In 1963, at a colloquium in Paris dedicated to the subject of forgiveness, the philosopher Emmanuel Levinas presented the first in what would become a regular series of analyses of Talmudic texts. Later published under the title “Toward the Other,” Levinas's remarks begin with introductory comments on method and on the meaning of forgiveness and atonement in the Jewish tradition and proceed to an explication of his chosen Talmudic text. But near the end of his observations, things get personal.
In the final narrative in Levinas's selection from the Talmud, Rab Hanina bar Hama is the third rabbi to interrupt a textual commentary as it is being delivered by another rabbi, Rab, who refuses to begin his commentary again, as he has already done so twice.
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