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GUIDELINES > ORAL
TORAH VS REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY A Guide for Returning 10-Tribers by Rabbi Avraham Feld Copyright 2007 © Kol haTor.org.il A Loving glance at you from Above Throughout the Bible various instances are cited, likening the relationship between G-d and his people, to one between husband and wife. Crucial to remember, the Bible always speaks in the language of man (anthropomorphisms). Similarly, the Bible uses metaphors and symbolic language to liken Israel and the Torah to husband and wife. When immersed deeply in the study of Torah, and glimpses of spiritual insight are reached, it is as if a lover is down on the street and looking longingly upwards, catches a glance of his beloved from behind the window lattice of a royal tower. A person came to the court of the holy sage, Rabbi Mendel of Kotz. “So, why have you come here?” asked the righteous Rabbi. “I’ve come all this way to find G-d,” the guest replied. Then you have wasted time and money. G-d is accessible to anyone everywhere.” said Rabbi Mendel. “Then why should I have come?” “In order to find yourself,” replied the Rabbi, “… to find yourself.” We are about to go on a short journey into the realm of the legitimate keepers of the Torah. Those who put their minds, hearts, and souls into learning the Holy Torah. Those who willingly shoulder this task, will discover great rewards, and will come upon a spiritual landscape that is both vast and beautiful. The rewards of such a journey lead to clarity and happiness. For the returning 10-Triber, along this journey, come philosophical and physical attacks, one of them being Replacement Theology, This is the theology which underlies the reasoning and conviction of those groups who say to Jews: “Who cares about your ‘man-made’ laws? The antiquity and continuity of your Written and Oral Traditions do not matter. G-d has kicked you out of his Kingdom, tossed you out of the ballpark, thrown you through the window. We are the New Israel. We are no longer ‘under the Law’" To all this, we respond: ”Oops, you missed it. Your continued persistence to follow in the footsteps of ancient 10-Israel, who rebelled against the Torah and rejected G-d’s appointed Guardians of His Torah, (the Jews – Psalm 60:7; Gen 49:10), has obscured one of the main themes of the Bible to you. ‘Surely, The L-rd has chosen Jacob to be His, and Israel as His prized possession…..?’ ‘Surely, the L-rd will not abandon His people, nor forsake His heritage?” (Psalms 132:13, Psalm 135:14). In reality, the Torah contains all that is needed in order to achieve self-awareness - an awareness of what G-d demands of us. The Torah is whole, all-inclusive and provides continuous sustenance to those who seek Him. The same Torah berates us when we sin, but also reminds us of G-d’s everlasting love and undying patience. G-d will never turn His back upon His chosen people. No matter how far they stray, the door of repentance remains open, allowing the repentant soul to return and bask in the light and warmth of an all-loving, all-forgiving G-d. “He, being Merciful, forgives iniquity, and does not destroy; frequently He turns his anger away, and does not stir up all His wrath” (Ps. 78:38); “For Thou O L-rd are good and forgiving and exceedingly kind to all those who call upon You” (Ps. 86:5). An interesting parable illustrates this concept. It is said that when Thomas Edison had finished putting the final touches onto his first light bulb, he requested from one of his young helpers to carry upstairs the new fragile bulb. The nervous lad dropped the fragile bulb, and Edison’s team had to work a full 24 hours more, in order to make a second bulb. When it was finished, Edison once again gave it to the very same helper who had dropped the first bulb. He knew that more than a light bulb was at stake. All the more, so does G-d never take away His love for, or belief in His chosen people. They were chosen to receive the Torah and even if they sometimes drop the light, G-d continues to grant chance after chance, never giving up, and always leaving open, the doorway home. Austin and Mitchell live next door to each other, and frequently borrow from one another. Austin, however, was better at borrowing than returning. When Mitchell came by, one bright day, he said to his neighbor, “Would you like to put my power drill and work table in your garage?” “Why would I want you to do that?” asked Austin? "Because", said Mitchell, "I like to keep all my tools in the same place." When nations borrow from us, fine, but not when they want to completely replace us. Our sages and our G-d understood long ago, that there would be those who would try and claim the Torah as their own, and to our exclusion. Moshe asked G-d, “Shall I write it (the Torah) down for them?” G-d answered, “I chose not to give it entirely in writing for I foresee a day when they shall be subservient to other nations, who will then take the Torah (and claim it as their own)… Therefore, I shall give the Torah in writing but the Mishnah, Talmud, and Aggadah shall be transmitted orally, so that even when they become subservient to other nations, they shall remain distinct” (Shemot Rabbah 47:1). Vowels and the Torah Once a non-Jew asked the great and saintly Shammai: “How many Torahs do you have?” “Two,” he answered, “One Oral and one Written, as it says: These are the statutes and judgments and laws [Hebrew: “TOROT” (i.e. the plural of Torah], which the L-rd made between Him and the children of Israel in Mount Sinai by the hand of Moses” (Leviticus 26:46). The non-Jewish fellow said, “I believe you concerning the Written, but not in regards to the Oral Law. Convert me on condition that you teach me only the Written Law.” Shammai became indignant and sent him away. The man then went to the equally great and saintly Hillel who accepted him for the conversion program. On the first day Hillel taught the person the alphabet: Aleph, beth, gimmel, dalet, etc. On the second day Hillel reversed the letters. The prospective convert disagreed and said: “Yesterday you taught me a DIFFERENT sequence.” Hillel answered, “My son, you are relying on me anyway so rely on me concerning the Oral Torah too”. In other words we would not know how to pronounce the Hebrew Alphabet if not for the Oral Tradition. Similarly in order to understand the Laws we have to rely on Oral Tradition. Without such a tradition even the Written Law would not be accessible. Listen to this my beloved friends, - our Rabbis and scribes only started putting vowels to Hebrew consonants between the 6th and 10th centuries of our common era. This is the opinion of archaeologists today. The earliest vocalized texts, 895 C.E., are the Cairo Prophets (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and 12 Minor Prophets). The twenty-four books of the Bible were vocalized in the Aleppo Codex, 930 C.E., almost ruined in the anti-Jewish pogroms in 1947. Also, the Leningrad Codex with the Hebrew Bible was dated at 1000 C.E. The Torah scrolls received from the Torah’s revelation at Mt. Sinai, were written without vowels. Throughout the forty years of wandering in the desert, and even during the times of the Prophets, the Torah was read and understood without vowel indicators (The Hebrew alphabet consists of written consonants only, each of which have various vowel pronunciations). How was this possible? Complete, utter and absolute reliance was on the Oral Tradition. In the case of the Torah, extra-textural knowledge is crucial to determine the simple meanings of many texts and elucidation of G-d’s wishes. Three times, for example, the Bible says not to cook meat with the three-letter Hebrew word chalav (milk). Chalav can be just as easily pronounced cheylev (animal fats). Without any authoritative Oral Law, we would not know the Divine command was not to cook with some animal fats. This passed on through many millions of people having no questions or doubts because of the clear Oral Bible, which specifies the three letter word to be chalav - milk. Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz once went to visit his uncle, Rabbi Avraham Yaffeu, who was the head of the Novhardok Yeshivah. This Yeshivah was a college of higher Rabbinic studies that emphasized a particular type of Musar. “Musar” means “Reproval” and is the name applied to a rigorous ethical-spiritual movement in the Torah world. The aim was to hunt out and remove even the slightest hint of ulterior motivation in the service of God and humanity. Rabbi Chaim asked the Rosh Yeshivah (i.e. dean) who amongst his amazing student body was the most outstanding. Rabbi Chaim first showed him various brilliant students with high IQs and photographic memories. He then singled out one boy who was not absolutely the most brilliant. This young man, said Rabbi Chaim, is the greatest searcher. Namely he tries with every fiber of his being to seek out and know G-d’s words, wisdom and will. He puts all his heart and soul into this search and so will excel beyond the others. The student in question became Rabbi Yisroel Kanievsky (“The Stiepler”) who was renowned for his Torah scholarship, community concern, and ability to perform miracles. He passed away only recently. This is the ongoing tradition that has never ceased. It is easy to preserve, maintain and faithfully transmit the Torah because we cherish it so much. Cherish is the word I use to describe all the feelings I have, hiding for you inside. You don’t know how many times I’ve wished that I had told you. You don’t know how many times I’ve wished that I could hold you*. You don’t know how many times I’ve wished that I could be molded into someone who could cherish you as much as you cherish me. And we do cherish you and we do cherish you. Cherish is the word.“ (Approximately Terry Kirkman). * ”It (the Torah) is a tree of life for those who hold it. And its supporters are happy” (Proverbs 3:18 ). Maimonides (Rambam), a world class physician, and philosopher, a giant of mind and soul, carefully recorded the generations since the Giving of Torah at Sinai until his own time 800 years ago. There had passed only 120 generations. We can even list them exactly. Using an Aish HaTorah text, the translation of the names of these spiritual Torch bearers, is as follows "UNBROKEN CHAIN OF TRANSMISSION "
