Written by the Orthodox historian Rabbi Berel Wein, The Oral Law of Sinai is an extraordinary and beautifully illustrated book that explores the Talmud—a law book that is a faithful transmission of the Oral Law of Sinai. As Rabbi Wein explains, the Talmud is two separate books comprising the Oral Law. This work offers an explanation of the first book of the Talmud, the Mishnah
The intention of the authors is to present a vigorous critique of traditional-rabbinic Judaism. It should be clearly stated at the outset, however, that this critique is offered in the context of an intramural discussion between Jews who believe in Yeshua (Jesus) and those who do not yet follow Him. It should not be understood as an attack on the Jewish people, but rather as a dispute between different sects within Judaism, over the true interpretation of the Tanakh and the authority thereof. This paper's main objective will be to examine the validity of the following premise: for two millennia Judaism has been held hostage under the government and philosophy of one distinct sect, namely the Pharisees and their heirs--the rabbis. Since the destruction of the Second Temple, biblical Judaism had ceased to exist and the rabbinic traditions took over, with a completely reformed version of Judaism which centered on three main pillars: the rabbis themselves, the yeshiva (ישיבה) and the Halacha (הלכה). This work will also try to examine how this sect managed to enforce their traditions upon Israel and at what cost.In order to establish their authority over the Jewish people, the rabbis came up with the revolutionary idea according to which their philosophy, traditions and teachings (i.e., the Oral Law) were passed on through the generations, beginning with Moses and ultimately with God Himself. Henceforth, the focus of the rabbinic religion has been to study and meditate on the Oral Law (Oral Law). In fact, the Oral Law serves as the foundation upon which all the traditions of rabbinic Judaism stand. Without the rabbis' traditions, rabbinic Judaism losses all its validity and existence. In other words, if the divine origin of the Oral Law is nothing but a myth, then rabbinic Judaism has no leg to stand on. Other main objectives of this paper would be to historically examine how the sect of the Pharisees was able to attain such a stronghold over Judaism, to investigate whether the Oral Law's traditions are in fact rooted in the Bible and genuinely reflect God's will for men, and to examine the implications of the Oral Law on Judaism today, especially in regard to Israel's relationship to the New Testament and Yeshua. The first chapter of this paper will deal with the advent of the Pharisees and the circumstances which brought them into the position of authority.
Since the Torah was given to all of Am Yisrael at Sinai, how did disputes as to its meaning arise? How did the Sages act when new situations arose that were not provided for in the tradition? What is the difference between Rabbinic interpretation and Rabbinic legislation, and to what extent are these guided by logic or moral reasoning? To what extent did the Sages enjoy the power to interpret tradition and legislate? Did the Sages rely on legal fictions to change the law? These questions, among others, are of great importance to anyone who wants to understand the most essential aspects of Judaism. This newly revised and expanded edition aims to educate both the Torah scholar and the interested layman in the complexities of the Oral Law. Book jacket.
What does it mean to be a Jew? How does one begin to answer so extensive a question? In this insightful and completely updated tome, esteemed rabbi and bestselling author Joseph Telushkin helps answer the question of what it means to be a Jew, in the largest sense. Widely recognized as one of the most respected and indispensable reference books on Jewish life, culture, tradition, and religion, Jewish Literacy covers every essential aspect of the Jewish people and Judaism. In 352 short and engaging chapters, Rabbi Telushkin discusses everything from the Jewish Bible and Talmud to Jewish notions of ethics to antisemitism and the Holocaust; from the history of Jews around the world to Zionism and the politics of a Jewish state; from the significance of religious traditions and holidays to how they are practiced in daily life. Whether you want to know more about Judaism in general or have specific questions you'd like answered, Jewish Literacy is sure to contain the information you need. Rabbi Telushkin's expert knowledge of Judaism makes the updated and revised edition of Jewish Literacy an invaluable reference. A comprehensive yet thoroughly accessible resource for anyone interested in learning the fundamentals of Judaism, Jewish Literacy is a must for every Jewish home.
