Nadene Goldfoot
Our Jewish tradition is that THE ORAL LAW was given to Moses along with THE WRITTEN LAW which has been handed down to us in the form of THE FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES together as a set on Mt. Sinai. Since early times onward, this oral law consisted of interpretation and analysis of the Written Law. How to understand Moses's Law was given orally to the Priesthood, the Cohens and this was handed down orally from generation to generation. Have you ever played Telephone with a group of children sitting in a circle and whispering a message that goes around and comes back to the original person? Often it has changed a little. This is what might have happened to our Oral Law as it remained in an Oral State. At least they had the basis of what they were talking about to keep them grounded; the Written Law. They could not stray too far.
During the 2nd Temple period when Cyrus allowed any Jews of Babylon to return from their kidnapped attack by the previous rulers of Persia, the ancient oral tradition was upheld by the Pharisees and supported by the majority of the populace. Not surprisingly, it wasn't recognized by other sects such as the Sadducees and the Essenes. The reason for this was because they had developed their own traditions regarding the interpretation of the Written Law.
Sadducees had been a cult developed from the 2nd Temple period, probably by Zadok the high priest whose descendants served in the same office until 163 BCE. They were well-connected priests and prominent aristocrats, with influence in political and economic life. For them, the Jewish religion was primarily the Temple cult without any abstract faith.
Their opposition were the Pharisees and differed from them in the nature of their religious outlook and way of life. According to the Sadducees, people and groups of people must aspire to well-being in their world without expecting recompense in the world to come. They didn't believe in a future world. in resurrection, or the immortality of the soul. They also rejected the existence of angels and spirits. I'd say they were more in tune with people of today's generation. They only recognized the Written Law of Moses which led them to choose severe decisions in giving out penalties. Their interpretation of the law of Lex Talionis was taken literally rather than in the sense of monetary compensation, the stand the Pharisees took. So, Sadducees handed down stern with no- giving -in decrees to a law while the Pharisees were more lenient.
There was the WATER DRAWING FESTIVAL where this was put to the test. This Festival of water-libation which would have been the act of drinking water, took place at the end of the 1st day of the Feast of Tabernacles. "Sukkot or Succot, literally Feast of Booths, is commonly translated to English as Feast of Tabernacles, sometimes also as Feast of the Ingathering is a biblical Jewish holiday celebrated on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei." Tishrei usually falls in September.
Advocated by the Pharisees, it was not acknowledged by the Sadducees since it had no authority in the Pentateuch (Five Books of Moses). The crowds did celebrate with it with enthusiastic observance which makes me wonder if anything was added to the water., or if it were also used as a sacrifice to G-d and not just to quench everyone's thirst. Water-libation or the word, libation has held these other definitions at different times. The ceremonies were elaborately described in the Mishnah under Sukkah 5. It fell into abeyance with the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE but has been revived in an altered form in modern Israel.
Sects such as the Sadducees, Pharisees and Essenes disappeared after the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, but the Pharisaic view had won national acceptance and the Oral Law was studied in the many Academies that were springing up. The way the classes were taught differed; in some places it was taught as a commentary on the relevant section of the Written law. In others, it was in a systematic and topical arrangement. Each teacher gave his own interpretation and the Sanhedrin was sometimes called upon to to decide between conflicting opinions. The majority view was accepted in practice, but those views rejected continued to be taught theoretically. In time, individuals recorded privately parts of the Oral Law which they feared might be forgotten. That's diligence for you.
A complete outline, known as the MISHNAH which included earlier versions, was compiled by Rabbi Judah Ha-Nasi (135 to 220 CE) and became the basis for study. The discussion of these laws, however, remained oral and was only recorded several centuries later as the TALMUD (GEMARA)
After the redaction of the Talmud, study centered around the written text, still known as the ORAL LAW because its roots lie in the oral tradition. During the Gaonic Period, the Karaites, a Jewish sect, rejected the ORAL LAW in the 8th century in and around Persia and denied the validity of the Talmud. They would not accept the discipline of the Babylonian gaonate (rabbis). The Arabs had conquered Persia in 640 and the Umayyad dynasty fell in 750. There was an urge to see social justice and asceticism. The most ancient Karaite document preserved in the Sepher ha Mitzvot of ANAN BEN DAVID was written in the 760s. He interpreted the Bible literally and tried to deduce a code of life without reference to the ORAL LAW.
Jews have practiced a reading of the law publicly ever since Moses gave them to the people. This is reading from the 5 Books of Moses which are: Genesis (Bereishis), Exodus (Shemos), Leviticus (Veyikra), Numbers (Bamidbar) and Deuteronomy (Devarim). The public place is in the synagogue and is one of the most ancient portions of the service. The reading is declared obligatory right in Deut. 31:10 and the bible refers to Josiah's and Ezra's public reading in II Kings. Ancient tradition has the readings also on Sabbaths, festivals and the New Moon to Moses; on Mondays and Thursdays and at the afternoon service on Sabbaths to Ezra. The Mishnah and Talmud mention the Reading of Law on the days which are still customary. Readings are also held on Hanukkah, Purim, and fast-days. The complete 5 Books of Moses is read on Sabbaths in the course of one year, ending on Shemini Atzeret (Simha Torah) which was decided with the ancient Babylonian rite. It is divided into 54 sections. In Palestine, the reading of the 5 Books took 3 years, a cycle still extant in the 12th century and revived in some congregations. I would say that RASHI understood and wrote down the Oral Law interpretation par excellence.
