ABSTRACT
During the Tannaitic period and the Amoraic period scholars, referred to as Tannaim and Amoraim, actively engaged in the interpretation of Scripture. According to Pharisaic tradition, both the Written Torah and its interpretation were given by God to Moses on Mt Sinai. The exegesis found in rabbinic literature of the Tannaitic and Amoraic periods is largely of two types: direct and explicit exegesis where the Biblical text is commented upon or accompanied by a remark, and indirect exegesis where a Scriptural text is cited to support an assertion. As an example of the first type, it was common practice among the sages to clear up a possible confusion about the meaning of a Biblical verse. The rabbis frequently reinforced their exhortations by a Biblical sentence that expressed their sentiments. Turning to the method of indirect exegesis, it was a frequent practice in rabbinic literature to draw deductions from Scriptural texts by a means of a number of formal hermeneutical rules.
