END OF THE JEWS RADICAL BREAKS, REMAKES AND WHAT COMES NEXT By Dan Mendelsohn Av v RPH The Key Pu#l sh ng Ho"se In% Co&y' $ht 2012 © Dan Mendelsohn Av v The Key P"#l sh n$ Ho"se Inc- All ' $hts 'ese'ved. No &a'( o. (h s &"#l %a( on /ay be 'e&'od"%ed, s(ored n a 'e(' eval sys(e/, o' ('ans/ ((ed, n any .o'/ o' #y any /eans, 0 (ho"( &' o' 0' ((en pe'/ ss on. Any &e'son 0ho does any "na"(hor 1ed a%( n 'ela( on (o (h s &"#l %a( on /ay be l a#le to c' / nal p'ose%"( on and c v l cla /s fo' da/a$es. T (le2 End o. the Je0s S"#( (le2 Rad %al B'ea3s, Re/a3es and Wha( Co/es Ne4( www.endofthejews.com F 's( Ed ( on 2012 !"#l she'2 The Key P"#l sh ng Ho"se Inc- To'onto, Canada We#s (e2 www.thekeypublish.com E5/a l2 in.o@(he3ey&"#l sh.co/ ISBN 978-+57):89*5*859 Co&yed ( n$ & p'oo. read ng Jenn .e' So"(h Typese(( ng & Inde4 n$ Pe'se"s Des $n Cove' Des $n Ale4ande' Ma'( n A"(ho'<s pho(o on ba%k cove' by ES Pho(o$'a&hy (www.esphotography.ca> L #'a'y and A'%h ves Canada Ca(alo$" ng in P"#l %a( on is ava la#le. P' nted and bo"nd in USA- The Key P"#l sh n$ Ho"se Inc. www.thekeypublish.com 000-(he3ey'esea'%h-o'$ RPH !"#l shed #y a $'ant and n assoc a( on 0 (h The Key Resea'%h Cente' =000-(he3ey'esea'%h-o'$>- The Key &'o/o(es .'eedo/ o. (ho"$ht and e4&'ess on and pea%e."l coe4 s(en%e a/on$ h"/an soc e( es. Notes on this edition Th s %o&y o. %ha&(e' +) o. End of the Jews, has been /od . ed .'o/ (he o' $ nal &"#l shed ve's on. Endno(es have been %onve'(ed (o .oo(no(es. Th s ed ( on s sha'ed 0 (h pe'/ ss on o. Dan Mendelsohn Av v and The Key !"#l sh n$ Ho"se 0 (h (he C'ea( ve Co//ons A((' #"( on5Sha'eAl 3e 4.0 Inte'na( onal l %ense, an open content co&y' $ht l %ense. All ('ansc' &( on e''ors a'e (hose o. (he ('ans%' be', Aha'on Aa'ady, d 'e%(or o. (he O&en S dd"' !'oBe%(- I. yo" . nd an e''o', &lease %onta%( h /- END OF THE JEWS RADICAL BREAKS, REMAKES AND WHAT COMES NEXT =2012, Key Pu#l sh n$ Ho"se, In%-> #y Dan Mendelsohn Av v CHA!TER 12: THE PEO!LE OF THE (O!EN SO?RCE> BOOK Fo' Je0s, (he !eo&le o. (he Book, (he /os( ('ad ( onal boo3 s a To'ah s%'oll- It serves no( only as (he "l( /a(e a"(ho' (y n Je0 sh la0 #"( even (s &hys %al .o'/ /an .es(s (he &'eserva( on o. a / llenn a5lon$ &'a%( %e- Hea'3en n$ #a%3 (o (he e $hth %ent"ry BCE, (he &'esent day sofer, o' s%' be+ 0hose Bo# ( s (o hand-0' (e a To'ah s%'oll 0o'3s 0 (h all5na("'al /a(e' als2 klaf o' gevil,2 &a'%hment &'od"%ed .'o/ %o0h de =al(ho"$h (he s3 n o. any 3oshe' an /al 0 ll do)—s 4(y-(0o &anels n (o(al, (hread .a#' %a(ed .'o/ ha ' o' s ne0 (o se0 (he &a'%hment &anels (o$e(her, (h'ee bo((les o. nk /ade .'o/ $all5n"( B" %e, $"/ and da'3en n$ ( n(s,D abo"( (0en(y E" lls .ash oned .'o/ a ("'3ey5.ea(he' o' 'eed, and . nally, 0ooden 'olle's kno0n as (he Atzei Ḥayyim, o' FT'ees o. L .e-G The sofer 0o'3s 0 (h a sargel o' '"le' (o del nea(e (he /a'$ ns and (he 'eE" 'ed .o'(y-(0o 'o0s n ea%h %ol"/n. He /"s( 'e&'od"%e ea%h o. (he 304,805 le((e's o. (he !enta(e"%h 0 (h $'ea( %a'e as any ('ans%' &( on e''o' o' pen/ansh & /al."n%( on / $h( 'ende' (he 0hole s%'oll pasul, o' F nval d.G The 0hole &roBe%( %o"ld (a3e any0he'e be(0een (0elve and e $hteen /onths (o %o/&le(e- Be%a"se o. (he &'e% s on o. (he %'a.