IBN EZRA’S APPROACH TO THE SECRETS OF THE MIDRASH

In the introductions to both his earlier and later Torah commentaries, Ibn Ezra indicated that some midrašim contain secrets. Yet in the course of both commentaries, Ibn Ezra seldom displayed any interest in the secret views of the Torah in general, and in the midrash in particular. When he on occasion pointed to a particular midrash, it generally was to dismiss its acceptance when interpreted literally. His primary goal was to teach that the sages did not hold such farfetched views (from a rational perspective). Rarely would he provide some hint to what the secret is. Throughout his commentaries his focus remained on the proper understanding of pešaṭ – the plain meaning of the verses. In general, Ibn Ezra’s medieval supercommentators focused on his explanations of pešaṭ. Yet almost all of them were concerned also with his secrets. They often amplified upon the meaning of Ibn Ezra’s allusions, particularly when they referred to matters of astronomy/astrology. The supercommentators were hardly in agreement in their explanations of particular secrets, each bringing to the task of interpretation their own particular views, anchored in the sources and ideological tendencies that shaped their thought. In the appendix I focus on their different explanations of a particular Talmudic midrash to which Ibn Ezra at times refers – namely, the world exists for 6000 years.