The Forgotten Torah and the Formation of the Talmudic Subject

The account of the fetus learning the Torah in its mother’s womb, forgetting it and reacquiring it (b. Niddah 30b) has often been compared to Plato’s doctrine of recollection or anamnesis. This essay argues that such a comparison is misguided, as the Talmudic story does not include the recollection of the forgotten Torah, nor does it address the philosophical difficulties that inform Plato’s doctrine, which arise from a commitment to a two-world ontology. Indeed, the story may be seen as an example of the general absence of a transcendent realm in the Talmud. In Plato’s stead, I argue that Lacan’s formation of the subject offers a more fruitful comparison, and that the Torah-learning fetus may be interpreted as an attempt to overcome the Lacanian moments of alienation that result in humanity’s tragic fate.