Peshat (also
P'shat, פשט) is one of four classical methods of Jewish biblical
exegesis used by
rabbis and Jewish bible scholars in reading the
Hebrew Bible, also known as the
Tanakh. It is the first of the four exegetical methods known together as
PaRDeS. While Peshat is commonly defined as referring to the surface or literal (direct) meaning of a text, numerous scholars and rabbis have debated this for centuries, giving Peshat many uses and definitions.