Aggadah

English

Alternative forms

• Haggadah, Haggada

Etymology

From Aramaic אַגָּדְתָא (ʾaggāḏ'ṯā, “tale, lore”), from Hebrew הֲגָדָה (haggāḏā).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /əˈɡɑːdə/

Noun

Aggadah (plural Aggadahs or Aggadah or Aggadot or Aggadoth)

1. A homiletic and non-legalistic exegetical text in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism, particularly as recorded in the Talmud and Midrash. A parable that demonstrates a point of the Law in the Talmud. [from 17th c.]
   • 1725, Edward Chandler, Anthony Collins, “Of the Allegorick or other Methods of citing Scripture, used by the Writers of the New Testament.”, in A defence of Christianity from the prophecies of the Old Testament: wherein are considered all the objections against this kind of proof : advanced in a late discourse of the grounds and reasons of the Christian religion‎^[1], London: James Knapton, page 344:

     They termed them also..Agada in the Chaldee, or..Hagada in the Hebrew form, which are rendered in Philo, by the Greek ...

2. Obsolete form of Haggadah; the text recited at Seder.
   • 1881, Americus Featherman, “Orthodox Jews of the East and Talmud Jews of Poland”, in Social history of the races of mankind‎^[2], volume 5, London: Trübner & Co., page 158:

     The story of the delivery of Israel from Egyptian bondage is read in Hebrew by the chief of the house from a book called the agada, which is interwoven with hymns of praise and thanksgiving, and it also contains some legendary chapters entirely figurative in their sense and composition.

Related terms

• aggadic, Aggadic

Translations

parable that demonstrates a point of the Law in the Talmud

• Portuguese: agadá f

Anagrams

• Haggada