italian Jewry’s spiritual leaders at the turn of the 15th-16th centuries, Messer Leon's great work, 'Ein HaQoreh, ignited controversy among other commentators. His work includes theoretical discussions alongside interpretive examples. He dealt with The Guide in other essays as well, and offered a unique interpretive direction. Maimonides’ treatise has been interpreted numerous times, in various and varied ways. One of the main directions that has developed since the 13th Century claims that Maimonides hid his radical views from the public, and that his writing is esoteric. Other commentators, especially since the Renaissance, offered a more conservative interpretation to The Guide, usually accepting the simple meaning of Maimonides' words. Later, many traditional and rabbinical thinkers tried to dull the radical dimension that might be implied by Maimonides' words. This hermeneutic discussion continued in modern research, by proposing new methodologies for understanding Maimonides’ inner meanings. In my study I claim that Leon’s message is double faceted: on the one hand, against extreme rational commentators, and on the other hand, against conservative thinkers who read The Guide through a narrow rabbinic prism. According to Leon, without a comprehensive and profound philosophical knowledge The Guide cannot be interpreted. One of the major innovations in his method is the introduction of an esoteric reading method that supports a conservative interpretation to The Guide for the Perplexed.