Jonah Frankel

Jonah Frankel, also spelled Yonah Frankel, (1928–2012) was an author, Hebrew literature professor and Israel Prize laureate. In high school, he studied at the Yeshiva of Kfar Haroeh. He then went on to study Hebrew Literature and Talmud at the Hebrew University, and in 1968, he completed his PhD in Talmud. He has been described as "an expert in the study of Midrashic Aggadah".

Professor Frankel's main contribution to research was the innovative approach he introduced to the study of the Aggadot of the Talmud. Until his time, these stories were typically viewed either as historical sources or as folklore. Frankel established a new school of thought, treating the Talmudic Aggadah through the methods of literary criticism, independent of the historical or cultural context in which they were written. He focused on the idea and message behind each Aggadah, conducting a scholarly comparison of different versions of Aggadic texts found in various sources. His influence has been immense, and to this day, Talmudic Aggadot are studied in literature departments at universities. Time and its role in the aggadic story (Jewish civilization university series)

Awards and honors In 1993, Jonah Frankel received the Bialik Prize for significant accomplishments in Hebrew literature. In 2000, Jonah Frankel won the Israel Prize in Talmudic research, for his work on interpreting midrash and aggada. In 2006, Magnes Press published a volume of studies in honor of Jonah Frankel, titled Higayon L'Yona: New Aspects in the Study of Midrash, Aggadah and Piyut, In Honor of Proffessor Yona Fraenkel. The book Edited by Galit Hasan-Rokem and others, and features contributions from prominent scholars, including Daniel Boyarin, Ezra Fleischer, Moshe Halbertal and others.