Temple Sinai, S. Burlington, VT.
Rabbi David Edleson z Introduction to JUDAISM Class 5 The Word of the Lord z PEOPLE OF THE BOOK(S) Part 2 z QUESTIONS from LAST CLASS z MAKING TORAH BEAUTIFUL
▪ The two largest Jewish communities are the Ashkenazic (most of Europe, Australia, US and Canada) and the Sephardic (those expelled from Spain in 1492, living in the Middle East, North Africa, Italy and elsewhere).
▪ Sephardic Jews (Sephardic means Spanish in Hebrew) often keep their Torah scrolls in elaborate cases that open to reveal the scroll.
▪ Ashkenazic Jews (Ashkenaz means Germany in Hebrew) mostly cover their Torah scrolls with a decorated cloth cover, called a mantle, rimonim (finials), hoshen mishpat (breastplates).
▪ All Jews keep Torah scrolls in cabinets, calls Aaron haKodesh, or Holy Arks. z SEPHARDIC TORAH CASES Silver Torah Cases from Middle East (Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 2019) z Open Sephardic Torah Mantel z Torah mantle from Rome and Venice, Italy 1600’s. z Modern Torah Covers z Torah crowns from Yemen and Poland z Crowns and rimonim North Africa z Rimonim, Britain, 1760’s z Rimonim, Poland 1800’s and Netherlands, 1700’s z Modern Torah Crowns z Torah Breastplates – Khoshen Mishpat z Torah pointers (yods) z Yod, from Vienna, Austria (coral and silver) 1872 ARON HAKODESH - ARKS FOR THE TORAH
Great Synagogue, Wlodawa, Poland z z Ark, Florence,Italy z Ark, Heichal Amit Synagogue, Netanya, Israel z Ark, Park Avenue East Synagogue, New York z Ark, Central Synagogue, New York z Ark, Bialystoker Synagogue, New York z Parochet Torah Ark Covers
In the ancient temple, an elaborate curtain separated the area where the 10 Commandments were kept from the rest of the Temple. Today, a decorated curtain serves that role. z Parochet, India, 1912 z Parochet, Italy, 1830 z Parochet, Israel, 1960 z Parochet, Temple Sinai z ORAL TORAH
▪ ACCORDING TO RABBINIC JUDAISM, LAWS THAT WERE ALSO GIVEN TO MOSES ON SINAI, BUT WEREN’T RECORDED IN THE TORAH.
▪ THE COLLECTION OF LAWS AND INTERPRETATION OF LAWS THE DEVELOPED OVER TIME ALONGSIDE TORAH AND THAT WERE RECORDED BY THE RABBIS AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE IN 70 ce. z Documentary approach
▪ J - Yahwist Solomonic c 950 BCE
▪ E - Elohist Israelite c 900 BCE
▪ JE redaction
▪ P - Priestly Judah c 550 BCE
▪ D- Deuteronomist Judah c621 BCE z TaNaKh
▪ Torah (law of Moses)
▪ Nevi’im (prophets)
▪ Ch’tuvim (writings) z NEVI’IM PROPHETS
▪ Joshua
▪ Judges
▪ Samuel
▪ Kings
▪ Isaiah
▪ Jeremiah
▪ Ezekiel
▪ The Twelve (Minor prophets in the OT) z CHTUVIM WRITINGS
▪ Psalms
▪ Proverbs
▪ Job
▪ Song of Songs
▪ Ruth
▪ Lamentations
▪ Ecclesiastes
▪ Esther
▪ Daniel
▪ Ezra-Nehemiah
▪ Chronicles z JEWISH LAW AND ITS BOOKS
▪ MISHNAH - first major collection of Jewish rabbinic laws, compiled in Yavneh, by rabbis who regrouped there following Rome destruction of the Jerusalem Temple. Redacted into current form by Yehuda haNasi in early 3rd Century CE. (c. 250)
▪ The Mishnah is divided into 12 ORDERS (Sedarim), and in each are 7-12 TRACTATES (Masechtot), for a total of 63 major sections.
