Rabbi Yosef Leibowitz Torah and Truth: Exploring the Oral Torah

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ISSUES IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF HALCHA Outline of the revelation at Sinai

1. The description in Shemot a.Ex. 19:1-25 Introduction to revelation b.Ex.20:1-14 Ten commandments c.Ex 20:15-23 Epilogue 1 (Ramban-it comes before the Ten Commandments) d.Ex. 21:1-23,33 Code of Laws e.Ex. 24:1-18 Epilogue 2 (Rashi 1-11 comes before the Ten Commandments,12-18 after) f.Ex 18:1-27 The Court system.

2. Vayikra a. Leviticus 1:1 the laws were given at the Tent of Meeting b. Leviticus 7:38 The laws that were given at Mt. Sinai

3. Devarim a.4:1-2,5,6,13-14,44-45 b.5:1,24,28-29 c.6:1ff d.7:1 e.8:1 f.9:11 g.17:8,14

4. Torah Codes a.Ex. Chapters 21-24 b.Lev. Chapters 17-26 c.Deut. Chapters 12-16

What was received before the Revelation a. Ex 18:13-26 Yitro and the court system b. Gen 17:9-14 Brit Milah c. Gen. 32:32 Gid Hanashe d. Ex. 12 Pesach and Kiddush Hachodesh e. Ex. 16-22-24 The Manna on shabbat f. Ex. 15:25 Chok Umishpat

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The laws given after Revelation 1. Ohel Moed 2. The Seventy elders 3. Deuteronomy 4. The five instances where Moses did not know the law

a. Bamidbar 27:1, 36:2 The daughters of Tzelaphchad b. Bamidbar 9:6-4 Pesach Sheni c. Bamidbar 15:33-36 The wood gatherer d. Leviticus 24:10 The blasphemer e. Leviticus 10:20 Aaron and the offering

The necessity to posit a legal system and oral Law The symbolism of Revelation

1. The mountain as a symbol of the meeting of Heaven and Earth a. Ex. 19:2 b. On the word see Also Gen 2:18 2. The expression a. compare the word in Gen 1:1 and 11:1 b. see Psalms 115:16 3. The mountain a. the boundary 19:12 see aso 21,22,23 b. the descent onto the mountain 19:20 see " c. 20:9 20:24 d. 19:17 4. The role of Moses a. 19:17 see for two different interpretations b. see " on 19:3 as well as here and in c. 19:9 see "

PRIMORDIAL TORAH IN HEAVEN

Job 28 Proverbs 8

Ben Sira 1:1

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Israel is beloved because they were given a precious vessel through which the world was created as it is written "for I have given you a good doctrine, do not forsake My Torah. (Proverbs 4:2)

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It is written "G-d has founded the world with Wisdom" (Proverbs 3:19) and Wisdom is Torah and it was called Torah only after it was given at Sinai.

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Rabbi Oshiya taught: "Then I was by Him as a nursling, and I was daily all delight" (Proverbs 8:30 ) means an artisan. The Torah says I was the artists tool of The Holy One Blessed Be He. As it is in the world, an earthly king builds a palace he does not build it himself but with an artisan, and the artisan does not build it alone but he has plans and charts to know how he will make rooms and doorways. So too The Holy One Blessed Be He looks in the Torah and creates the world, and the Torah says "In the beginning G-d created the world" and there is no "beginning" only Torah as it says "the Lord made me as the beginning of His way" (Proverbs 8:22)

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"and G-d remembered Sarah" Rabbi Eliezer said: When it says "and The Lord" it is He and His court, because the angels were saying to Him Master of the Universe it is correct that you should remember Abraham because if You do not remember him now your Torah will be shown to be false. How is this so? However Rabbi Yehudah the Levite said in the name of Rabbi Shalom: Abraham was seventy years old when G-d spoke to him from between the pieces and decreed upon him "you shall surely know that your descendants shall be strangers" from the time that you have descendants, your children shall be enslaved four hundred years. And the Torah preceded the creation of the world and in it is written that the dwelling of the people of Israel in Egypt will be four hundred and thirty years and today Abraham is one hundred years old and if You do not remember him today you prove

