Verso il senso che ti indicherò. L'ermeneutica del testo di Emmanuel Levinas ai Colloques des Intellectuels juifs de langue française

The dissertation explores Levinas’ significant contributions to the French-Jewish debate on hermeneutics within the framework of the Colloques des intellectuels juifs de langue française (CIJLF), which were established in 1957 and provided a crucial platform for post-war Jewish intellectuals to grapple with Jewish identity in a universalistic context. The first chapter sets the stage by examining Levinas’ early involvement in the CIJLF. Particularly, in his first interventions, the philosopher argues for understanding Judaism not as a religion but as a “comprehension of being”. This conceptualization of Judaism as an ontological category becomes a hermeneutical lens for sketching an opposition between Judaism and Western philosophical tradition, which Levinas deals with in a confrontation with Heidegger and Rosenzweig. The second chapter delves into Levinas’ interpretation of Franz Rosenzweig’s work, which is presented as a model for navigating the complexities of Jewish and Western thought, focusing on his resistance to philosophical totalization. Particularly, it highlights Levinas’ understanding of Rosenzweig’s concept of Judaism's “eternity”, arising from its unique position outside worldly rootedness, allowing it to challenge Western ontology. The third chapter focuses on the influence of Levinas’ enigmatic Talmudic instructor, Monsieur Chouchani. The chapter explores the profound impact of Chouchani’s methods on Levinas’ hermeneutical approach, particularly his ability to expand the interpretive horizons of Talmudic texts beyond their immediate context and his emphasis on rigorous textual analysis. The fourth chapter analyzes Levinas’ first Talmudic readings on messianism. It examines how Levinas draws a parallel between the interpretation process, in which unreconcilable contradictions between the rabbis are said to emerge, and the promise of accomplishment and unitarity of Messianic time. In this regard, particular attention is brought to Levinas’ reflections on the concept of the felix culpa and the notion of symbol in connection to messianic time, revealing his understanding of interpretation as a productive, yet incomplete, activity awaiting an elusive fulfillment. The fifth chapter delves deeper into Levinas’ hermeneutical strategies, exploring the theme of interpretation. This chapter defines Levinas’ hermeneutics as a “hermeneutics of displacement”, highlighting how he utilizes textual relocation and translation, both on an interlingual and intralingual level, as a crucial tool for unlocking new layers of meaning within sacred texts. Chapter sixth examines the contrasts between Levinas’ and André Neher’s hermeneutical approaches. Neher, a prominent figure in the CIJLF, favored a “return” to origins and reconciliatory hermeneutics, while Levinas emphasized alterity and an ongoing deferral of meaning. This chapter highlights their differences through their discussions on Judaism’s relationship to the land of Israel and the role of exile and diaspora as tools of revelation in Jewish existence. In the seventh chapter, such discrepancies are read in the light of Levinas’ reconsideration of the metaphysical model of Otherness as absolutely separated and its evolution towards that of The-Other-in-the-Same. Levinas’ evolving conception of the roles of inspiration and translation within his engagement with Talmudic texts is analyzed in this framework. By exploring specific passages related to covenants and translation, the chapter reveals a shift in Levinas’ thinking toward recognizing the ongoing and dynamic nature of revelation within the interpretive process.