The Parabolic Encounter III: From Ancient Mashal to Patient as Sacred Text
Julian Ungar-Sargon
Abstract
Building upon previous research establishing
philosophical allegories as frameworks for Open Access ARTICLE HISTORY healing
relationships and the application of tzimtzum hermeneutics to patient
narratives, this paper synthesizes traditional parabolic discourse with
contemporary therapeutic practice through comparative analysis of Kafka,
Benjamin, and Rebbe Nachman's parabolic thought. This study extends our prior
work on Plato's Cave versus Ramchal's maze metaphors and mystical hermeneutics
in medical encounters by examining how classical parabolic traditions provide
interpretive frameworks for understanding patients as "living
parables." Drawing on established foundations of patient-as-sacred-text
methodology and covenantal therapeutic relationships, we demonstrate how
traditional mashal structures parallel contemporary hermeneutic approaches to
clinical practice. This analysis reveals how parabolic interpretation
challenges reductionist biomedicine while offering robust philosophical
foundations for integrative healing practice that honors both scientific rigor
and spiritual depth.