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si ti )erofereht( dne eht enoptsop uoy osla dna gnorw eb ot harot ruoy ".detisiv droL ehT dna" detisiv eb eh taht reporp

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ynam woH :mih ot dias dna leilmaG ibbaR deksa lareneg eht sunogitnA eno dna laro eno ,owT :mih ot dias eH ? learsI ot nevig erew sharoT .nettirw :mih ot dias dna iakkaZ neb nanahoY ibbaR deksa lareneg eht sapirggA ,owT :mih ot dias eH ? nevaeH morf uoy ot nevig erew sharoT ynam woH .nettirw eno dna laro eno

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eb ot )txet eht ni( gnihton evah dna ria eht ni taolf swov morf snoitulosbA dercas ot segamad dna ,sgnireffo yadiloh ,htabbas eht fo swal ehT .no desab fo tsisnoc yeht esuaceb riah a morf gnignah sniatnuom ekil era ytreporp lauxes dna ,ytirup fo swal , sgnireffo ,swal liviC .sesrev wef dna swal ynam eht era esehT .no desab eb nac yeht hcihw )sesrev( taht evah snoitaloiv .harot fo seidob laitnesse

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Mar Zutra says and some say Mar Ukba says: In the beginning the Torah was given to Israel in Hebrew script and the holy language. It was given again to them in the days of Ezra in Ashurite script and Aramaic language. The people chose for themselves the Ashurite script and the holy language, and they left for the " " the hebrew script and the aramaic language. Who are the Hedyotot ? Rabbi Hisda says: the Cuthians. What is the hebrew script ? Rabbi Hisda says the script. It is taught: Rabbi Yosi says: Ezra was worthy that the Torah should be given through him to Israel if Moses had not come before him. Concerning Moses it says "And Moses went up to G-d" (Exodus 19) Concerning Ezra it says " He Ezra went up from Bavel" (Ezra 7) Just as this going up concern Torah so too that going up concerns Torah. Concerning Moses it says " And G-d commanded me at that time to teach you laws and statutes" (Deuteronomy 4) and concerning Ezra it says "Ezra prepared his heart to expound the Torah of the Lord (his G-d) and to do and teach in Israel law and statute" (Ezra 7) And even though the Torah was not given through him it was changed (or taught) by him as it says " and the letter ) ( was written in Aramaic and spoken in Aramaic" (Ezra 4) and it is written "It was not written thus to be read and explained to the king." (Daniel 5) and it is written "And write this torah" (Deuteronomy 17) script which is capable of changing. Why is it called Ashurite because it came with them from Ashur. It is taught Rabbi says: In the beginning Torah was given to them in this script because they

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.denruter saw ti detneper yeht esuaceb , a ot meht rof degnahc ti dennis lliw I yadot neve htiaf fo srenosirp uoy dlohgnorts eht ot nruteR" syas ti sa si ti esuaceb etiruhsA dellac ti si yhW )9 hairahceZ ) a uoy ot evig eman eht ni syas rezeilE neb nomihS ibbaR ( ) stpircs eht fo tseb eht rezeilE ibbaR fo eman eht ni ti dias ohw atraP neb rezeilE ibbaR fo eht fo ( ) skooh eht" syas ti sa lla ta egnahc ton did tpircs sihT :iadomaM egaugnal rieht oot os egnahc ton od srallip eht sa tsuj )72 sudoxE( "srallip eno sharoT owt - siht yb naem ti seod tahw oS .egnahc ton did . esuoh eht ni sniamer hcihw eno dna mih htiw tuo dna ni seog hcihw

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tnuoM dna hatimhS neewteb noitcennoc eht si tahW "ianiS tnuoM tA" ti( revewoH ?ianiS tnuoM ta nevig stnemdnammoc eht lla ton erew ,ianiS sliated dna selur lareneg sti htob hatimhS sa tsuj taht )su hcaet ot semoc dna selur lareneg rieht stnemdnammoc eht fo lla oot os ianiS ta nevig erew .ianiS ta nevig erew sliated rieht

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These are the laws (and the statutes and teachings which G-d gave between Himself and Israel at Mount Sinai through the hand of Moses) It is taught: The laws-these are the midrashim, the statutes-these are the rules, and the teachings ) ( it teaches us that two torahs were given to Israel one written and one oral. "On Mount Sinai through the hand of Moses" it teaches us that all of the torah its laws and details and explanations were given to Moses from Sinai.