It's the custom for Cohens to come to the bimah and read aloud first, then Levites. Men know what they are. After the Levites, any Israelites may read. If the Sabbath is used for a Bar Mitzvah Ceremony, the boy will do all the reading. Usually there is a luncheon afterwords, or dessert for celebration. It's his birthday of 13 years being celebrated. The customary -I'm a man, is heard. If needed, any bar-mitzvahed male would be ready to lead the congregation.
Resource: gotquestions ask org.
The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia
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| Moses with his 2nd set of 10 Commandments. He broke the first set which G-d wrote for him after he saw his people dancing around the golden calf in their impatience of waiting for him to appear. |
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| RASHI, MOST FAMOUS BIBLICAL COMMENTATOR, Rabbi Solomon Yitzhak ben Isaac, French rabbinical scholar, born in Troyes, France in 1040, died in 1105. Studied in the Rhineland and had his own school in Troyes. |
During the 2nd Temple period when Cyrus allowed any Jews of Babylon to return from their kidnapped attack by the previous rulers of Persia, the ancient oral tradition was upheld by the Pharisees and supported by the majority of the populace. Not surprisingly, it wasn't recognized by other sects such as the Sadducees and the Essenes. The reason for this was because they had developed their own traditions regarding the interpretation of the Written Law.
Their opposition were the Pharisees and differed from them in the nature of their religious outlook and way of life. According to the Sadducees, people and groups of people must aspire to well-being in their world without expecting recompense in the world to come. They didn't believe in a future world. in resurrection, or the immortality of the soul. They also rejected the existence of angels and spirits. I'd say they were more in tune with people of today's generation. They only recognized the Written Law of Moses which led them to choose severe decisions in giving out penalties. Their interpretation of the law of Lex Talionis was taken literally rather than in the sense of monetary compensation, the stand the Pharisees took. So, Sadducees handed down stern with no- giving -in decrees to a law while the Pharisees were more lenient.
There was the WATER DRAWING FESTIVAL where this was put to the test. This Festival of water-libation which would have been the act of drinking water, took place at the end of the 1st day of the Feast of Tabernacles. "Sukkot or Succot, literally Feast of Booths, is commonly translated to English as Feast of Tabernacles, sometimes also as Feast of the Ingathering is a biblical Jewish holiday celebrated on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei." Tishrei usually falls in September.
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| Street Painting in Afula, Israel |
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| Orthodox Jews pray 3 times a day. Our Orthodox soldiers do it while on duty at the time expected. With Jews, what's noticed the most is not the color of one's skin but their observance and knowledge of Judaism. Serving in the IDF is not a choice, but an expectation. He might be one of the Ethiopians or a Masai bearing the Cohen gene. |
Sects such as the Sadducees, Pharisees and Essenes disappeared after the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, but the Pharisaic view had won national acceptance and the Oral Law was studied in the many Academies that were springing up. The way the classes were taught differed; in some places it was taught as a commentary on the relevant section of the Written law. In others, it was in a systematic and topical arrangement. Each teacher gave his own interpretation and the Sanhedrin was sometimes called upon to to decide between conflicting opinions. The majority view was accepted in practice, but those views rejected continued to be taught theoretically. In time, individuals recorded privately parts of the Oral Law which they feared might be forgotten. That's diligence for you.
A complete outline, known as the MISHNAH which included earlier versions, was compiled by Rabbi Judah Ha-Nasi (135 to 220 CE) and became the basis for study. The discussion of these laws, however, remained oral and was only recorded several centuries later as the TALMUD (GEMARA)
After the redaction of the Talmud, study centered around the written text, still known as the ORAL LAW because its roots lie in the oral tradition. During the Gaonic Period, the Karaites, a Jewish sect, rejected the ORAL LAW in the 8th century in and around Persia and denied the validity of the Talmud. They would not accept the discipline of the Babylonian gaonate (rabbis). The Arabs had conquered Persia in 640 and the Umayyad dynasty fell in 750. There was an urge to see social justice and asceticism. The most ancient Karaite document preserved in the Sepher ha Mitzvot of ANAN BEN DAVID was written in the 760s. He interpreted the Bible literally and tried to deduce a code of life without reference to the ORAL LAW.
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| A Levite reading every morning first thing in USA (Daniel Eskow) |
It's the custom for Cohens to come to the bimah and read aloud first, then Levites. Men know what they are. After the Levites, any Israelites may read. If the Sabbath is used for a Bar Mitzvah Ceremony, the boy will do all the reading. Usually there is a luncheon afterwords, or dessert for celebration. It's his birthday of 13 years being celebrated. The customary -I'm a man, is heard. If needed, any bar-mitzvahed male would be ready to lead the congregation.
 |
| Kabbalah is an outgrowth in the 1600s of further reading and understanding. It is the mystical religious stream in Judaism. Originally, Kabbalah referred to the Oral tradition which was transmitted alongside the Written Law, but in the 12th century was adopted by mystics to mean the continuity of their mystical tradition from early times. Such interpretations was practiced a great deal in Safed (Tzfat), Israel. It's made a comeback in our own generation. |
Resource: gotquestions ask org.
The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia
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