( and (he a((ent on &a d (o de(a l, &o&"la' bel e. s (ha( (he To'ah s%'olls .o"nd n syna$o$"e A'3s a%'oss (he 0orld 0e'e 0' ((en and &'od"%ed in exactly the same manner as Moses did over three thousand years ago-@ 1 Today, wo/en have also s(a'(ed w' ( ng To'ah sc'olls as well. Tho"$h the'e is a co//andment fo' ea%h ind v d"al to 0' (e the ' o0n To'ah (#ased on ve'se De"(e'ono/y 31:+7>, wo/en we'e e4e/&( as Ma /onides a'$"ed in h s efer haMitsvot (pos ( ve co//andment 18) tha( the p"'pose o. w' ( n$ a To'ah is to s("dy i(—and wo/en we'e no( 'eE" 'ed to s("dy To'ah. Ho0eve', as consens"s has sh .(ed in the O'(hodox wo'ld abo"( wo/en and To'ah s("dy, /o'e wo/en have ta3en an inte'es( in f"l. ll ng the co//and/ent o. w' ( ng To'ah sc'olls and t'a n n$ to be%o/e a soferet! W' ( ng a To'ah reE" 'es m"%h advanced s("dy as the'e a'e abo"( 4,000 r"les tha( g" de the process and 'eE" 'es the s(eady hand o. an a'( s( and call $'a&he'- 2 A%%ord n$ to Ba#ylon an Tal/"d "ava Batra 14b, Moses insc' #ed the f 's( To'ah s%'oll on gevil, o' uns&l ( co0h de- #evil d ..e's f'o/ klaf in tha( i( is made f'o/ the whole h de a.(e' re/oval o. the an /al<s ha '. On%e the co0<s s3 n has been re/oved and de& la(ed, i( is l /ed and s('e(%hed on a f'a/e- $laf on the o(he' hand, is a se$/ent o. tanned s3 n. 3 A&&a'ently, even the re% pe o. the ink is cons de'ed to be “Torah f'o/ S na G as re.le%(ed in the follo0 n$ ane%do(e .'o/ Ba#ylon an Tal/"d Eruvin 13a2 Ra## Yeh"da sa d in the na/e o. Sh/"el who q"o(ed Ra## Me '2 When I was lea'ning f'o/ Ra## A3 va, I used to add v (' ol [ .e., fe''o"s s"l&ha(e} to the ink ["sed to w' (e a To'ah s%'ollL and he sa d no(h ng to /e- When I ca/e to Ra## Ish/ael he sa d to me2 Son, wha( is yo"' pro.ess onM I sa d to h /2 I a/ a sc' #e- He sa d: Son, be ca'e."l in yo"' wo'k, fo' yo"' wo'k is the wo'k o. Heaven. I. you leave o"( a s n$le le((e' o' add in an e4('a le((e'C you des('oy the ent 'e wo'ld. I sa d to h /2 I have so/e(h ng called v (' ol, wh %h I p"( into the ink. He sa d to me2 D d they [ .e., o"' an%es(o's] pla%e v (' ol into the ' inkM D d no( the To'ah say ‘And w'o(e and e'ased’ (N"/be's 5:)D>CJ0h %h means] w' ( ng whi%h can be e'asedM< 4 See De"(e'ono/y 31:))..- Ho0ever, .o' (he !eo&le o. (he Book, as soon as (he ' To'ah (oo3 0' ((en .o'/ (kno0n as %orah she&"iḥtavC(he W' ((en To'ah), an o'al ('ad ( on o. &a's ng, nte'&'e( n$ and s& ' (ed d s&"( n$ (kno0n as %orah she&"a’al (ehC (he S&o3en o' O'al To'ah) e/e'$ed (o e4&l %a(e (he /ean n$ o. (he (e4(C or, a( leas(, (ha( s ho0 (he Ra## s "nde's(ood ( n (he ' 'e&resenta( on n Mishnah Avo( +2+- W (h n .o"' $enera( ons, (he Fspo3en” To'ah be$an (o a%%"/"la(e "pon and $'o0 (he o' $ nal To'ah. (We perha&s / $h( more a&&'o&' a(ely be called “The Peo&le Who Talk A Lo( Abo"( the Boo3G----> And ye(, des& (e all (he &'o(es(a( ons abo"( (he S&o3en To'ah’s s&o3enness, (, l 3e (s %o"nte'&a'(, s a written (e4(, e/#'a% n$ and s('addl ng bo(h o'al and l (e'ary conven( ons. In a sense, the To'ah s all abo"( /a3 n$ l nksO be(0een 0' ((en and s&o3en, be(0een Pod and (he Je0s, and be(0een ndiv d"al Je0s- By 0ay o.