THE PROPHETS 860-360 BCE
THE GREAT ASSEMBLY 360-260 BCE
TANA’IM – MISHNAIC ERA 260 BCE – 200 CE
Chapter 2 EVIDENCE FOR THE ORAL LAW When G-d gave the Laws of Booths (Succoth) to Moses (Leviticus chapter 23), He did not only say you should dwell in the Succah for 7 days, He also explained what exactly would comprise a valid Succah; minimum measurements, suitable vs. unsuitable materials for the roof, and other necessary details of construction. However, these measurements and requirements do not appear in the Written Torah. Would G-d order you to sit, pray, eat, and sleep in something, without defining what that something is? As well as telling Moses what compromises the construction of a Succah, and what defines dwelling in the Succah, so G-d also explained to Moses, who exactly was obligated to dwell in it: Men are obligated to dwell in the Succah, while women are not. If they do dwell however, they receive credit for doing so. Likewise, someone in the middle of a journey is relieved of the obligation to dwell in a Succah (see Rambam, Introduction to Zeraim). We have numerous terms, nay - whole instructions, that are left undefined by the written Torah. We have entire legal institutions, the basis of whose existence is derived from the Oral Law. These crucial institutions, legal categories, practical systems are not clarified, explained, or elaborated upon in the Written Law. Almost complete reliance is placed upon the Oral Tradition for the application, implementations, and specific details (Yehudah HaLevi, Kuzari 3;35). The indisputable fact is that the Bible often involves itself with the exceptional situation rather than with generalizations and principles. This shows that Scripture relies on other statements of direction and law. The Oral Law fulfills this need. The Bible introduces the Hebrew Civil and Criminal Statute with this verse: “Now these are the Judgments which thou shalt set before them” [Exodus 21:1]. The Bible then goes on to the slavery laws: “If you buy a Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing” [Exodus 21:2]. What happened to the “Judgments” that had to be set before them? They were included in the Oral Teaching. The laws of slavery are discussed without concern to the issues of individual freedom. These are included in the Oral Tradition. This is the way of the world and will always be: Teacher-student, Professor-disciple, Rabbi-Talmid. Thus in the areas of crafts, dance, martial arts, history, science, music, arts, information, and knowledge, etc., there is always vital explanation passed on through an oral dimension. This oral transmission is crucial in all fields of endeavor - be it sheep farming or riding class V rapids. There is a crucial dimension of oral transmission involved. The Torah too was passed on by the relationship between student and teacher. This is the way of the world, the way God created it and intended for His word to be passed on. In antiquity this manner of Oral Tradition was used by all nations in order to insure the transmission of their beliefs and spiritual treasures. All of Greek and Roman law, civil and criminal, as well as codes, culture, epic poems – all this was transmitted orally. Once something is written down, it is bound and dated, locked in one inflexible form, immovable and subject to distortion. As it is said, “the devil too can quote scriptures”. Transmission of Oral Law however, protects it from distortion and insures the preservation of the original intent and meaning of the Commandments. The teacher-student relationship insures the benefits of active learning and dialogue. During oral teaching, a student can always pause and request his teacher to elucidate upon an important point. Also important, an Oral Tradition affords each generation the glorious challenge of establishing its own intimate relationship with the Torah’s teachings, practice and wisdom. Thus, each new generation becomes the key player in transmitting the tradition to the next generation, and so on and so forth, this continues on into eternity. In the distant past, the world operated with simpler standards and more natural ways. The relationship between the written texts and the verbal explanation of these texts was harmonious and in sync with natural order of things. Theory/abstraction was likewise in a healthy natural relationship with implementation, actualization and practice. Therefore the Talmud calls the Bible, “Mirkra”, i.e. text. The root of this Hebrew word is “KoRA” which means "read", because the Torah is read publicly (as heard from Rav Shlomo Riskin, 1972: Yeshiva University). The word also means to “call” - because it‘s not really Torah if it doesn’t call out to you in your practical daily life. Theory must lead to practice, and those who reject the Oral Tradition are distorting the divinely created natural order, and upsetting the perfectly balanced system of transmitting the heavenly wisdom and will of G-d to humanity. A healthy, lively system of learning, protects our precious wisdom, and insures that in every generation there exist learned men and a system of justice and law to implement this wisdom. [Deuteronomy 17:8] “If there arise a matter too hard for you in judgment, a case of murder, legal rights and assault, being matters of controversy within your gates: then shall you arise, and get yourself up into the place which the L-rd your G-d shall choose;” [Deuteronomy 17:9] And you shall come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the Judge then in office, [we have only the sages of our present day] and enquire; they shall hold an inquiry and give a decision for you.” [Deuteronomy 17:10] “You must abide by the decision they pronounce for you, in that place which the L-rd shall choose; and you must take care to carry out all their instructions.” [Deuteronomy 17:11] “You must abide by the verdict they give you, and and by the decision they declare to you swerving neither right nor left of the sentence they have pronounced for you.” This is so simple, true, logical, and pure. No field of activity is devoid of a teaching tradition that involves some oral communication to clarify and define itself. In any field if a question arises one naturally goes to the experts in that field at the time. Our sages and wise men have been charged with passing on the Oral Tradition. The Bible legislates that we maintain a certain amount of faith and respect for the spiritual leadership of the sages and judges of our people. Certain religions twist this sentiment and turn it into ancestor worship. Judaism does not. The Bible and Talmud state that as long as people are running G-d’s show on earth, they are subject to error in certain circumstances of detailed religious practice. The Bible discusses what to do in the case of a court that mistakenly legislates for the application of a certain religious practice. We can work it out. The biblically ordained system has its checks and balances. Never the less, the Bible instructs us to have faith in our spiritual leadership. Whom did Abraham need to believe in order to take his son on that covenantal journey and offer him up? He had of course to believe in G-d. Who did Isaac need to believe in? Isaac also believed in G-d but he needed in addition to respect and believe in the integrity, sanity, and wisdom of his father, Abraham. In every generation we are bidden to likewise respect and believe in the sages that will be in our time. The problem in healing the broken down relationship between Judah and 10-Israel, lies much with Replacement Theology. Non-Jewish believers claim themselves the right to correct the 3000 year old academy of Jewish Torah experience and to replace it with their new-found wisdom, which they regard as superior. Historically, and based on broad generalizing according to the main stream development of 10-Israel in Exile, the process may be summarized as follows: Loss of their Torah identity by the Ten Tribes of Israel amongst the nations Their adopting of Christian Messianism with all its anti-Torah and anti-Judaism teachings, which swept through the nations, claiming their Divine election and replacement of Judah (Judaism) As prophesied, an End-Time Return to Torah by the Lost Ten Tribes. It should be self-evident, that this adopted spirit of ‘replacement”, mingled with the ancient in-bred anti-Judah spirit of the 10 Northern Tribes, and their zeal to establish their own independent Temple and Holy City, would not be shed instantly. It should also be evident, and we in fact observe this in practice, that across the world today, there is a gradual return to the realization and acceptance of the need to return to Rabbinic interpretation of the Torah – which includes the Oral Torah of Judaism. “Teach you.” “declare to you” (Deut. 17:11), means Oral Communication. The Written Law