Peshat - the plain and simple meaning

Ami Hertz, and the people and organizations quoted on http://www.amhaaretz.org, are in no way associated with peshat.com and views expressed here.

---

All Torah was written down
Ami Hertz
October 23, 2004

This page is part of the book Critique of the Oral Torah.

In this chapter, I show that, contrary to Rabbinical claims about the Oral Torah, Moses wrote down all of the Torah.

1. Many passages throughout the Jewish Bible say that Moses wrote down the Torah. Here are some examples.

Moses wrote down this Teaching [ha-torah - התורה] and gave it to the priests, sons of Levi, who carried the Ark of YHWH's Covenant, and to all the elders of Israel.

	Deuteronomy Chapter 31 9 And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, that bore the ark of the covenant of YHWH, and unto all the elders of Israel. 10 And Moses commanded them, saying: 'At the end of every seven years, in the set time of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles, 11 when all Israel is come to appear before YHWH thy God in the place which He shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 Assemble the people, the men and the women and the little ones, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear YHWH your God, and observe to do all the words of this law; 13 and that their children, who have not known, may hear, and learn to fear YHWH your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over the Jordan to possess it.'

This passages says that Moses wrote down the Torah. He commanded that the Torah be read every seventh year in the presence of all the people, so that the people learn to follow this Written Torah. Moses makes no mention of following another Torah, in addition to the one that he wrote down.

	Deuteronomy Chapter 31 24 And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, 25 that Moses commanded the Levites, that bore the ark of the covenant of YHWH, saying: 26 'Take this book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of YHWH your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee. 27 For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck; behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against YHWH; and how much more after my death? 28 Assemble unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to witness against them. 29 For I know that after my death ye will in any wise deal corruptly, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the end of days; because ye will do that which is evil in the sight of YHWH, to provoke Him through the work of your hands.'

» Read More

Abraham Collier is in no way associated with peshat.com.

---

Do Not Equate Karaism with Zionism
by Abraham Collier

Introduction

The anti-Zionist organisations such as True Torah Jews, Jews Against Zionism, and Neturei Karta are 100% correct in their assessment of Zionist history, motives, and politics. They are 100% correct in their feelings toward the State of Israel and the inherent dangers that plague all Jews, Zionist or not, because of Israel's policies and "peace" negotiations. They are 100% correct in stating that the State of Israel is a secular apostasy and pseudo democracy that is ungodly in every way.

I am writing today because I read a True Torah Jews brochure entitled, 'On This Day of Independence from Zionism' and am concerned with how the organisation quoted a Rabbanite scholar who equated the Karaites with Zionism. I disagree with this rabbi and True Torah Jew's use of this material. I am worried about the implications the quote may have in regards to the views of Jews, ****ians, Muslims, and secularists, who, regardless of their favour or dislike for Zionism, toward Karaites. There is already a significant amount of ignorance and misinformation about Karaites from orthodox Rabbanite sources and to equate us to Zionism is quite distasteful and misleading.

The Quote

"The Jewish people have suffered many plagues: the Sadducees, Karaites, Hellenisers, Shabbasai Zvi, Haskalah, Reform and many others. But the strongest of them all is Zionism." (Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik, Mishkenos Haro'im, p. 269)

Any novice student of Jewish history recognises each of these movements as heretical in the eyes of Orthodox Rabbanite Judaism. Please note that I am not implying in favour of any of these groups, with the exception of Karaism seeing that I lean towards Karaite beliefs myself.

	Deuteronomy Chapter 4 1 And now, O Israel, hearken unto the statutes and unto the ordinances, which I teach you, to do them; that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which YHWH, the God of your fathers, giveth you. 2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish from it, that ye may keep the commandments of YHWH your God which I command you. The well-known statement of the Talmud ein mikra yotze midei peshuto (Shabbat 63a; Yev. 11b, 24a) is rendered in the Soncino translation, "A verse cannot depart from its plain meaning." Louis Rabinowitz The Talmudic Meaning of Peshat Tradition: A Journal of Orthodox Thought, 6:1, 1963.

It is of necessity to remind you that the Pharisees, who are the ancestors of the Rabbanites, were the enemies of all Judaism during the Second Temple Era. Once this is understood, you will see how Rabbanite Judaism is the true plague that maladies the Jews.

The Pharisee and Sadducee Controversy

When one studies the Second Temple Era, they are usually overwhelmed by the contradictions, obscurities, and blatant bias that many historians, philosophers, clergymen and rabbis had towards the Jews at that time. Josephus, he is probably the best source for knowledge of this period, states:

» Read More

Go here for the Karaite Declaration of Faith: The Karaite "Declaration of Faith"

The Karaite Synagogue is the oldest Synagogue in Jerusalem. It was built between 760-920 A.D. by the Karaite Jews.
VIDEO:

---

Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef statements:
Jews of the Amazon By Ariel Segal Freilich
The long standing dispute between Karaites and Orthodox Jews continued until 1973 when the chief rabbi of the Sephardic community of Israel, Ovadia Yosef, recognized Karaites as full-fledged Jews. This proclamation has not altered the agreement that allows the Karaites to conduct their own civil affairs.

