דרשת ה'שפת אמת' בראי 'פעולת הטקסט' של פול ריקר

This article examines the literary genre of the written Hasidic homilies of
Rabbi Aryeh Leib Alter (1848-1905), known as Sfat Emet. The discussion
is conducted through the lens of Paul Ricoeur’s concept of “the work of the
text.” This concept encompasses the elements of composition and codification
of the text as well as the desired effects of the reading process. The analysis
identifies the features that are at work in the homilies, along with the
type of hermeneutic activity into which the reader is drawn. This activity
is designed to cause the reader to become open, in new or renewed ways,
toward various dimensions of reality. The article suggests that the Hasidic
homily is designed to act upon the reader in and through the very reading
process: what the reader learns is not confined to the content of the homily
but is first and foremost due to the nature of the reading experience itself.