is to the Oral Law like short notes or a formula are for a lecturer. For those who have not heard the lecture from the Master, such notes would be completely useless. Words and marks that serve those scholars who have heard the lecture, are instructive guiding stars illuminating the wisdom that had been taught. These same words and marks stare at the uninitiated as unmeaning sphinxes. It also applies, throughout the world, in what is known as the Common Law, consisting of recorded verdicts of the past which form a basis and foundation for current and future law interpretations as required in ongoing cases and verdicts. The written Law of any country, can never ever be so broad as to include every possible real case scenario that comes before the courts. All written laws require interpretation in order to define its real implications. The wisdom and truths, known and appreciated by the diligent student, are sneered at by the uninitiated, and considered to be merely a clever or witty play of words, and to contain empty dreams without any real foundation (Rabbi Samson Rafael Hirsch – Exodus Commentary 21:2). In Physics, we have the formula E=mc 2, meaning energy equals mass multiplied by the speed of light squared. The volumous explanations of this formula is comparable to the Oral Tradition that brings the concept down to the physical world and makes it applicable to everyday life. To those who are uninitiated and have not heard the explanation, the short notes or formulae appear to be mere markings or plays on words. The Oral Law is in fact expressed in the Written Torah. If one persists with the right Hebrew language tools (its rules and structures) he would reveal the Oral Law deep in the Written Law. The Malbim is an important source that illustrates this concept. In one of his texts the Malbim organizes and categorizes the sages’ interpretation on the Book of Vayikra (Leviticus). These interpretations contain: six hundred and thirteen rules, two-hundred and forty-eight linguistic principles, and three hundred and sixty five guidelines for understanding verbs and synonyms. This shows, that even if all of Oral Torah was forgotten, using these divine principles, we could reconstruct the proper understanding of the written text. Jews have studied and pondered the Divine words. They cherished, loved, honored, and revered the Oral and Written Torah. All this existed centuries before Christianity or Islam existed, while most of the world was illiterate and ignorant. Jews have been devoted to the scrolls and pages of our holy books. These holy books preserved us as much as we preserved them, binding together our people throughout the diaspora and across the generations in exile. “We’ll be as close as pages in a book, my love and I. So close that we can share a single look, share every sigh. So close that before I hear your laugh, my laugh breaks through. And when a tear starts to appear, my eyes grow misty too. Our dreams won’t come tumbling to the ground. We’ll hold them fast Darling, as the strongest book is bound, we’re bound to last. our life is my life, and while life beats away in my heart, we’ll be as close as pages in a book” . (Dorothy Fields, Sigmund Romberg, 1944.) “These are the Statutes and Judgments and Laws [Hebrew: “Torot” i.e. the plural of Torah], which the L-rd made between Him and the children of Israel in Mount Sinai by the hand of Moses” [Leviticus 26:46]. These laws were given at Sinai to the Children of Israel through Moses. G-d did not make a Covenant with Israel except by virtue of the Oral Tradition (Talmud, Gittin 60b). Both Torahs were communicated by the same prophets, and derived from the same source. The Torahs are the words of G-d that in part were written in the Bible, and in part exist in the authoritative statements of the righteous teachers of the Oral Tradition (Hoffman, Die Erste Mischna, Berlin, 1882, p. 3). Jewish leaders of scholarship and piety were blessed in having Divine Inspiration (“So they not err in Judgment” Midrash Leviticus Rabah 29). This tradition existed from time immemorial and will continue into the future. The Bible set up a system to deal with the possibility of error on the part of the elders and sages. Judaism never claimed infallibility for its spiritual leaders and Rabbis (Rabbi Dr. Jacobovots, “Journal of a Rabbi”, NY 1966). This system has always worked and always protected the integrity, truth, and faithfulness of our traditions. We were never left adrift in the ocean without sexton or compass. G-d in His wisdom gave us a Torah that would stand the test of time and the vicissitudes of Exile and persecution, of redemption, and return. Indeed, dear Friends, any objective view of the Scriptures would yield much evidence that an Oral Tradition was the mode of transmission from parents to children. “And you shall teach them diligently your children” [Deuteronomy 6:7]. This means that the teacher must clarify the axioms with decisiveness and not allow the listener to remain in doubt. The Hebrew word translated as TEACH THEM DILIGENTLY is derived from the root “ShNeH” that connotes the meanings of "the number two, repeat, and teach". From this we learn that the Oral and Written Law must be taught not once but over and over again. Before telling us to teach our children diligently the Torah says, “These Words will be upon your heart” [Deuteronomy 6:7]. This means that we can teach diligently only if we are ourselves convinced in our own hearts that the Torah is true and is the right way of life (Sforno, Rabbi Don Yistchak Abarbanel, Rabbi Moshe Alshik). It has always been the students, the Torah bearers, who received the most support in religious communities, not the athletes or entertainers. The Talmud teaches that in comparison to a host of good deeds, the study of Torah is equal to them all (Talmud Shabbos 127a). Where is it written that Torah must be taught until we know it fluently? The Torah says, “That the L-rds Law may be in your mouth” [Exodus 13:9]. This also connotes the Oral Transmission. From where do we know that the teacher must also explain the reasons behind the Torah? Exodus 21:1 says, “These are the Ordinances that you shall put before them”. The Hebrew expression “put before them” implies something similar to a table spread out with food ready to be partaken of. “And you shall teach them diligently to your children”
[Deuteronomy 6:7]. Teach them to your children? That’s a
mouthful! Even G-d couldn’t keep his first two from
breaking some rules. This is really important; you had
better teach your kids kindness; they might be the ones
to choose your nursing home! G-d directed that the Torah
be transmitted to future generations by means of Oral
teachings. Every age has a next generation; so the
generation that was freed from Egypt and received the
Torah has a next generation until the end of time. [Deuteronomy 6:7] :And you shall teach them diligently unto your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, or walk abroad, at your laying down or at yourrising.”
G-d commands us to speak of the words of the Holy Torah when you sit in your house, walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up. This is a major priority of the Bible, namely its transmission to the present and future generations. The first blessing given to a child is that they grow up in Torah, to marry, and do good deeds. The minute Torah learning slowed down, acculturation and assimilation grew rampant. When a Jewish town stopped learning Torah they vanished. We also believe that the State’s military prowess is ultimately determined according to the number of children chirping like little birds in the study house of Torah learning. Once, G-d forbid, they are interrupted, then we are open to physical annihilation by the enemy. To paraphrase Rabbi Emmanuel Feldman in ‘On Judaism’: “Beyond all the good, rational reasons, Torah is the mysterious bridge connecting the Jew with G-d and by extension all of humanity.” Through the Torah we interact and communicate. This is the means by which G-d fulfills His covenant with His people, to sustain and protect them. Chapter 3 THE JEWISH SAGES – GIANTS OF MIND AND SPIRIT The sages of our Oral Tradition had impeccable character. They were honest, wise, devoted, compassionate, and good hearted. Look at some of the qualities demanded of them: [Deuteronomy 16:18] “JUDGES AND OFFICERS SHALT THOU
MAKE THEE IN ALL THY GATES, WHICH THE L-RD THY G-D
GIVETH THEE, THROUGHOUT THY TRIBES: AND THEY SHALL JUDGE
