Comments on: Slightly Jewish http://bdhamilton.com/articles/slightly-jewish Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:26:46 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Brian Hamilton http://bdhamilton.com/articles/slightly-jewish#comment-2266 Brian Hamilton Tue, 04 Sep 2007 03:01:35 +0000 http://bdhamilton.com/articles/slightly-jewish#comment-2266 Touché. But even granting that the prophets' relation to Torah isn't completely unambiguous, there doesn't seem to me any question as to the root of their challenge. It doesn't get us very far to say that Derrida and the prophets both appeal to 'justice'; Derrida of all people would insist that the word takes its meaning only in semiotic context--which for the prophets, occasional challenges notwithstanding, _is_ the Torah. For Derrida, of course, the context of justice is decidedly _not_ the Torah. Also, I would need to be convinced to interpret the prophets as "appealing to a love and a justice that transgress the law." It seems to me that the prophets, like Jesus in their tradition, saw themselves as fulfilling rather than transgressing the law--which has important implications for the way we read their challenges. Touché. But even granting that the prophets’ relation to Torah isn’t completely unambiguous, there doesn’t seem to me any question as to the root of their challenge. It doesn’t get us very far to say that Derrida and the prophets both appeal to ‘justice’; Derrida of all people would insist that the word takes its meaning only in semiotic context—which for the prophets, occasional challenges notwithstanding, is the Torah. For Derrida, of course, the context of justice is decidedly not the Torah.

Also, I would need to be convinced to interpret the prophets as “appealing to a love and a justice that transgress the law.” It seems to me that the prophets, like Jesus in their tradition, saw themselves as fulfilling rather than transgressing the law—which has important implications for the way we read their challenges.

]]> By: Jay http://bdhamilton.com/articles/slightly-jewish#comment-2263 Jay Mon, 03 Sep 2007 21:57:26 +0000 http://bdhamilton.com/articles/slightly-jewish#comment-2263 In some ways I agree that Derrida's relation to the Jewish prophets is slight. I would argue, however, that the Jewish prophets did not always look uncritically on the contents of the Torah. The commandments concerning sacrificial practices are increasingly criticized in the prophets' writings. And the constant metaphor of God taking back Israel like a husband who takes back an unfaithful wife runs counter to the explicit commands of Deuteronomy 24:1-4. Though the prophets' indignation may have been founded on the Torah, they seem to push past even the Torah at times in appealing to a love and a justice that transgress the Law. And a love and a justice that break established boundaries seems pretty Derridean to me. In some ways I agree that Derrida’s relation to the Jewish prophets is slight. I would argue, however, that the Jewish prophets did not always look uncritically on the contents of the Torah. The commandments concerning sacrificial practices are increasingly criticized in the prophets’ writings. And the constant metaphor of God taking back Israel like a husband who takes back an unfaithful wife runs counter to the explicit commands of Deuteronomy 24:1-4. Though the prophets’ indignation may have been founded on the Torah, they seem to push past even the Torah at times in appealing to a love and a justice that transgress the Law. And a love and a justice that break established boundaries seems pretty Derridean to me.

]]>