In Becoming the People of the Talmud, Talya Fishman examines ways in which circumstances of transmission have shaped the cultural meaning of Jewish traditions. Although the Talmud's preeminence in Jewish study and its determining role in Jewish practice are generally taken for granted, Fishman contends that these roles were not solidified until the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries. The inscription of Talmud—which Sefardi Jews understand to have occurred quite early, and Ashkenazi Jews only later—precipitated these developments. The encounter with Oral Torah as a written corpus was transformative for both subcultures, and it shaped the roles that Talmud came to play in Jewish life. What were the historical circumstances that led to the inscription of Oral Torah in medieval Europe? How did this body of ancient rabbinic traditions, replete with legal controversies and nonlegal material, come to be construed as a reference work and prescriptive guide to Jewish life? Connecting insights from geonica, medieval Jewish and Christian history, and orality-textuality studies, Becoming the People of the Talmud reconstructs the process of cultural transformation that occurred once medieval Jews encountered the Babylonian Talmud as a written text. According to Fishman, the ascription of greater authority to written text was accompanied by changes in reading habits, compositional predilections, classroom practices, approaches to adjudication, assessments of the past, and social hierarchies. She contends that certain medieval Jews were aware of these changes: some noted that books had replaced teachers; others protested the elevation of Talmud-centered erudition and casuistic virtuosity into standards of religious excellence, at the expense of spiritual refinement. The book concludes with a consideration of Rhineland Pietism's emergence in this context and suggests that two contemporaneous phenomena—the prominence of custom in medieval Ashkenazi culture and the novel Christian attack on Talmud—were indirectly linked to the new eminence of this written text in Jewish life.
The Tradition of the Elders, based on Matt 15:1-20 and Mark 7:1-23, explores how the oral law upheld and promoted the anti-Christian forces of Pharisaism and Sadduceism. As such, they appear repeatedly in the New Testament documents, often as "the law" and "the works of the law." For example, consider: - "When Gentiles who have not the law do by nature what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law" (Rom 2:14). - "We ourselves, who are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners, yet who know that a man is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of the law, because by works of the law shall no one be justified" (Gal 2:15-16). - "Tell me, you who desire to be under law, do you not hear the law?" (Gal 4:21). But which law do these legal references concern--the Torah, the oral law, or the Decalogue? This important distinction between the oral law and the Ten Commandments is what The Tradition of the Elders sets out to make clear. All New Testament exegetes, including teachers and students, can benefit from an increased understanding of the enmity of the oral law against the Gospel.
This text covers legal release agreements; protecting sealed interviews and anonymous interviews from courtroom disclosure; defamation; copyright; the Internet; Institutional Review Boards (IRBs), oral history as evidence; the duty to report a crime; and teaching considerations.
This book is for those sincere questioners whose main obstacle is their struggle with the issue of the authenticity of the Oral Tradition and God-given authority of its torch bearers, the Talmudic Sages. It will show how, between the Orthodox Jewry and their critics, it is simple and uncomplicated for an objective person to identify whose historical and religious perspective is rooted in fact, and whose is not. As "believers, descendants of believers" the Jews trusted their tradition and held fast to it. However, as history progressed and knowledge advanced to the Enlightenment era, secular society and its ways of thinking became very attractive even to the poor and middle-classes of Jewry. Without a clue as to how advanced the Torah's wisdom is - containing secrets that the scientific world is only beginning to discover- they dropped out of Torah observance in droves. It was no help that, in response to the challenge of the Enlightenment in Europe, the ultra-Orthodox world turned inwards, adopting an anti-scientific stance. Thank God, that has changed. Scholars became highly proficient in Torah as well as science and mathematics- and dedicated outreach programs -prevented the assimilation of those within the fold, and also began to attract quality truth-seekers from the outside. They follow in the tradition of RaMBaM (Moses Maimonides, 1135-1204), who wrote the "Guide For the Perplexed" for those who struggled to maintain their faith in light of general scientific knowledge in their own day. Bar-Ron presents more sophisticated and resilient points of evidence, including arguments that have never been published before regarding the Oral Tradition that has been passed down from the time of Sinai.
An honest, fair, and thorough discussion of the issues raised in Jewish Christian apologetics, covering thirty-five objections on general and historical themes.
