Katonti, but when has that ever stopped me?
Let me start by saying that I have no authority other than that which comes from the accumulation of knowledge. The purpose of this blog is to explain, in terms that are likely to be easily understood, what the Torah is, and how Judaism works.
Why me? Why not? Hillel the Elder used to say: "Where there are no men, try to be a man" (Pirkei Avot 2:6). Leaving the issue of gender aside, what he meant was that if you see a need, don't sit around waiting for someone else to meet that need. Stand up and meet it yourself, to the best of your ability. Take responsibility.
Much of what has been written about Torah Judaism (what is commonly referred to as "Orthodox Judaism") is either phrased in such a way as to make it difficult to understand to the beginner, or just plain wrong. And it is not only the beginner who loses out. Modern-day Orthodox education is fundamentally flawed. Children are taught on a level which simply does not prepare them for a world in which they will be exposed to other systems of thought. Judaism is not inferior to those other systems of thought -- not by a longshot -- but what is often taught to Jewish children is.
I recall taking the bus home from Jerusalem back in the early '90s. I would ride home on Fridays with a neighbor of mine. She and I would talk about all sorts of issues, and once, the subject of the commandments came up. I was complaining that no one seemed to be interested in the basic question of why we should keep the commandments. In this day and age, where cultures and outlooks are constantly competing for our allegience, and at a time in history when Hashem doesn't make Himself obvious to all who look, it's a question that ought to be addressed.
My friend, who was raised in a Modern Orthodox home, and who is no intellectual lightweight, simply could not understand the question. And this meant as well that she simply could not understand anyone else asking it. Luckily, she lives in Israel, in a religious neighborhood. Because her children are growing up without the "educational antibodies" that they'd need in order to stay Jewish in a non-Jewish culture.
Ignorance abounds. And I don't spare myself, by any means. They say the more you know, the more you realize how little you know. I'm quite aware of how little I know relative to what there is to know, but I hope to share here some of what I do know, and in a way that is readily understandable.
Comments are open. I won't insist that you sign up for Blogger in order to post, at least not right now (though I've had to do that on another of my blogs), but I do ask that you use a name when posting comments. I may just delete comments that are from "Anonymous", unless they're really good comments. And I ask that you refrain from ad hominems, both against me and against others who are commenting. If you disagree with something that is said, make your case. If you correct me and show me that I'm wrong about something, it'll go into a blog entry. If you attack me personally (or anyone else) as a means of avoiding the actual subject of the entry you're commenting on, I'll just delete your comment.
Why me? Why not? Hillel the Elder used to say: "Where there are no men, try to be a man" (Pirkei Avot 2:6). Leaving the issue of gender aside, what he meant was that if you see a need, don't sit around waiting for someone else to meet that need. Stand up and meet it yourself, to the best of your ability. Take responsibility.
Much of what has been written about Torah Judaism (what is commonly referred to as "Orthodox Judaism") is either phrased in such a way as to make it difficult to understand to the beginner, or just plain wrong. And it is not only the beginner who loses out. Modern-day Orthodox education is fundamentally flawed. Children are taught on a level which simply does not prepare them for a world in which they will be exposed to other systems of thought. Judaism is not inferior to those other systems of thought -- not by a longshot -- but what is often taught to Jewish children is.
I recall taking the bus home from Jerusalem back in the early '90s. I would ride home on Fridays with a neighbor of mine. She and I would talk about all sorts of issues, and once, the subject of the commandments came up. I was complaining that no one seemed to be interested in the basic question of why we should keep the commandments. In this day and age, where cultures and outlooks are constantly competing for our allegience, and at a time in history when Hashem doesn't make Himself obvious to all who look, it's a question that ought to be addressed.
My friend, who was raised in a Modern Orthodox home, and who is no intellectual lightweight, simply could not understand the question. And this meant as well that she simply could not understand anyone else asking it. Luckily, she lives in Israel, in a religious neighborhood. Because her children are growing up without the "educational antibodies" that they'd need in order to stay Jewish in a non-Jewish culture.
Ignorance abounds. And I don't spare myself, by any means. They say the more you know, the more you realize how little you know. I'm quite aware of how little I know relative to what there is to know, but I hope to share here some of what I do know, and in a way that is readily understandable.
Comments are open. I won't insist that you sign up for Blogger in order to post, at least not right now (though I've had to do that on another of my blogs), but I do ask that you use a name when posting comments. I may just delete comments that are from "Anonymous", unless they're really good comments. And I ask that you refrain from ad hominems, both against me and against others who are commenting. If you disagree with something that is said, make your case. If you correct me and show me that I'm wrong about something, it'll go into a blog entry. If you attack me personally (or anyone else) as a means of avoiding the actual subject of the entry you're commenting on, I'll just delete your comment.
posted by Lisa | 1:53 PM
6 Comments:
You mentioned that the Written Torah contains hints to the Oral Torah. I think your referring to "asmachtas." However, many of these "hints" are so vague that it is difficult to imagine that they could remind someone of the very specific and complex laws they often hint to. I would appreciate it if you could elaborate on this point further. It seems so likely that one could be "reminded" of the wrong halacha by these asmachtas. Thank you
Hi David. The thing is, we're not intended to learn in a vacuum. Certainly, an individual could make the sort of mistake you're referring to. Just as an individual could come up with a gezeira shava that has no basis.
This is all supposed to be happening in the framework of a living tradition, with multiple redundancy. Thousands and thousands of people learning the material and teaching it in their turn.
Certainly no one could actually derive the various forms of compensation for damages from "ayin tachat ayin, etc." without having already learned what they are. This is because the ikkar Torah is in the Torah she'b'al peh.
The idea of an asmachta, and it's true that what I said is essentially that every law "derived" from the Written Torah is actually an asmachta, is merely a reminder of things we have already learned. An asmachta is not a source. That's what the word means.
But if the people who are meant to use the asmachtas are already so well versed in halacha as to be able to use the asmachtas, then why would they need the asmachtas as reminders? It seems like a Dummies Guide TO Algebra book that is only meant for people who already know algebra. Thanks you
When I was in college, I had to buy two CRC books. These are reference books that contain the standard equations that you need in a particular field. I had the math CRC and the physics/chemistry one.
Now, I knew math. And in theory, I could have just memorized all the equations in these books. But that's a lot to memorize. Maybe the Tannaim could have done it, but not me. It was a good reference book.
I'm not saying that's all the Written Torah is. In the first place, there's a lot in the Torah that isn't legal in character. The Torah teaches us a great deal about that. But when it comes to issues of law, the Written Torah can be compared, in some ways, to a reference book like the CRC references I had in college.
So, if I understand you correctly, the "hints" in the torah are meant for an elite group of scholars who, alhough able to forget some halachas once in awhile, have enough knowledge to understand exactly what the "hints" are referencing to in case they forget.
David, I decided to answer you in a blog entry instead of here in the comments.
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