▪ The rabbis who compiled and contributed are known collectively as the Tannaim משנה בבא קמא ו׳:ו׳ z )ו (גץ שיצא מתחת הפטיש והזיק חייב .גמל שהיה טעון פשתן ועבר ברשות הרבים ונכנס פשתנו לתוך החנות.ודלקו בנרו של חנוני והדליק את הבירה, בעל הגמל חייב .הניח חנוני נרו מבחוץ, החנוני חייב. רבי יהודה אומר בנר חנכה פטור. Mishnah Bava Kamma 6:6 (6)If a spark went out from under the hammer and caused damage, he is liable. If a camel laden with flax passed by in the public domain and its load of flax entered into a shop and caught fire from the storeowner's candle and lit a large house on fire, the owner of the camel is liable. But if the shopkeeper left his candle outside, the shopkeeper is liable. Rabbi Judah says: If it was a Hanukkah light, he is he is exempt. z JEWISH LAW AND ITS BOOKS
GEMARA- The continuing study and debate about the laws contained in the Mishnah, by the rabbis of the Jewish academies in Palestine and Babylon between 200-600 CE. The rabbis who compiled and contributed are known collectively as the Amoraim. z JEWISH LAW AND ITS BOOKS
▪ TALMUD – The Mishnah and the Gemara together are called THE TALMUD. TALMUD means “that which has been taught.”
▪ The Talmud consists of 63 TRACTATES, or sections focused on various themes.
▪ The Babylonian Talmud is authoritative, completed around 600 CE.
▪ The much shorter Jerusalem Talmud was completed around 500 CE. JEWISH LAW AND ITS BOOKS z z z CLOSE UP- TALMUD SHABBAT 21b
▪ The discussion begins with a Mishnah that says a certain sort of oil may not be used for the Sabbath Lights. What follows is a winding debate and discussion about what sort of oil and wicks are permissible to use for Shabbat candles/lamps, then whether one had to stay with the candle, and then turns to Hanukkah lights and how they are the same and different from Shabbat lights.
▪ HANDOUT z MISHNEH TORAH
▪ MAIMONIDES (Moses ben Maimon) wrote a great commentary on the Talmud, and then he organized the various laws into a CODE organized by clear topics, not winding discussions. This is called the MISHNEH TORAH (review of Torah)
▪ The Mishnah Torah begins with the Sefer ha Mitzvot, the book of the laws, which reduces the Talmud to 613 Commandments, 248 positive precepts and 365 prohibitions. According to him, the human body consisted of 248 organs and 365 sinews.1 Our sages teach that the 248 limbs correspond to the 248 positive precepts2, and the 365 sinews correspond to the 365 prohibitions.3 Each commandment pairs up with a specific limb or sinew, and just as we take care of our physical limbs and sinews, we also need to take care of our spiritual “limbs and sinews.” z SHULCHAN ARUCH
▪ JOSEPH CARO, whose family had fled the Spanish Expulsion in 1492 and settled in Safed, Israel as part of the mystical community that gathered around Rabbi Isaac Luria (haAri).
▪ CARO, building on earlier rabbis, focused only on practical laws that were still relevant, and organized them into clear statements. It was completed around 1560 CE.
▪ In 19th Century Europe, Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried condensed the Shulchan Aruch into the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch. This can be said to be the basic rules that define Orthodox Judaism. z JEWISH LAW AND ITS BOOKS
▪ This is only a small fraction of the classical Jewish library. There are other key law codes, such as The Tur, and there is the entire genre of Midrash.
▪ Judaism has carried these books wherever they have gone, and expertise in them what defined a ‘rabbi’. The rabbi of the community arbitrated and decided matters of law based, and taught Torah based on this library of Jewish thinking.
▪ This focus on books has also contributed to anti-Semitism, and a fear that Jews have some secret knowledge. This is best represented by the massive burnings of Jewish books during the Holocaust.