“One Young and the Other Old”—Halakhah and Aggadah as Law and Story

The interrelationship between Halakhah (Jewish law) and Aggadah (Jewish Legend) evokes potent insights, relevant to most disciplines that investigate law as a cultural practice, especially in the present-day Law and Literature field. This contention will be elaborated by proposing the two phased paradigm of literature alongside law. According to this paradigm, after considering the limits and sometimes failures of law, the next step is the attempt to deal with those effectively and to keep striving towards truth and justice within difficult realities. The Halakhah and Aggadah combination reflects the literature alongside law paradigm by creating a dynamic model of interpretation that is derived from a canon that is “both sealed and open”, and from the extensive use of narrative. Thus the Halakhah and Aggadah juxtaposition creates an authentic balance that while being aware to the weakness of law, continuously re-establishes it as a vital effort, characterized by failures and disappointments, but also by vision and achievements.