The Vikuaḥ of R. Yeḥiel of Paris: A Paraphrase
This chapter explores the Vikuaḥ of Rabbi Yeḥiel of Paris, wherein he argued for the importance and authority of the Talmud. Rabbi Yeḥiel said he believes in all the laws contained in it, which were deduced by the rabbis from Scripture. It is called Talmud (teaching), because of the text ‘you shall teach them to your sons’. However, the Talmud also contains Aggadah, that is, figurative, poetic passages to appeal to men’s hearts. If these passages seem extraordinary, there are many similar passages in Scripture itself. Moreover, Rabbi Yeḥiel argues that without the Talmud, one would not be able to understand passages in the Bible which appear to contradict each other. Where the Biblical law is brief and scattered as in the laws of the Sabbath, the Talmud gives full explanations, gathered into one tractate; otherwise, it would be impossible to understand the law.