Thursday, January 15, 2009
Mashal vs. Story
It occurred to me recently that we seem to use mashalim and tanach stories very similarly. We try to connect both to our experience until we can relate to it, and then see what errors or remedies/corrections/alternate frames the mashal/ story is pointing to. We use the mashal or story as a tool to “redefine terms” to see a part of world differently, more realistically. I know that a mashal is something that did not necessarily actually occur that is formed to represent something else, while a story may have actually occurred. But, I was wondering about what the difference, if any, is between how we use each.
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Every story is a Mashal. Not every story is a mashal.
ReplyDeleteA story is about a particular, Mashal means example. Insofar as it is a particular, it is only similar to others like it, not identical. To be identical requires an abstract definition, something that is the perush of the story. So the story and m,ashal both guide the mind to true essence by identifying properties that are similar.
Sorry, messed up the first comment.
ReplyDeleteEvery story is a Mashal. Not every Mashal is a story.
A story is about a particular, Mashal means example. Insofar as it is a particular, it is only similar to others like it, not identical. To be identical requires that we refer to a thing by its abstract essence, something that is the perush of the story,not the story itself. So the story and mashal both guide the mind to true essence by identifying properties that make things similar rather than identical.