THE PEOPLE WITH JUST JUDGMENT.” Josephus said, thousands of Jews declared their readiness to be trampled upon by Roman cavalry rather then accept symbols of a man’s divinity –as ordered by Caligula. Refusing to relinquish the belief in the absolute unity of G-d, the Jewish sages in lead of the ordinary folk suffered martyrdom. As Fuerst points out in “The worldwide Roman Empire,” it was the Jews alone who refused to pay homage to the “divinity” of Caligula. Their tenacity saved the honor of the human race. Throughout history the Rabbis have defended the Unity of G-d against pollution, be it the Gnostic or Zoroastrians who claimed a duality of the godhead, or the doctrine of three in one (Dr. J. H. Hertz). We have profound Sinaitic principles for explaining the Torah. These principles have been listed in the name of Rabbi Yishmael son of Rabbi Elisha. Rabbi Yishmael was a colleague of Rabbi Akiva, of Israelite and convert stock. Both died as martyrs.’ If it were not for these principles, we could not understand the plain meaning of Scripture. We need them to understand the clear directions of God’s Will, Commandments, and Love. “An Eye for an Eye”? You know what they say: Where you have two Jews, you have three opinions. Yet for the next Biblical study session, all Jews, at all times, scholars and laymen, understood the above Biblical verse to mean just one thing. We are talking about the principle of Lex Talionis (Exodus 21, Leviticus 24), none other than one of the most misunderstood concepts in the entire Bible, the legal category of an eye for an eye. Not a single disagreement exists among 2,000 saintly Rabbis of the Talmud. All agree, that in every single application or instance of injury, it means monetary compensation only. Not a single, solitary case was ever decided in any other way. If you would charge that we are changing in any way the Law of the written Torah, then why did we not, long ago, change the actual written text as well? Simply because, the holy text on its own, shows without a shadow of a doubt, that there is no other possible interpretation. Let me remind us, that the book of Leviticus 24:22, says clearly, “You shall have one law, the stranger shall be as the citizen, for I am the L-rd your G-d.” This verse eloquently concludes a section that deals with personal injuries. If we were to say that ‘an eye for eye’ calls for exact retribution, then the Torah’s requirement for one law would make no sense. What on earth would you do if a blind person blinded someone, or if a disabled person disabled someone? You could not fulfill the literal injunction of eye for eye, foot for foot! The fact is, eye for an eye, is simply a Biblical classification, a divine technical legal term, for just compensation. Look throughout the entire Bible if you will; the term "tachat" means "instead of", "below", or "underneath", but it does not mean for. If the Bible wanted us to take this verse in it’s most external superficial way, it would have written ayin b’ayin, the “b “ meaning "for", and not "ayain tachat ayin" as it is actually written in the text. Don’t forget to look at the clear prohibition of accepting money – compensation for malicious murder. “Ye shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer” (Numbers 35:31). You see, for anything less than murder, compensation is in order. You can’t take ransom for the life of a murderer, but you do take compensation for injury to bodily organs. The Torah asks for compensation that would not be accomplished by merely damaging the offender. If my eye was 20/40, and yours 20/20; if mine was the hand of a piano player and yours is not, it would not be a fair exchange. Clearly the impossibility of literal application is obvious. The language is such to convey a moral standard, namely, the enormity of causing personal injury and it is as if you should lose your corresponding body part. If the Torah had only written “monetary compensation,” we might think that just as in the case of someone who kills his neighbor's animal, pays up and is then free from any other punishment, likewise one who injures another person and pays is also free from further obligation. This is not the case however. He must still ask for forgiveness, and seek atonement from the injured party (Maharal). The Torah never tires from making statements in the written text, that set moral standards. The practical application is to compensate and make good, not to create more pain and loss in the community. The actual Hebrew shows this by using a term that means to complete, make peace, make up and compensate. We mentioned earlier that the word "tachat" in the expression ‘eye for an eye,’ means "instead of", "under," or "beneath". There is a deeper level of meaning that can be gleaned from studying the exact words used in the Torah. The letters which spell the word “eye” in Hebrew are Ayin, Yod, and Nun ( עין ). These letters each come “beneath” or fall exactly behind the letters Caf, Samech and Fey in the Hebrew alphabet. (In the order of the Hebrew alphabet Yod is directly followed by Caf, Nun is followed by Samech, and Ayin is followed by Fey). What do Caf, Samech and Fey spell? The three letter word for money - CeSeF(C-S-F-)! This once again shows the literal intention of the Scriptures to be monetary compensation. This concept also applies to the Biblical phrase, ‘life for life.’ Look at the parallel verse: [Leviticus 24:18] – “HE THAT SMITETH A BEAST MORTALLY SHALL MAKE IT GOOD ‘LIFE FOR LIFE’.” Again, this simply means fair compensation, otherwise anyone who killed an animal would have to forfeit his life in return. To take away all doubt as to the intent of this technical legal term ‘life for life,’ the same paragraph [Leviticus 24:21] says, “HE THAT KILLS A BEAST SHALL MAKE IT GOOD; AND HE THAT MURDERED A MAN SHALL BE PUT TO DEATH.” This concept is paraphrased clearly by the following source (Torah Kohanim Baba Kama 84): “I might think that if a man blinded his fellow man, he too should be blinded, or if he cut off the hand of his fellow man, his hand should be cut off….We are therefore taught (by the juxtaposition of the verses) that damaging another’s animal is comparable to injuring one’s fellow man; just as one who damages another’s animal must pay financial compensation, so must one who injures another man.” Notice that the concept of an eye for an eye, is classified in the section of law dealing with accidental injuries. The verses preceding the text of “eye for an eye,” deal with intentional assault. In these cases however, the Torah does not call for any exact retribution relative to the damages. Therefore, if the term 'eye for an eye' was misunderstood as being literal, we would have to conclude that according to the Torah, accidental damages and injury is much worse that premeditated, intentionally inflicted injury. The sages regard eye and tooth merely as typical examples of damages. They also list twenty-four other bodily organs that fall under the same legal classification and jurisdiction. In computing compensation, the actual damage, loss of time, cost of cure, pain, disfigurement, and embarrassment, are all taken into consideration (Hertz Pentateuch). The jist of it is, “SHALL MAKE IT GOOD, HE SHALL GIVE MONEY” [Exodus 21:34]. To paraphrase Rabbi Dr. Hertz (the late Chief Rabbi of the British Empire), nothing can illustrate the difference between ancient legal systems better than the application of the law of talion (“eye for an eye”). Today the evocation of life for life, etc., is recognized as one of the far-reaching steps in human progress. It has always meant the substitution of legal due process in place of wild revenge. One eye not two, one tooth not ten, one life not a whole family. For the founders of International Law – Hugo Grotius, Jean Bodin, and John Seldan – all maintain that ‘eye for an eye’ enjoins that a fair and equitable relation must exist between the crime and the punishment, and that all citizens have merit before the law. John D. Michaelis (pioneer of Modern Bible Exegesis) said, “This rule is appropriate for free peoples, in which the poorest member has the same right as his most aristocratic assailant. The tooth of the poor peasant is as valuable as the nobleman’s, even if the peasant must bite crust while the nobleman eats cake.” Professor W.E. Allbright (a biblical archaeologist), states this as being a revolutionary concept of law. In ancient jurisprudence, men of power would pay a fine, even for the most heinous of crimes, or they would destroy the entire clan of the offender. Judaism’s ‘eye for an eye,’ set a new precedent of equal justice for all.
"Even More So" Come let us learn together for a while and discuss some of the principles that serve as laws of Exegesis. One of these ancient principals is as follows: an inference (conclusion) can be made from a minor premise (lenient law) to a major premise (strict law) and vice versa. This concept in Hebrew (a very precise and beautiful language) is communicated in two words: “Kal veChomer”, i.e. "Judgement from a Lenient Case Extrapolated to a More Serious One". Now say, for example, we have an act that is forbidden on a regular festival (holiday). It would then be so much more forbidden on a special stricter holiday such as The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). Likewise, if a certain action is permissible on Yom Kippur then so much more so should it be permitted on an ordinary festival. "Key Words and Expressions" Let us discuss another important rule of Exegesis. When similar words and phrases appear in different places and separate contexts it can be inferred that what is meant in one passage, can clarify and be applied to the other. This rule of logic is succinctly expressed by the two Hebrew words: “Gezera Sheva”. The following enable us to see these legal concepts at work. For example, the verse fragment concerning a “Hebrew slave” [Exodus 21:2] is unclear. “IF THOU BUY A HEBREW SERVANT, SIX YEARS HE SHALL SERVE: AND IN THE SEVENTH HE SHALL GO OUT FREE FOR NOTHING” [Exodus 21:2]. This could conceivably apply to a pagan slave owned by a Hebrew or to an Israelite slave owned by a fellow Israelite. It cannot however, apply to both. We only know that this refers to the case of a Israelite slave because of the similar phraseology used in Deuteronomy in reference to “your Hebrew brother”. “AND IF THY BROTHER, AN HEBREW MAN, OR AN HEBREW WOMAN, BE SOLD UNTO THEE, AND SERVE THEE SIX YEARS; THEN IN THE SEVENTH YEAR THOU SHALT LET HIM GO FREE FROM THEE” [Deuteronomy 15:12 ]. This is the same case as that in Exodus 21:2 and here it clearly refers to “your brother, a Hebrew man.” Thus the two verses clarify each other.
