The text describes a personal experience of encountering a violent and mentally unstable individual on a New York City subway.

The text explores the purpose of rabbinic law and its relationship to biblical text through a narrative involving Rabbi David calming threatening waters through creative legal argumentation.

Rabbinic law's purpose and creativity, distinct from biblical law, are explored through aggadah narratives, like the story of David subduing chaotic waters with the "fifteen Songs of Ascent."