Table of Contents
Acknowledgments Introduction
The Poetry of Midrash and Heterogeneity of Scripture
1. Midrash on Midrash: Self-Reflexive Discourse in the Guide
Shir Hashirim Rabbah 1.8 and the Parabolic Method
Genesis Rabbah 9 and Flash Technique
Genesis Rabbah 27 and Prophetic Radicalism
2. Intertextual Foils in the Guide: Jacob vs. The Married Harlot
Parabolic Precision vs. Parabolic Flourish
Solomon's Married Harlot as Foil to Jacob
3. "The Lord hath forsaken the earth": An Interlude on the Dilemma of Providence in Maimonides
4. Divine Immutability and Providence: Chapters I:1015Prelude to the Secret of Jacob's Ladder
I:10 Punishment as Cipher for Pre-eternal Will
I:11 The Sitting of Indifference
I:12 Rising and the Role of Metatron
I:13 Standing on the Mount of Olives: The Intellectualization of a Messianic Vision
I:14 Adam: Situating Man in the Providential Scheme
I:15 Moses: The Paragon of an Elitist Providence
5. The Seven Units of Jacob's Ladder and Their Message
1. "Ladder"
2. "Set up on earth"
3. "And the top of it reached Heaven"
4. "Angels of God" (elohim)
5-6. "Ascending and descending"
7. "And behold the Lord stood above it"
The Coalescence of Three Interpretations
6. Chapter III: 24 of the Guide: "Trial"The Bridge between Metaphysics and Law
Trial Passages
Omission of a Trial Passage: Bitter Waters and Perfect Law
The Quarry of Efficient Causality
7. Reflections on the Ultimate Verses of the Guide
Conclusion
Text and Prooftext: An Abrahamic/Mosaic Joint Venture toward Enlightenment
Notes
Bibliography
Index