APPLICATION OF GENERAL PRINCIPLES Extrapolation Another legal concept states that a general principle learned from one or two Biblical verses, is similarly applicable to related laws. For example: [Deuteronomy 24:6] NO MAN SHALL TAKE THE NETHER OR THE UPPER MILLSTONE TO PLEDGE: FOR HE TAKETH A MAN'S LIFE TO PLEDGE. We are told here that no man should take a hand mill or millstone [general rule] to pledge [as security for a loan/debt] for he would be taking a life [livelihood] in pledge. This Sinaitic rule of logic would dictate that generally, the just established principal applies to all similar issues. The conclusion of the Rabbis therefore, is that everything that is necessary for the preparation of food is forbidden to be used as a pledge. The Torah says that a man cannot marry the daughter of his mother by another father i.e. maternal half sister (Leviticus 18:9, Deuteronomy 27:22). There is also a law against marrying the sister of your father (Leviticus 18:12). The general principle by extrapolation demands that the law against marrying your maternal half sister applies to the maternal half sister of your father. The Torah says that if a man strikes the eye or knocks out the tooth of his slave he must let him go free (Exodus 21:27). Based on the above principle of application to related cases the Rabbis concluded whenever any part of the body of a slave is mutilated by the master then the slave must be set free. Contextual Harmonization Now let us examine one more of the more simple rules of Biblical exposition. Two similar passages that contradict one another can be harmonized by a third passage that reconciles the first two. In Genesis 22:2, Abraham is told to offer up his son. God however had already told Abraham that his son Isaac would become a great nation (Genesis 21:12). The answer is that the command was to place Isaac as an offering but not to slaughter him. The literal Hebrew said merely to raise him up, and then Avraham was ordered to lower him down. Thus there was no contradiction. In Exodus 13:6, the Israelites are told to eat unleavened bread for seven days whereas in another verse they are told six days: [Deuteronomy 16:8] “SIX DAYS THOU SHALT EAT UNLEAVENED BREAD: AND ON THE SEVENTH DAY SHALL BE A SOLEMN ASSEMBLY TO THE L-RD THY G-D: THOU SHALT DO NO WORK THEREIN. “ To solve the problem of this apparent contradiction all that is needed is the application of the exegetical principal stated earlier (a third verse can reconcile two apparently contradictory verses). Here is the reconciliatory third verse: [Leviticus 23:14] “AND YE SHALL EAT NEITHER BREAD, NOR
PARCHED CORN, NOR GREEN EARS, UNTIL THE SELFSAME DAY
THAT YE HAVE BROUGHT AN OFFERING UNTO YOUR G-D: IT SHALL
BE A STATUTE FOR EVER THROUGHOUT YOUR GENERATIONS IN ALL
YOUR DWELLINGS.” This is the law of new produce. It was forbidden to eat new grain of the season until the second day of Passover (called “Sabbath” on the verse Leviticus 23:15 above) when the Omer barley offering was sacrificed. Here lies the reconciliation between the apparent contradiction regarding the observance of seven days rather than six days. If the unleavened bread (matzah) was made of new grain it could only be eaten on six days of the Passover week. Therefore the verse in Exodus 13:6 about eating unleavened bread for six days refers to unleavened bread made from new grain. In another example of the same principle can be applied to the following. In Exodus 19:20 the verse states that G-d came down: [Exodus 19:20] AND THE L-RD CAME DOWN UPON MOUNT SINAI , ON THE TOP OF THE MOUNT: AND THE L-RD CALLED MOSES UP TO THE TOP OF THE MOUNT; AND MOSES WENT UP. In Exodus 20:22 however, it says that G-d spoke from heaven: [Exodus 20:22] AND THE L-RD SAID UNTO MOSES, THUS THOU SHALT SAY UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, YE HAVE SEEN THAT I HAVE TALKED WITH YOU FROM HEAVEN. Deuteronomy makes peace between the two versions by explaining that out of heaven did He make his voice heard in order to take you under the bond of His discipline, and then on the earth, He let be seen His great fire from the midst of which you heard His words. Here is the conciliatory verse: [Deuteronomy 4:36] “OUT OF HEAVEN HE MADE THEE TO HEAR HIS VOICE, THAT HE MIGHT INSTRUCT THEE: AND UPON EARTH HE SHEWED THEE HIS GREAT FIRE; AND THOU HEARDEST HIS WORDS OUT OF THE MIDST OF THE FIRE.” These are but a few simple examples of how the Written Torah is predicated on the logical rules of exegesis contained in the Oral Torah. The same Oral Torah also explains how its rules are to be utilized. No one has authority to use these principles in just any old way.
There is much evidence for the antiquity of the Oral Tradition. A Mishna in Negaim occupies itself with a person afflicted by "Tsarat" [tanslated as "leprosy" but referring to a special spiritually-generated type of disease that broke out before the monumental revelation at Sinai]. The Mishna lays down the law that in such a case those particular signs of "leprosy" did not make a person ritually unclean, even after the revelation at Sinai. We have laws in the Mishna which only make sense and were relevant to the times before the Land was conquered and settlement commenced. One such example, is the question of inheritance in the case of the daughters of Zelophehad from the Tribe of Manasseh (Numbers 27:1). The Mishna said they had rights to the portion of both their father and grandfather. [The land was split up according to the families that went out of Egypt – upon their death their immediate descendants – usually sons - inherited their portions]. This is Oral Law at the very beginning of Israelite History. Another example is the prohibition of orlah (which limits the use of trees before their fifth year, Leviticus 19:24) and how it influenced the Israelite settlers. The Mishna decreed that in the case of the already planted (by the Caananites) trees encountered by the first Israeli settlers, the law did not apply.
As with the example of an eye for an eye, all of our important institutions assume the existence of an Oral Torah. The written law never stood alone. It was always accompanied and elucidated by the Oral Torah. This does not require a leap of faith, but merely looking over the Torah, one is immediately struck with the absolute necessity for the Oral Law.
Rabbi Akiva asks, “Did Moses learn the whole Torah?” To which he replies, “No.” G-d only needed to teach him the principles. LAWS AND LEGAL PRINCIPLES OF BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION The survival of the Jewish people is a mysterious and wonderful phenomenon, demonstrating that the life of this nation is governed by a higher special process transcending the processes of adaptation expanded by materialistic interpretations. To paraphrase Professor Nicholai Berdyaev (The Meaning of History, London, Moscow Academy of Spiritual Culture, 1936), the Jewish people and the Jewish Torah’s survival seems absolutely inexplicable. All of this points to the particular and mysterious foundations of their destiny. Scientific criticism, applied to traditional Biblical history, can neither discredit the universal role played by the Jews, nor offer a satisfactory explanation of their mysterious destiny. Nor does this criticism grapple with their extraordinary intense feeling for history.
What are you to write? The Magna Carta? The Star Spangled Banner? Who is authorized to write? How, what, when should it be written on your gates? What if they are not your doorposts and gates – you are merely a renter? Here, again, fulfillment of G-d’s Command predicates reliance on the Oral Torah. The Oral Torah is a necessity. For millennia, the Jews never had a doubt as to the Divine directive. The Mezuza is a feature in Jewish properties. There is no debate, confusion or subjectivity, because the Oral Torah filled in the spaces which are not specified in the Written Torah, regarding: structure, contents, etc
[Deuteronomy 31:24-26] ”AND IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN MOSES HAD FINISHED WRITING THE WORDS OF THE LAW IN THIS BOOK…THAT MOSES COMMANDED THE LEVITES…SAYING, ”TAKE THIS BOOK OF THE LAW AND PUT IT BY THE SIDE OF THE ARK OF THE COVENANT OF THE L-RD, YOUR G-D, THAT IT MAY BE THERE FOR YOU AS A WITNESS.” This scroll had been hidden from King Ahaz, who had destroyed the holy artifacts one hundred years earlier: [2-Chronicles 28:24] “AND AHAZ GATHERED TOGETHER THE VESESELS OF THE HOUSE OF G-D, AND CUT IN PIECES THE VESSELS OF THE HOUSE OF G-D…” However, when this scroll was unrolled before King
Josiah, he rent his clothes (2-Chronicles 34:19) for it
fell open to the section containing all the curses
destined to befall those Jews who disregard the Torah
(Deuteronomy 27:28). [2-Chronicles 34:24-25] “THUS SAYS THE L-RD: “BEHOLD, I WILL BRING EVIL UPON THIS PLACE AND UPON ITS INHABITANTS, EVEN ALL THE CURSES THAT ARE WRITTEN IN THE BOOK THEY HAVE READ BEFORE THE KING OF JUDAH . BECAUSE THEY HAVE FORSAKEN ME AND OFFERED TO OTHER GODS…” Hoping to move the populace to repent, Josiah read them
this section of the Torah: Although there are many covenants in the Torah, this
section is called “the Covenant” because they accepted
each curse upon themselves as a punishment foe violating
the Torah. The conclusion of these two chapters affirms
their uniqueness: It should be noted that of all of the Torah’s commands,
the prohibitions relating to idolatry, were those that
were violated by Josiah’s subjects. It has been claimed that the written Torah (and consequently, the Oral Tradition) was lost and forgotten until found by Hilkiah. Any objective study however would show this to be obviously erroneous. The Torah was being lived and studied continuously, without interruption, from time immemorial. Obviously, during the seven hundred years between Moses
and Josiah, the Jews had innumerable copies of the
Torah. As shown, it was their most treasured possession.
