Yair Zakovitch

Yair Zakovitch (born in 1945) is a biblical scholar and professor emeritus in the Department of Bible at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is the Israel Prize winner for his achievements in Biblical Studies for the year 2021.

Biography Yair Zakovitch grew up in Haifa, the son of a Haifa port worker. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Haifa, received his Master's degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1972, and in 1978, he completed his doctoral dissertation at the Hebrew University on the topic "On Three and Four: The Literary Pattern of Three-Four in the Bible."

His research fields and publications include literary reading, intra-biblical interpretation, and beliefs and opinions in the Bible, as well as the relationship between post-biblical literature (Second Temple period, rabbinic literature, and early Christianity) and the Bible.

In his research, Zakovitch explores hidden polemics in biblical stories and echoes of ancient traditions that were excluded from the canon. Among other things, Zakovitch believes in two interpretative doctrines for uncovering early traditions: the "Law of Center and Periphery", how marginalized traditions can be traced in less prominent biblical narratives, and the "Safety Valve", the inclusion of alternative perspectives while maintaining the dominant narrative.

Zakovitch served as head of the Bible Department from 1987 to 1989, head of the Mandel Institute for Jewish Studies from 1995 to 1997, and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities at the Hebrew University from 1997 to 2001. He also chaired the Bible Studies Committee at the Ministry of Education from 1981 to 1984 and again from 2003 to 2011.

Zakovitch is one of the initiators and founders (with Alan David Hoffmann) of the "Revivim" program for training teachers to teach Jewish Studies. He has served as a visiting lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of California, Berkeley, He is a recipient of the Israel Prize for Biblical Studies for the year 2021, a Fellow at the Open University, and an honorary Doctor of Divinity from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.

He resides in Givat Yeshayahu, Israel.