JPost.com: Ask the Rabbi: O brother
In the 20th century, the State of Israel recognized the right of Karaites to immigrate under the Law of Return. The rabbinate, however, remains sharply divided over the ability of Karaites and their descendents to marry Jewish Israelis. While prominent Ashkenazi decisors Rabbi Avraham Sherman (Tehumin 19) and Rabbi Eliezer Waldenburg (Tzitz Eliezer 5:16) harshly criticized such marriages, two former Sephardi chief rabbis, Ovadia Yosef (Yabia Omer EH 8:12) and Eliahu Bakshi-Doron (Tehumin 18, 20) adopted more lenient positions, especially in cases when these Karaite descendants had no loyalty toward their ancestor's rituals. While such cases remain rare, they nonetheless represent a fascinating chapter in the ongoing struggles over personal status and marriage in Israel.

---

Chief Rabbi David Chayim Chelouche statements:
The Jerusalem Post: Laying down the (Oral) law By JOSHUA FREEMAN
Rabbi David Chayim Chelouche, the chief rabbi of Netanya, agrees. "A Karaite is a Jew," says Chelouche, who has written a great deal about the Karaites. "We accept them as Jews and every one of them who wishes to come back [to mainstream Judaism] we accept back. (There was once a question about whether Karaites needed to undergo a token circumcision in order to switch to rabbinic Judaism, but the rabbinate agrees today that it is not necessary.) He cautions, however, that the acceptance of Karaites as Jews should not be confused with acceptance of their practice of excluding the Oral Law. "A person cannot make his own Torah," he says.

	"A person cannot make his own Torah," -- Funny, Karaites say the same thing...

---

Rabbinic Assembly
http://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/sites/default/files/public/halakhah/teshuvot/20012004/49.pdf?phpMyAdmin=G0Is7ZE%2CH7O%2Ct%2CZ1sDHpI8UAVD6

Rabbi David H. Lincoln
This paper was adopted on March 28, 1984 by a vote of 12-1-1. Members voting in favor: Rabbis Kassel Abelson, Isidoro Aizenberg, Salamon Faber, David M Feldman, Morris Feldman, Robert Gordis, David H Lincoln, Mayer E Rabinowitz, Phillip Sigal, Israel N Silverman, Harry Z Sky and Henry A Sosland. Voting in opposition: Rabbi Morris M Shapiro. Abstaining: Rabbi Joel Roth.

CONCLUSION

In answer to Rabbi Skopitz's questions, I would therefore say the following:

(1) Their personal status should not be questioned. I would, with adequate halakhic support, dismiss the question of safek mamzerut.
(2) Yes, they are Jewish in every respect!
(3) I am not certain what is meant by the query regarding the State of Israel. In Israel, they have a separate Beit Din to administer marriage and divorce. Neither the Karaite nor the rabbinic communities have permitted "intermarriages". Rabbi Isaac Klein quotes sources indicating exceptions even in Israel, which he felt may portend a new trend there. Our situation in the Diaspora is very different. It has been the lesson of history that sects (whether Jewish or gentile) who leave their natural surroundings or are separated from the main body of followers, usually assimilate and disappear. This is true of the Druze outside of their Syrian-Lebanese-Israeli villages, or the Donmeh outside of Salonika or Istanbul. Here in the United States, Karaites mostly wish to identify with the rabbanite community -- in Israel they are a more numerous independent group. Should we abandon them, they would probably disappear and more Jews would be lost to us at a period in our history when we can ill afford such a loss.

I therefore recommend that we accept them without reservation.

» Read More

	Coming soon...

Yahoo Questions: Best Answer

"The older compilation is called the Jerusalem Talmud or the Talmud Yerushalmi. It was compiled sometime during the fourth century in Palestine. The Babylonian Talmud was compiled about the year 500 C.E., although it continued to be edited later"
-- Muhammed K

"They are 2 separate works, created respectively in Babylon and in the Holy Land by different people, so they are quite different in content, despite being commentary on the same Mishnah.
The one that is followed is the Babylonian talmud, that is considered the main book of authority for all diasporas, due to its thorough editing and the greater influence of the Babylonian wise men at that time."
-- Mama

	Job Chapter 4 16 It stood still, but I could not discern the appearance thereof; a form was before mine eyes; I heard a still voice: 17 'Shall mortal man be just before God? Shall a man be pure before his Maker? 18 Behold, He putteth no trust in His servants, and His angels He chargeth with folly; 19 How much more them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed before the moth! 20 Betwixt morning and evening they are shattered; they perish for ever without any regarding it. 21 Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them? They die, and that without wisdom.'

	Exodus Chapter 23 1 Thou shalt not utter a false report; put not thy hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. 2 Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou bear witness in a cause to turn aside after a multitude to pervert justice; 3 neither shalt thou favour a poor man in his cause.

» Read More