The Torah is also referred to throughout the Hebrew
Bible. For instance, in the same book chronicling the
discovery of this scroll, Deuteronomy 24:16 is quoted
verbatim with regard to Amaziah, who reigned just three
years prior to Josiah:
Look at [Exodus 13:16 ] – “IT SHALL BE A SIGN UPON YOUR ARM AND AN ORNAMENT (frontlets) BETWEEN YOUR EYES – FOR WITH A STRONG HAND G-D TOOK YOU OUT OF EGYPT .” Deut. 6:8 makes it clear that this is a real time
command.
Clarifying the Identity of the Lost Ten Tribes and working to bring them back, is part of the Messianic Process. We should all do all we can to hasten the coming of the Messiah. The whole concept of a Messiah is the concept of a world whose mistaken conclusions can be rectified, whose conceptual mistakes and out of context literalness can be fixed. The Oral law was given together with the Written Law from the hand of the Almighty G-d of Israel.
The Calendar Ancient Oral Torah v. Modern Science We have cited passages and scholars pointing out the importance of history and the survival across time, of the Jews. What, may I ask you, are history and time made of? One response is the rising and setting of the sun. The orbit of the moon around the earth, the Earth around the sun. Years, months, days, hours, minutes, and seconds are the nitty gritty building blocks of our earthly time perception. That is exactly what is needed for every human society in general and for the Jewish faith community in particular. All of the timing for the Biblical holidays were entrusted to the Rabbis. Biblical Law demands that the month of Aviv (Passover) must occur in the spring and the month of Tishri, with the harvest festival of Succoth, must be in fall, hence the necessity for a solar and lunar calendar. Deuteronomy 16:1 demands that Passover be in the spring, ‘FOR IN THE MONTH OF SPRINGTIME THE L-RD, YOUR G-D TOOK YOU OUT OF EGYPT.’ Numbers, 9:1-3 tells us that the Passover offering needs to be offered on the 14 th day of the 1 st month (Aviv). “THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL SHALL MAKE THE PESACH OFFERING IN ITS APPOINTED TIME. ON THE 14TH OF THIS MONTH, IN THE AFTERNOON SHALL YOU MAKE IT, IN ITS APPOINTED TIME, ACCORDING TO ALL OF ITS DECREES AND LAWS SHALL YOU MAKE IT.” Not only the exact style and nature of the offering was dependent on oral explanation of ‘decrees and laws’, but the very fixing of the calendar was completely dependent on our Oral Tradition. [Ezekiel 13:9]: ‘MY HAND WILL BE AGAINST THE PROPHETS WHO SEE VANITY AND DIVINE FALSEHOOD. THEY SHALL NOT SHARE THE SECRET OF MY PEOPLE AND IN THE SCROLL OF THE FAMILY OF ISRAEL SHALL THEY NOT BE WRITTEN, AND TO THE LAND OF ISRAEL SHALL THEY NOT ENTER. THEN YOU SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE L-RD G-D. THEY SHALL NOT BE IN THE COUNCIL OF MY PEOPLE…’ “COUNCIL OF MY PEOPLE”: This refers to the Council of the Calendar Inter-Calculation. When G-d said to Moses and Aaron, “THIS MONTH SHALL BE FOR YOU THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTHS”, [Exodus 12:1-2], G-d also transmitted to them the rules of calculating a new month. How to establish the year and month were made known to him – Moses – in order to fulfill the explicit command. ‘Observe the spring month and offer a celebration of the Passover sacrifice’ (Rosh Hashona 25a). This necessitated us having both a solar and lunar year. Jewish months are calculated at 29.53059 days, following
the cycle of the moon. According to the Oral Torah, the
time between one new moon and the next is “29.5 days
plus 793 parts of an hour.” An hour is divided into 1080
parts: Incredibly, it took the modern world many centuries to confirm this figure. Only after calculations using solar satellites, hairline telescopes, laser beams and super-computers did NASA scientists determine that the length of the "synodic month," i.e. the time between one new moon and the next, is 29.530588 days. Is the point here clear? The Bible orders us to keep the holidays in a certain way and to establish a calendar. This command necessitates a tremendous amount of oral information, including topics in astronomy, maths and seasons, all of which are not found in the Written Torah by any regular examination. Written textual Scriptures contain many references to the Oral Tradition – where ever the text does not specify procedures, it is obvious that the Oral Torah must be relied upon. In Numbers 29:1, it is stated ‘THE 7TH MONTH (again here is our Rabbinically supervised calendar), ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE MONTH, YOU SHALL HAVE A HOLY CONVOCATION, YOU SHALL DO NO MANNER OF WORK, IT IS A DAY OF BLOWING FOR YOU……’ Blowing what? A French horn? A flute? The answer, my friend is not blowing in the wind. No, my friend, the answer is flowing in the Oral Torah. Here it is stated without debate or contradiction that the Torah is talking about the Shofar, the ram’s horn. Leviticus 16/31 discusses the Day of Atonement; “you shall afflict your soul.” That this refers to fasting and other minor discomforts has been clearly defined in the Oral Law. Also, the written Torah tells us to circumcise on the 8 th day. What kind of operation is this? A heart operation, perhaps? (“And you shall circumcise your heart”). For heavens sake, we are talking about a medical procedure that demanded a thorough oral explanation. “The Bible, remarkably for its time, notes that the eighth day after birth is the safest time to perform circumcisions [Gen. 17:12; Lev. 12:2-3]. When a baby is born, they have no bacteria in their intestines for the first few days. By the seventh day, the bacteria multiply and produce vitamin K. Without vitamin K and prothrombin protein (which is produced by the liver using vitamin K), the blood will not clot properly and the possibility of severe bleeding as well as infection would make circumcision dangerous in a primitive medical situation.” Encyclopedia of Creation Science But only Oral interpretation could determine the finer details of this delicate operation even in those primitive days. The prophet Zechariah 8:19 lists four fast days that only are clear to us through the Oral Tradition only. So said HASHEM, (G-d) of Hosts, ‘the fast of the 4th (month), the fast of the 5th (month), the fast of the 7th (month), and the fast of the 10th (month) shall be for the house of Judah for joy and gladness for joyous holidays, for love, truth and peace.’ Here is an undisputed prophet mentioning fasts for which knowledge of the Oral Law was crucial.
The following will give you a brief insight into one of the mysterious levels of understanding G-d’s eternal Love Letter, the Torah. RESEARCH OF IVAN PANIN – MATHEMATICIAN AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY Ivan Panin was a Russian immigrant known at the turn of the century as a brilliant literary figure, multi-lingual, and a mathematician at Harvard University. He was also a devout Catholic. Among the several languages known by Panin, was Hebrew. The brilliant scholar began studying the Bible in its original language. Aware of the numerical values of the Hebrew alphabet, Panin experimented one day by replacing the letters with their corresponding numbers. Suddenly, his trained scientific mind picked up an elaborate mathematical pattern: In the first verse of the Torah alone, Panin discovered over 50 patterns of the number seven. According to Panin, the statistical odds of this pattern being coincidental were one in 33 trillion – 0.00000000000003. Following this discovery, Panin devoted his entire life to the study of Bible Numerics, and eventually submitted to the Nobel Research Foundation over 43,000 sheets of his research.