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?" : , . Rabbi Yehudah said in the name of Rav: When Moses ascended to heaven he found The Holy One Blessed be He sitting and putting crowns on the letters. He said to Him: Master of the Universe who compels ) ( you to do this ? He said to him: A particular man who will exist after a number of generations and Aqiba ben Yosef is his name ,who in the future will expound on every point (of the crowns) mountains of laws. He said to Him: Master of the Universe show him to me. He said to Him: Go backwards. He went and he sat in the back eight row and he did not understand what they were saying. His strength weakened. When they came to one matter one of his students said to him : Rabbi, How do you know this? He said to them: It is a Law to Moses from Sinai. He (Moses) was relieved. He returned and came before The Holy One Blessed be He. He said before Him: Master of the Universe you have such a man and you are giving the Torah through me? He said to him: Be quiet this is what I thought to do. He said before Him: Master of the Universe You have shown me his torah now show me his reward. He said to him: Go backwards. He went backwards and he saw that they were weighing his (Rabbi Akiba's) flesh in the slaughterhouse. He said before Him: Master of the Universe this is torah and this is its reward? He said to him: Be quiet this is what I thought to do.

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ianiS tnuoM no mih ot gnikaeps dehsinif eH nehw sesoM ot evag eH dnA" ".d-G fo regnif eht yb nettirw enots fo stelbat ,gnissentiw fo stelbat owt eht eht ni nettirw si tI ?harot eritne eht nrael sesoM did dnA )81:13 sudoxE( dna )81:13 boJ( "aes eht naht rediw dna htrae eht naht regnol si tI" haroT eH eb desselB enO yloH ehT ,revewoH ?syad ytrof ni ti denrael sesoM dehsinif eH nehW" dias si tahw si taht selur lareneg eht sesoM thguat ."mih ot gnikaeps

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a ni etelpmoc eb eH eb desselb droL eht fo haroT eht taht elbissopmi si tI snoitaterpretni lagel eht esuaceb semit lla rof eciffus dluow ti taht yaw eht dna seussi namuh eht ot gnidrocca dewener yltnatsnoc era hcihw ti eroferehT .koob eno ni deniatnoc eb nac naht retaerg era enod snoitca ylesret erew hcihw selur lareneg ianiS .tM ta sesoM ot yllaro nevig saw eht evired dluow segas eht meht hguorht taht redro ni harot eht ni ta detnih .dewener gnieb syawla era hcihw sliated

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havztim taht fo snoitaterpretni eht meht hcaet dluow eh sdrawretfa dnA ,seussi niatnoc dluow noitaterpretni siht dnA .d-G morf nevig saw taht eht traeh yb nrael dna stnemdnammoc eht etirw dluow yeht dna

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traditions. And this is what the Sages said in the Beraita And G-d spoke to Moses on Mt. Sinai (Vayikra 25:a)What does it come to teach us (in saying) at Mt. Sinai? Was not the entire Torah said at Mt Sina? However, it comes to tell us that just as shmetah was said with all its rules, and specifics so too all the commandments all their rules, details and specifics were said from Sinai. And here is an example. The Holy One said You shall dwell in Sukot for seven days. And afterwards He said informed let it be known that it was incumbent on men and not women, and ill people are not obligated, nor travelers and the sechach should be only from things that grow and not wool nor silk nor utensils even those from hings grown from the ground like pillows or clothing. And He informed us that eating drinking and sleeping are obligatory all seven days, and the space inside should be at least seven by seven tefachim and the hight should not be less than ten tefachim. And when the prophet came H egave him this commandment and its interpretaion. And so too the 613 commandments and their interpretations. The commandment was in writing and the interpretation oral And they received from his mouth the explanation of the commandments and they learned the interpretation from Rosh Hodesh Shevat until the seventh of Adar. And when it was before his death he began to write the Torah in books

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