Recent comments by Eddie Vitesk.
Eddie: A smart orthodox rabbi would read our endless posts and exegesis, and differences of opinion, and he would add that after a few thousand years of this, if even you and i keep exchanging, we will have developed a commentary too vast to fit in as short notes on the Torah. So, as we proceed, we are evolving our very own Oral Law, which will eventually be written in a Book, etc... =)
Yes and no. Yes, Rabbis do state this. No, it is not true. Oral Torah and interpretation are two very different things.
Eddie: And couldn't any other sect make the same claim, eg the Christians say it is a guide for their own testament?
Good point.
Eddie: The Oral Law: the mishna was composed around 100-150 CE, and the Talmud around 500 CE.
In Orthodox thought, all the Rabbinic works are not the Oral Torah. First, Oral Torah can change with time, so any written book is only a "snapshot" of the Oral Torah as it existed when the book was written down. Second, Oral Torah is, supposedly, so vast, that it can only exist in the mouths of the Rabbis, but can never fully exist on paper.
Eddie: I would like to explain why it is important that we work with the Rabbis who are bold enough to accept our challenge, in discussing these very controversial issues.
As I said before, I agree. Being open to criticism, especially from the learned among your opponents, is the only intellectually honest thing to do. Criticism and argument is good for everyone, for both sides, because it increases the precision and scholarship of everyone's work.
Another issue is that, by quoting (fully, so as not to misquote) the Rabbis, we will not be accused of attacking straw men.
Posted by Ami at September 10, 2004 01:55 AM | TrackBack