Number of words in the verse…………………7 (7 x 1) TORAH CODES Suppose we eliminate all spaces in the Torah, and consider the text as one long sequence of 304,805 letters. A computer is then instructed to look for hidden words, encoded at equal skips of letters. For example, the distance between the letters comprising the word “HaShoa” (Holocaust) is 49. Statisticians call this phenomenon ELS – short for “equidistant letter sequence.” Once the computer has revealed an encoded word, we then format the long list of the Torah’s letters into lines, the length of which graphically depicts best the encoded word. For example, if a code was found at a skip sequence of every 49 letters, we would format the Torah into lines of 50 letters each. No letters are added, deleted or changed; the new line-length simply enables us to view the encoded word more easily. Did you know that we know exactly how many times each letter appears in the Torah. Take the 5 books of Moses for example: the letter Yod appears 31,531 times; the letter vav 30,512 times; the letter hey shows up 28,056 times. Good old alef appears 27,059 times and so on! How many words are in Aramaic? How many letters appear in a row? What words and how often do these words repeat themselves? The longest and shortest words are known. Words with only two letters are known. Where each word of a sentence starts with the same letter, and where each word ends with the same letter. Hey, I almost forgot something super amazing. Or as we say in Yiddish and Ladino “.... super kaler fragerlistic espiealadoshes. If you are standing kindly have a seat. Take your shoes off, sit a spell [bit] feel at home now, relax, breathe deeply and easy. Get this, all of the Torah has been calculated to the n'th degree. What an amazing picture of internal balance and perfection emerges! The numerical value of all different verses are known. One can see and feel conceptual, philosophical, legal and moral connections between verses, separated by vast amounts of Scripture. These verses are bound together by there numerical values as well as by their idea content. One could write books on this phenomena alone! By the way, there are about 304,805 letters in the 5 books of Moses, with 5,845 verses, 79 847 words! The prophets have 537,500 letters, the Writings have 317,400 letters. That's 1,159,705 letters [give or take 1] in the whole testament the 24 books of the Hebrew[Jewish] Bible. Remember if one letter is not written correctly [according to the ancient Oral Torah] the Torah Scroll isn't Kosher for public reading and must be corrected! To the members of the covenantal faith community, intimate involvement in G-d's Words bring great joy and meaning. The section we mention earlier - Leviticus, with the Priest raising his hands, is the shortest of the 27 chapters in Leviticus. With 859 verses, 1950 words, 44 790 letters. Six sections, 3 open, 3 closed [this describes open or closed paragraphs, does the sentence finish the line or is it left open].The chapter has 17 commandments, 6 positive and 11 negative. We believe that this living love letter from the Almighty, contains His Wisdom, Love and Will, so that even the spaces between the words [open or closed sentences] are significant and not accidental! The Torah is G-d’s black fire written on G-d’s white fire THE RAMBAM CODE Maimonides is recognized in the four corners of the globe as one of the most famous of all Jewish commentators. Acclaimed author, esteemed philosopher, renowned physician, and Master Talmudist – this is his legacy. Maimonides is known more popularly as the “Rambam,” an acronym for his Hebrew name, Rabbi Moses ben Maimon. The Rambam, who lived in Egypt, was a much sought-after medical expert, and he served as the personal physician for the royal Egyptian court. But most of all, the Rambam was a prolific writer on the most important topics of Judaism. His magnum opus, Mishne Torah, (“Review of the Torah”) on the subject of the 613 mitzvot, is revered until this day as the most authoritative, comprehensive codification of Jewish law. It is a marvel of Jewish scholarship, and was composed in Egypt. In fact, so revered is Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, that he is popularly mentioned in the same breath with the Moses who led the Jews out of Egypt and brought them to Mt. Sinai. As the ancient Jewish maxim goes: “From Moses until Moses there was none as great as Moses.” As was stated by the Vilna Gaon, every person is alluded to in the Torah. When the Vilna Gaon was challenged to locate the Torah’s reference to the Rambam, he pointed to this verse. ‘G-d said to Moses, “Pharoah will not heed you, so that My marvels may be multiplied in the land of Egypt .”’ Exodus 11/9. Here, the acrostic RaMBaM is formed by the first letters of each word in the phrase “My marvels may be multiplied in the land of Egypt ( Ribot Moftai B’eretz Mitzraim ). Mishne Torah, his marvel of Jewish scholarship, was composed in Egypt. The computer searched the entire Torah to find any other appearance of four consecutive words that form the acrostic RaMBaM, but none were found. Out of approximately 80,000 words, that is the only place in the entire Torah where we find the acrostic “RaMBaM.” “GREAT RABBIS” EXPERIMENT Great Rabbis Experiment” was published in its entirety in the prestigious scientific journal, Statistical Science. STATISTICAL SCIENCE A review journal of the institute of mathematical statistics STATISTICAL SCIENCE (ISSN 0883-4237) Volume 9, Number 3, August 1994
EQUIDISTANT LETTER SEQUENCES IN THE BOOK OF GENESIS Doron Witztum, Eliyahu Rips, and Yoav Rosenberg It has been noted that when the Book of Genesis is written as two-dimensional arrays, equidistant letter sequences, spelling words with related meanings, often appear in close proximity. Quantitative tools for measuring this phenomenon are developed. Randomization analysis shows that the effect is significant at the level of 0.00002. Key words and phrases: Genesis, equidistant letter sequences, cylindrical representations, statistical analysis. The phenomenon discussed in this paper was first discovered several decades ago by Rabbi Weissmandel. He found some interesting patterns in the Hebrew Pentateuch (the Five Books of Moses), consisting of words or phrases expressed in the form of equidistant letter sequences (ELS’s) – that is, by selecting sequences of equally spaced letters in the text. [The tests showed that the information encoded in the Book of Genesis to the Names and birthdates of Great Rabbis, is encoded in a way that is mathematically and statistically not random!!!!!!! encoded in the Book of Genesis].
Chapter 10 Excerpts from "THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE IN ANCIENT ISRAEL" Rabbi Dr. Herzog (former Chief Rabbi of Israel ) Justice is one of the key-notes of the entire system of Judaism. The Torah lays the greatest possible stress upon the right administration of justice, free from all bias and favor, whether for the rich or for the poor. The slightest deflection from the truth on the part of the judge is censured with the utmost severity. Justice is in fact, and integral element in the G-d-idea of Judaism and the Almighty Himself is represented as the Supreme Judge, ‘the Judge of the whole earth.’ The human judges are, as it were, His deputies, and they are actually designated by the term elokim, whose ground-meaning is Power, (a Hebrew idiomatic expression, which means plentitude of might. In English it can be said the L-rd Almighty, or the L-rd of the manor). It is also frequently used of G-d as the All-Powerful. The Court of Justice is called adat kel – the congregation of G-d. The great prophet Micah, in reducing religion to three leading principles, places justice at the forefront. When foretelling the approaching fall of the Jewish State, all the prophets unite in pointing to prevalence of injustice as largely responsible for the impending doom. Our sages, the mental heirs of the Prophets, echoing the voice of the Torah, the Prophets and the Psalmists, never tire of accentuating the paramount importance of the right administration of justice which they regard as one of the three pillars supporting the entire edifice of civilized society. And yet, it is only shallow thought that will envisage Judaism as merely a religion of justice, or law. Judaism enjoins us to go, at times, beyond the boundaries of sheer justice – lifnim meshurot haDin. It recognizes a kind of higher law issuing from chesed – loving-kindness, love – and it often bids us waive what is due to us by mere law, or allow to our fellow man, with whom we happen to have a dispute, what he is not entitled to by the letter of the law, or by mere forensic justice. And this is quite distinct from charity in the ordinary sense. Forensic justice is not the maximum: it is the minimum that the Torah demands from us in our relations with our fellow-men. It is not so much justice that is extolled, as injustice that is condemned. When the Torah contemplates the courts established for administering the law, it insists upon strict justice without favor even to the poor and the lowly. Yet even here the higher law, the law of chesed, is sometimes allowed to exercise very considerable influence upon the law. It is in keeping with the great importance attached to justice in the economy of Judaism, that we find the necessity of courts of law coinciding with the birth of Israel’s religion. At first, Moses himself takes charge of the administration of justice. Later on, yielding to the sage counsel of Jethro, he institutes tribunals of various orders, reserving to himself the power of deciding difficult cases beyond the ken of his subordinate judges. For the future, a Divine Command ordains that ‘judges and officers of justice’ shall be appointed in all the cities of Israel. But all this is only of a general nature. Neither in the Torah, nor in the Prophets, are we given specific rules governing the constitution of the courts or