עבירה לשמה
type: CreativeWork
description: A Transgression for the Sake of God -‘Averah li-shmah: A Tale of a Radical Idea in Talmudic Literature All cultures, religions, and ethical or legal systems struggle with the role intention plays in evaluating actions. The Talmud compellingly elaborates on the notion of intention through the radical concept that “A sin committed for the sake of God [averah li-shmah] is greater than a commandment fulfilled not for the sake of God [mi-mizvah she-lo li-shmah].” The Babylonian Talmud attributes this concept—which challenges one of rabbinic Judaism’s most fundamental dogmas, the obligation to fulfill the commandments and avoid sin—to R. Nahman b. Isaac (RNBI), a renowned 4th century Amora. Considering the normative character of the rabbinic culture in which Halakhah (Jewish religious law) plays such a central role, this concept, seems almost like a foreign body in the Talmudic corpus. The study focuses on the linguistic stratum of RNBI’s statement. By tracking the development of the meanings and uses of the word ‘li-shmah’ the research locates RNBI’s statement as part of the broader Talmudic discourse evaluating two levels of performing religious actions ‘li-shmah/she-lo li-shmah’. Since we wish to explain the word ‘li-shmah’ consistently both times it appears in the statement, the best translation would be ‘for the sake of God’. This translation is based on the linguistic connection between the word ‘li-shmah’ and the term ‘le-shem shamayim’ (for the sake of God) that appears in several rabbinic sources. This linguistic connection is also the key to identifying the possible root of RNBI’s concept. RNBI bolsters his idea by quoting a verse about Jael, thus implying that Jael sinned for the sake of God. The research describes at least five statements in Sages’ Literature that attribute sins for the sake of God to other biblical figures, all the while using the term ‘le-shem shamim’. Therefore we may presume that RNBI’s concept has evolved from the exegetical notion of att…
abstract: A Transgression for the Sake of God -‘Averah li-shmah: A Tale of a Radical Idea in Talmudic Literature All cultures, religions, and ethical or legal systems struggle with the role intention plays in evaluating actions. The Talmud compellingly elaborates on the notion of intention through the radical concept that “A sin committed for the sake of God [averah li-shmah] is greater than a commandment fulfilled not for the sake of God [mi-mizvah she-lo li-shmah].” The Babylonian Talmud attributes this concept—which challenges one of rabbinic Judaism’s most fundamental dogmas, the obligation to fulfill the commandments and avoid sin—to R. Nahman b. Isaac (RNBI), a renowned 4th century Amora. Considering the normative character of the rabbinic culture in which Halakhah (Jewish religious law) plays such a central role, this concept, seems almost like a foreign body in the Talmudic corpus. The study focuses on the linguistic stratum of RNBI’s statement. By tracking the development of the meanings and uses of the word ‘li-shmah’ the research locates RNBI’s statement as part of the broader Talmudic discourse evaluating two levels of performing religious actions ‘li-shmah/she-lo li-shmah’. Since we wish to explain the word ‘li-shmah’ consistently both times it appears in the statement, the best translation would be ‘for the sake of God’. This translation is based on the linguistic connection between the word ‘li-shmah’ and the term ‘le-shem shamayim’ (for the sake of God) that appears in several rabbinic sources. This linguistic connection is also the key to identifying the possible root of RNBI’s concept. RNBI bolsters his idea by quoting a verse about Jael, thus implying that Jael sinned for the sake of God. The research describes at least five statements in Sages’ Literature that attribute sins for the sake of God to other biblical figures, all the while using the term ‘le-shem shamim’. Therefore we may presume that RNBI’s concept has evolved from the exegetical notion of att…
author: Blankovsky, Yuval
keywords: Talmud, rabbinische Literatur, Sünde, jüdisches Recht, R. Nahman b. Isaac, Halacha, ‘li-shmah/she-lo li-shmah’, linguistic concepts in Talmud, sake of god, sin
date published: 2014-07-16
date modified: 2026-07-24T03:51:54Z
provider: Universität Potsdam - Diss
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Universität Potsdam