Mashal (allegory)

Mashal - Hebrew characters of the word for parable or allegory

A ''mashal'' (Hebrew: משל) is a short

proverb A proverb (from ) or an adage is a simple, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and are an example of formulaic speech, formulaic language. A proverbial phrase ...

parable A parable is a succinct, didactic story, in prose or verse, that illustrates one or more instructive lessons or principles. It differs from a fable in that fables employ animals, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature as characters, whe ...

with a moral lesson or religious allegory, called a ''nimshal''. ''Mashal'' is used also to designate other forms in rhetoric, such as the

fable Fable is a literary genre defined as a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are anthropomorphized, and that illustrates or leads to a parti ...

and

apothegm {{Short pages monitor