Books

Articles "The Sun Stood Still at Gibeon: The Evolution of a Miracle" (שמש בגבעון דום: גלגוליו של נס), in: Gal Weinstein: The Sun Stood Still at Gibeon, ed. Tami Katz-Freiman, The Israeli Pavilion, Venice Biennale, 2017, pp. 144–148. "Concrete Metaphors and Metaphorical Language in Biblical Interpretation—Internal and External" (קונקרטיזציה של מטפורות ולשון מטפורית בפרשנות המקרא - פנימית וחיצונית), Shnaton: An Annual for Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies 24 (2016), pp. 5–55. "'A Thousand Shall Be Yours, Solomon' (Song 8:12): On the Tradition of Solomon's Thousand Wives" (האלף לך שלמה...), in: Shemut Ve-Ruach: Festschrift for Avraham Shapira, eds. A. Zakai, P. Mendes-Flohr, Z. Gries, Jerusalem 2015, pp. 255–263. "My Son, My Son Absalom – A Father's Lament, Not a King's" (בני, בני אבשלום – קינת אב ולא קינת מלך), in: Lev Avot al Banim, eds. Y. Shaviv and B. Offen, Alon Shvut 2014, pp. 252–259. "On Plagues, Miracles, Angels, and the Immunity of Jerusalem" (על מגפות, ניסים, מלאכים וחסינות ירושלים), in: Jerusalem – Medical File, ed. N. Shalev-Kalifa, Jerusalem 2014, pp. 29–36. "On Four Sick Kings in Jerusalem" (על ארבעה מלכים חולים בירושלים), same vol., pp. 51–56. "On Borders and Crossing Them" (על גבולות וחצייתם), in: L. Ramon, Through the Window She Gazed (with A. Shinan), Tel Aviv: Hakibbutz Hameuchad, 2012, pp. 11–23. Roundtable Contribution: "Are We Still the People of the Book?" (האם אנחנו עדיין עם הספר?), Zehuyot, Issue 1 (2012), pp. 102–106. "The Legion Among the Swine – Bible, Midrash, and Allegory (Matt. 8:28–34; Mark 5:1–20; Luke 8:26–39)" (לגיון הזרים בעדרי חזירים...), in: Like a Dream and a Dybbuk – On Dreams and Possession, eds. R. Elior, Y. Bilu, Y. Zakovitch, A. Shinan, Jerusalem: Magnes, 2013, pp. 235–256. "Three 'Who Is This?' Questions in Song of Songs" (על שלוש שאלות 'מי זאת' בשיר השירים), in: Merakim: Culture, Literature, Folklore, eds. H. Salomon and A. Shinan, Jerusalem 2013, pp. 33–40. "Psalm 135 – A Mosaic of Verses, Its Meaning and Intent" (תהלים קלה – פסיפס כתובים), in: Zer Rimonim, eds. M. Avioz, A. Asis, Y. Shemesh, Atlanta 2013, pp. 286–296. "Inner-Biblical Interpretation" (פרשנות פנים מקראית), in: Biblical Literature: Introductions and Studies, ed. Z. Talshir, Vol. I, Jerusalem 2011, pp. 429–453. "From Crisis to Correction: Return to Eden in Isa 51:1–3" (משבר לתיקון: השיבה לגן ה'), in: Fracture and Repair, eds. A. Shinan, A. Bilski, Jerusalem 2010, pp. 28–34. "Is the Tree of Knowledge the Tree of Life?" (עץ הדעת הוא עץ החיים?), in: Paradise of Old, ed. R. Elior, Jerusalem 2010, pp. 63–70. "The Exodus as the Big Bang – A Reading of Psalm 114" (יציאת מצרים המפץ הגדול), in: Sefer Michael, ed. A. Sagi, Jerusalem–Even Yehuda 2008, pp. 81–96. "Woman (in the Bible)" (אישה במקרא), in: Zman Yehudi Hadash, Vol. I, Jerusalem 2007, pp. 174–178. "Bread of Miracle and Wonder" (לחם נס ופלא), with A. Shinan, in: Bread in the Religions and Communities of Israel, ed. N. Ben-Yosef, Israel Museum, Jerusalem 2006, pp. 29–45. "The Book of Moses in the Book of David" (ספר משה בספר דוד), in: Moses: Father of the Prophets, eds. M. Halamish, H. Kasher, H. Ben-Pazi, Ramat Gan 2011, pp. 45–52. "On the D–Ts Interchange in Biblical Hebrew" (על חילופי ד-צ בלשון המקרא), in: Festschrift for Avi Hurvitz, Jerusalem 2009, pp. 113–120. "'I' and 'We' in the Psalms" (אנכי ואנחנו בשירת תהלים), in: On the Individual and the Collective, eds. A. Bilski et al., Tel Aviv 2007, pp. 46–51. "Hints, Allusions, and Textual Criticism" (רומזים, נרמזים וביקורת הנוסח), in: Festschrift for Sarah Japhet, eds. M. Bar-Asher et al., Jerusalem 2008, pp. 323–331. "Midrashic Interpretations of the Name Zion – From Ruin to Redemption" (מדרשי השם ציון), in: Eretz-Israel 28 (Teddy Kollek Volume), Jerusalem 2008, pp. 203–208. "Basic Law and Its Foundations – Basic Law: Israel Lands" (חוק-יסוד ויסודותיו), in: Shoreshim ba-Mishpat, ed. D. Zilber, Nevo, 2020, pp. 151–[end] (with Orit Koteb). "In the Looking for Closeness to God", in: A. Brenninkmeijer-Werhahn (ed.), Marriage – Constancy and Change in Togetherness, Symposion vol. 15, Vienna 2017, pp. 156–169. "Do the Last Verses of Malachi (Mal 3:22–24) Have a Canonical Function? A Biblical Puzzle", in: E. Di Pede & D. Scaiola (eds.), The Book of the Twelve – One Book or Many?, Tübingen 2016, pp. 60–81. "Keep Your Thousand, Solomon! (Song 8:12): A History of the Tradition of Solomon's Thousand Wives", in: S. M. Attard & M. Pavan (eds.), Studi in onore del prof. Gianni Barbiero, Rome: Gregorian and Biblical Press, 2015, pp. 359–370. "Why Is 'A' Placed Next to 'B'? Juxtaposition in the Bible and Beyond", in: M. Kister et al. (eds.), Tradition, Transmission, and Transformation, Leiden 2015, pp. 322–342 (with A. Shinan). "Reading Biblical Narrative", in: The Jewish Study Bible, 2nd ed., eds. A. Berlin & M.Z. Brettler, Oxford University Press, 2014, pp. 2191–2201. "On the Ordering of Psalms as Demonstrated by Psalms 136–150", in: The Oxford Handbook of the Psalms, ed. W.P. Brown, Oxford University Press, 2014, pp. 214–228. "The Bible's Hidden Dictionary: The Example of Psalms", in: A. Grund et al. (eds.), Ich will dir danken unter den Völkern, Gütersloh: Gütersloher Verlagshaus, 2013, pp. 299–305. "Intermarriage and Halakhic Creativity: The Book of Ruth", INTAMS Review 19.1 (2013), pp. 56–69. "Inner-Biblical Interpretation", in: M. Henze (ed.), A Companion to Biblical Interpretation in Early Judaism, Grand Rapids 2012, pp. 27–63. "Scripture and Israeli Secular Culture – Past, Present, Future", in: B.D. Sommer (ed.), Jewish Concepts of Scripture, New York–London 2012, pp. 299–316. "A Woman of Valor (Prov. 31:10–31): A Conservative Response to the Song of Songs", in: D.J.A. Clines & E. van Wolde (eds.), A Critical Engagement, Sheffield 2011, pp. 401–413. "Ruth"; "Jonah", in: The New Oxford Annotated Bible, New York 2010, pp. 392–398, 1301–1305. "Inner-Biblical Interpretation", in: R. Hendel (ed.), Reading Genesis – Ten Methods, Cambridge University Press, 2010, pp. 92–118. "Humor and Theology or the Successful Failure of Israelite Intelligence: A Literary-Folkloric Approach to Joshua 2." In Text and Tradition: The Hebrew Bible and Folklore. Edited by Susan Niditch, page 75. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1990.