, Kaplan cites as a guiding principle that "the primary requisite for the continuity of Jewish consciousness is not blind acceptance of the traditional beliefs, but a vital interest in the objects upon which those beliefs were centered."3 In other words, a historical rather than legalist consciousness governs acceptance of culturally definition. According to Kaplan, Krochmal's approach was to find relevant and universal meaning behind the concrete symbol or mere fact, even though the symbol may have appeared antique: "By making accessible and intelligible numerous facts which seemed to have relevance only in the traditional setting, by furnishing the modern Jew with a connected and plausible account of the Jewish past, they have revitalized the ancient texts and have made possible the retention of the Torah in its widest sense as an object of Jewish consciousness."4 What is lost in the programmatically interpretive approach to history is scientific or factual precision, says Kaplan. However, the emphasis on making meaning rather than reciting facts has the effect of providing a context for immediate understanding on one hand and (assuming such historicism would not resist new challenges that might be presented by new facts) further interpretation. Krochmal makes this point when he deplores attempts of scholars to account for the attribution of the Psalms to King David, even though they contain direct reference to the later Babylonian Captivity, by insisting on the traditional historical dating while also pointing to their prophetic quality. It makes more sense, Krochmal says, to rethink the dates that certain Psalms were written and to focus on the collective memory of greatness that they inspire; in that way the words "become a flashing fire, a flame of the Lord, and a sure testimony to the magnitude and depth of their infinite love for their land, their people, and their God."5 On Krochmal's view, meaning, and particularly spiritual m...