The Written and Oral Torah

1
The Written and Oral Torah
Matt Pham Felix Just, SJ for SCTR 19
Religions of the Book
2
Meaning of Torah

• Hebrew word Torah is not really Law
• Better translated teachings instructions
• Limited sense
• First section of the Tanak Five Books of Moses
• Broader sense
• Entire Tanak 24 books of the Hebrew Bible
• Broadest sense
• Whole body of Jewish laws, teachings, and
  traditions

3
Introduction / Origin

• Rabbi Teacher
• Main leaders of Judaism in post-70 CE Era
• Successors of the Pharisees of pre-70 Era
• Traditions of Rabbinic Judaism
• Moses received both Written Torah and Oral Torah
  from God at Mt. Sinai (ca. 1250 BCE)
• Much more than just two tablets with Ten
  Commandments
• Neither is more important than the other
• Oral Torah did not come from or after Written
  Torah
• Written Torah needed to be accompanied by Oral
  Torah
• Words (of the Written) Meanings (of the Oral)

4
Written Torah

• Tanakh / Hebrew Bible / Mikra
• Writing/editing process lasted 1000 years
• HB canon limited to 24 books, ca. 90 CE
• Three Sections
• Torah 5 Books of Moses (a.k.a. Pentateuch)
• Neviim Prophets (4 Former 4 Latter Prophets)
• Khetuvim Writings (11 Poetic Wisdom Books)

5
Oral Torah (acc. to Rabbinic Judaism)

• God gave it to Moses at Mt. Sinai
• Thus of divine origin, just like the written
  Torah
• Passed down orally till 2nd century CE
• Finally written down in Mishnah and later Talmuds
• Why was Oral Torah eventually written down?
• Destruction of the Second Temple/Jerusalem
• Jewish learning threatened by wartime deaths
• Traditions better preserved if written
• Rise and importance of Rabbinic Judaism

6
Mishnah

• Earliest written compilation of Oral Torah
• Mishnah teaching or repetition
• Compiled 200 CE by Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi (Judah
  the Prince)
• Oldest text of Rabbinic Judaism, recording their
  traditions
• Legal opinions debates about life without the
  Temple
• How to live/apply/adapt the mitzvot (Gods
  commandments)
• Six Sections or Orders
• Seeds ? agricultural laws and prayers
• Appointed Times ? laws of the Sabbath and
  Festivals
• Women ? marriage and divorce
• Damages ? civil and criminal law
• Holy Things ? sacrificial rites, the Temple,
  dietary laws
• Purities ? purity and impurity rules (unclean
  things)

7
Gemara and Talmud

• Gemara additional commentary on the Mishnah
• Gemara learning or completion
• Mishnah Gemara Talmud
• Mishnah core of the Oral Torah
• Gemara further discussion of ideas in the
  Mishnah
• Talmud explanation, interpretation, application
• Jewish law, ethics, customs, history
• Two versions of the Talmud
• Two centers of Rabbinic scholarship Palestine
  Babylonia
• So Jerusalem Talmud Babylonian Talmud

8
Two Talmuds

• Jerusalem Talmud
• Compiled in 5th Century CE (incomplete lacks
  continuity)
• Written in Western Aramaic ? more difficult to
  read
• Focuses on concerns pertinent to Land of Israel
• Babylonian Talmud
• Completed in 6th Century CE (100 more years of
  discussion)
• Written in Eastern Aramaic ? more precise
  expressions
• Used by Jews living elsewhere throughout the
  ancient world
• Today, Talmud usually refers to the Babylonian
  one
• Decreased size influence of Jewish community in
  Israel,? Increased influence use of Babylonian
  Talmud

9
Rabbinic Era Maps
10
Sample Pageof the Talmud

• Text of the Mishnahis in the center
• Various commentaries, called Gemara, are around
  it.

11
Groups of Rabbinic Scholars

• Tannaim (repeaters) recorded Oral Torah in
  the Mishnah
• Amoraim (sayers) discussed opinions, decided
  conflicts, harmonized contradictions, applied
  laws to new circumstances
• Seboraim (reasoners) asked why and what is
  the underlying concept about their predecessors
  opinions
• Discussion of Amoraim and Seboraim appear in the
  Gemara
• Stammaim (anonymous men) edited final text of
  Talmud
• Compilers final editors did not sign their
  names
• Thought they were just faithfully passing on
  teachings of the named ones of previous
  generations

12
More Talmud Images
For a closer look go to http//www.ort.org/ort/ed
u/rolnik/halacha/halacha.htm
13
Midrash

• Exegesis interpretation of biblical texts
• Analyzing the narratives of the HB to derive
  laws, principles, or moral lessons for Jewish
  life
• Four Ways of Understanding HB texts
• Simple meaning hints/clues interpretation
  secret
• Midrash focuses on hints/clues and
  interpretations
• Two Types of Subject Matter
• Halakhic (legal, how to walk/conduct ones life
  well)
• Aggadic (non-legal, mainly homiletic /
  inspirational)

14
Recap (main points to know)

• Oral Torah passed down orally through many
  generations along with the Written Torah
• Belief of Rabbinic Judaism (from after 70 CE to
  today)
• Two main categories narrative and legal
• Midrash deals with biblical stories
• Interpretation of HB narratives
• Mishnah Talmuds deal with legal materials
• Application of the mitzvot/commandments
• Focus of Rabbinic Literature
• More on Mishnah and Talmuds, less on Midrash