Question
What are the four ways of understanding the Torah?
Answer
The classical four ways of understanding the Torah are PESHAT (the plain meaning); DERASH (meanings inferred by traditional rules of interpretation); REMEZ (hints or allegories); and SOD (“secret”, esoteric meanings). See Encyclopedia Judaica, KABBALAH, Cols. 622-3. The acronym PARDES is attributed to Moses De Leon. It applies only to the written Torah, and possibly only to the Pentateuch.