Proverbs

How much is too much when rebuking someone? Proverbs, Talmud, and Maimonides stress the importance of not humiliating the person, and stopping if they're not listening. The Zohar, however, tells a story of Rabbi Ḥiyya and Rabbi Yosi meeting a man with a skin disease on the street and publicly rebuking him. This mindset reflects the Jewish community in 13th century Spain and the institution of berurei aveirot, religious police appointed to root out evil and maintain righteousness.

Sisera asks for water, Yael gives him milk (Judges 4:19), and then she kills him. Is Yael a foreign “killer woman” or an “aid of YHWH” and his people?

Deuteronomy reflects influence from ancient Wisdom traditions, such as those in the book of Proverbs and in other ancient Near Eastern literature. Yet Deuteronomy presents Torah as Israel’s own Wisdom teaching. This serves both to elevate Torah and to insist that it be in dialogue with the broader, non-Israelite world.