Fences and good names: reputation theories in rabbinic ethics

Abstract

Through exegesis (midrash) and stories about the rabbis (aggadah), Avot d’Rabbi Natan – an early rabbinic guide to becoming an ethical and authoritative rabbi – explores ways in which rabbinic authority relies on reputation and how rabbis’ flawed actions imperil their authority. Analyzing this text as literature, this thesis focuses on the editorial maneuvers used in two sections of the text: firstly, a series of parables about the concept of building a fence around Torah and, secondly, a pair of stories about the Crown of a Good Name. These passages depict a variety of thoughts about how concern for reputation should impact rabbinic activity. While this thesis does not identify a specific ideology of reputation within Avot d’Rabbi Natan, it shows the vibrancy of the topic among the text’s editors.