In Search of a Lost Tanhuma Homily: Aharei Mot in Various Tanhuma Texts and Genizah Renditions

The bulk of the homily on Aharei Mot (Lev. 16:1- 34) in the published editions of the Tanhuma is almost identical to the one found in the Ammoraic sources (Leviticus Rabbah 20/Pesiqta D’Rav Kahana 26). It is only when we look beyond them that we begin to find evidence of “authentic” Tanhuma homilies on this seder. This raises the question as to how and why the Ammoraic homilies came to be incorporated into the major medieval manuscripts and published editions in their stead.

In this paper, I will survey several renditions and variants of the homily on Aharei Mot drawn from the different versions and text witnesses, Pesiqta Rabbati and Genizah fragments taking note of the textual, literary and thematic links between them. The picture that emerges will shed light on the intricate relationships between the Tanhuma and the Pesiqta’ot, between materials arranged in the context of the weekly readings vs. that of festival and special Shabbat readings.

Based on comparison of various manuscripts I will propose that an authentic Tanhuma homily was preserved in the manuscript tradition, and that the inclusion of the Ammoraic text in the published Tanhumas and their major text witnesses is a later, rather than earlier, development.

This study illustrates the advantages of focusing the various materials related to single reading portion across the different versions and variants when studying the Tanhuma. In-depth examination of the entire body of evidence for a single reading lection, with an emphasis on the structural composition of each homily (various types of proems, gufa and peroration), allows us to efficiently map the Tanhuma corpus, to detect the relations between its various representations, noting their structure, language, composition, motifs and themes.