their functioning. The Torah only indicates in a general way the qualities and virtues that one must possess to become eligible for the judiciary. Again details, real life, real time, was left to the Oral Torah. The actual administration of the law would appear to have been chiefly vested in the heads of the clans – rashei batei abot – and the city-elders or city notables – zekenim – whether Levites or non-Levites. How one attained the rank of an elder or zaken and thus became eligible for the office of judge, we are not told in the Bible, but instead relied upon the Oral Torah. The Levites, more especially the priests, owing to their expert knowledge of the law and of the national customs and traditions of which they were, in a sense, the hereditary custodians, were indeed from the time immemorial, closely associated with the courts of law (DEUT. XVII, 9, 12; ibid. XXI, 5 etc.). In fact, even at a much later date, when the knowledge of the Torah had long ceased to be the special charge of the priesthood, it was still thought desirable that the court of law, at all events, the Supreme Court, should include priests and Levites among its members; but this was not deemed essential (Sifre, section Shofetim. Cf. II, CHRON. XIX, 5-11. Cf. also YOMA 26a). Ezekiel, in his plan of the future theocracy, still represents the priests as functioning in the capacity of experts at every law-case (EZEK. XLIII, 24, cf. MIC. III, II, which shows that the priests acted chiefly as experts and interpreters of the law, and not necessarily as the actual judges). Even in the Messianic times, we still will have Rabbis to help clarify law. This must have been so at the commencement of the Second Commonwealth; but, in the course of time, the regenerators of Judaism, inspired by the fervor a zeal of Ezra, succeeded in spreading the knowledge of Torah to such an extent that the priests ceased to figure distinctively in connection with the judiciary and eventually, the only vestige of their pristine juric eminence became embodied in a special Priestly Court – Bet Din Shel Kohanim (KET. 12: Yerushalmi, KET. Ch. I.) – endowed with a very limited specific jurisdiction. (By the way, In Ezekial prophecy there will be a new Temple in the future, together with a sacrificial system). The judges – Shofetim – or rather national chiefs of the pre-regal epoch, exercised judicial authority among the ancient Hebrews. So did the Kings in Israel after them. But both the Shofetim and the Kings seem to have constituted courts of appeal charged with the duty of righting local judicial errors. Only the Bible, together with the Oral Torah provides the knowledge and detailed information necessary for understanding how the law was administered in ancient Israel. It is in the period of the Second Temple that the Jewish Court first appears under the collective designation of Bet Din, or House of Judgment, and it is by this term that it is still known to the present day. In Biblical times the court was often called sha’ar – gate, because of the fact that sessions were usually held over the city gates. This practice seems to have maintained itself until a very late date; for, in the well-known post-Talmudic prayer – Yekum Purkan –that is still recited in the synagogue on the Sabbath, reference is made to the ‘judges of the gate’. The term Bet Din probably dates from the Age of Judges. The Return from Babylon marked the beginning of a new era in Jewish history. It initiated the reign of the Torah, the Written and the Oral, in Jewish life, private and public. The Torah became the very life-breath of the nation and the Bet Din, the agency for administering justice in accordance with its principals and laws. Henceforth we but rarely hear complaints about the perversion of justice and the corruption of judges so often echoed by the prophet during the earlier period (MAL. III, 5 – ‘those that turn aside the stranger’ (i.e., from justice) – probably dates from a time before Ezra had reorganized the Jewish Courts in Judea. And, quite apart from this, it does not reflect a state of things anything near that which the pre-exilic prophets denounced in thundering words). The fiery admonitions of the prophets, scarcely heeded during their lifetime, now burnt themselves into the consciousness of the Jewish people. It is highly significant that the Anshei Kneset haGedolah – the Men of the Great Assembly (who included prophets) – laid down the foundations of the new-old order. Unlike the prophets of old, they did not deem it necessary to warn it against the perversion and corruption of justice. ‘Be patient in judgment’ was the only admonition which they addressed to their disciples. The over-towering figure among the regenerators of Judaism in the period immediately following the return from Babylon, is undoubtedly Ezra, whom teachers later likened to Moses. His arrival in Palestine (about 457 B.C.E.) inaugurated the reconstitution of the judiciary upon the basis of the Torah. He came armed with a Royal Charter which invested him with plenary powers to appoint ‘judges and magistrates’ and to enforce the law. It is from this moment that we may date the institution of the Bet Din [House of Judgemental-Ruling], as the Mishnah and the Talmud know it. The name did not occur. The Book of EZRA still speaks of ‘the elders and the judges of each city’, while the term Bet Din had it already been current, would have been more convenient. But the institution itself was, without doubt, already operating as an agency which took charge of the whole of the Torah and whose function it was to declare the law, to adjudicate disputes, to watch over the observance of the commandments of the Torah, to look after the interests of the poor, of the stranger, the widow and the orphan and, in addition to all these, to spread the knowledge of the Torah among these people. Many measures would not all be specifically attributed to Ezra. They were not new enactments, but merely the resuscitation of institutions ordained by the Torah as traditionally interpreted. The success of the Prophet and Rabbi Ezra’s activities at the beginning, would seem to have waned for some years. The courts established by him, continued to hold their sittings and to act up to the standard set by him. When Nehemiah arrived upon the scene thirteen years after the advent of Ezra, he had occasion to complain of many abuses, but we hear no charges made against the honesty or competences of the judiciary. Yet it is manifest that the law, while vested in the hands of men of honor and ability, had in the meantime lost much of its power. For otherwise, the abuses of which Nehemiah complains so bitterly, would never have become rampant. Would a Bet Din armed with real power have allowed the public desecration of the Sabbath in Jerusalem and in the cities of Judah? The same applies to the civil law. Political currents weakened the Jewish courts, but never succeeded in abolishing this crucial agency of transmission and practice of Judaism. The Great Assembly – Keneset haGedolah – is said to have consisted of 120 members. Whatever the critics may say, the historicity of that body cannot be questioned by sound, really scientific, criticism. The Great Assembly was not a court invested with a definite jurisdiction. It was rather a kind of academic-legislative assembly charged with the reorganizing of Jewish life, private and public, in accordance with the letter and the spirit of the Torah and the Prophets. The number 120 has puzzled enquirers. A possible solution: 120=12 x 10, that is a congregation – ten is the minimum number for constituting a ‘congregation’ – edah – for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. The tribal divisions were no longer maintained in the Second Commonwealth, but the reminiscence of the division of Israel into twelve tribes was still quite fresh in the minds of the people who rebuilt the Jewish National Home in Palestine after the Return. At the dedication of the Second Temple – ‘twelve atonement sacrifices’ were offered up ‘according to the number of tribes of Israel’. The Great Assembly consisted of twelve congregations representing the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Access to any of the bodies of judgment and law was open to anyone willing and talented enough to learn all of general studies and Torah. Quite egalitarian for those days. Final Point The Search for Happiness Rabbi Herzog’s point that Torah is accessible to all people who would run the extra mile, is quite inspiring. That G-d himself tells us that we are to be a kingdom of priests, and a holy people, is downright exhilerating. I must submit that this closeness to G-d and his Torah, provides a wellspring of strength to the entire people. This strength gives us the potential to: "Climb every mountain, search high and low. Follow every byway, every path you know. Climb every mountain, ford every stream. Follow every rainbow ‘til you find your dream. A dream that will need all the love you can give, every day of your life, for as long as you live" (Rodgers and Hammerstein: 1959). We are all searching for happiness in our lives, an
undertaking that actually involves a search for our true
selves. It is our hope that this writings will aid you
in your search, and that this journey upon which you
embarked will bring you happiness and joy. May it also
serve to convince the many serious Christian Bible
students across the world, who are discovering their
Hebrew Roots and are returning to the ancient and
eternal customs of the Jewish religion, that the Oral
Torah is the authoritative interpretation of the Will of
HaShem. May this assist in reducing the friction between
the divided two Houses of Israel, in this way to bring
about the prophesied Reconciliation and Redemption of
the entire House of Israel. Copyright 2007 © Kol haTor.org.il
Abbot, Lyman, The Life and literature of the ancient
Hebrews. Boston , Houghton, 1901.
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