Susana Pinkhasova
Religious studies 103
May 19, 2016
Why is the compilation of the Mishna an important moment, and how does it mark the origin of rabbinic Judaism? In your answer refer to the following verse and explain its relevance to the moment in question: “It is a time to act for the Lord, they have violated Your teaching” (Psalms 119:126).
The compilation of the Mishnah is an important moment because it would ensure that the chain of transmission would never be broken. The oral torah was passed down from generation to generation without ever being physically recorded onto paper due to the idea that the principles, while rigid in their origin must be fluid enough to adapt to various unknown circumstances. This ideology functioned well up until the destruction of the temple where educators …show more content…
How does Mendelssohn represent R. Yehuda’s decision to write down the oral law? Does he approve of writing down the oral law or not, and why? Does he think it’s a good idea to write down the oral law in his own context, and why? How does this relate to the argument Mendelssohn is making in Jerusalem? In particular, how does Mendelssohn see the question of writing down the oral law relate to the printing of Jewish legalistic books?
Mendelssohn states that because ancient Judaic texts were not originally written, but where entrusted to us through oral text where it could be adjusted to fit the needs of the time, the written text becomes, undeniably, distorted based on various paradigms. It was expressly forbidden to take these oral laws and turn them into written texts. This would be considered “a destruction of the law” however, it was agreed that in the situation they were in that it was acceptable. Mendelsohn makes a point that by learning torah through written text, what becomes lost is the teacher- student interaction. He writes the following to explain his
Religious studies 103
May 19, 2016
Why is the compilation of the Mishna an important moment, and how does it mark the origin of rabbinic Judaism? In your answer refer to the following verse and explain its relevance to the moment in question: “It is a time to act for the Lord, they have violated Your teaching” (Psalms 119:126).
The compilation of the Mishnah is an important moment because it would ensure that the chain of transmission would never be broken. The oral torah was passed down from generation to generation without ever being physically recorded onto paper due to the idea that the principles, while rigid in their origin must be fluid enough to adapt to various unknown circumstances. This ideology functioned well up until the destruction of the temple where educators …show more content…
How does Mendelssohn represent R. Yehuda’s decision to write down the oral law? Does he approve of writing down the oral law or not, and why? Does he think it’s a good idea to write down the oral law in his own context, and why? How does this relate to the argument Mendelssohn is making in Jerusalem? In particular, how does Mendelssohn see the question of writing down the oral law relate to the printing of Jewish legalistic books?
Mendelssohn states that because ancient Judaic texts were not originally written, but where entrusted to us through oral text where it could be adjusted to fit the needs of the time, the written text becomes, undeniably, distorted based on various paradigms. It was expressly forbidden to take these oral laws and turn them into written texts. This would be considered “a destruction of the law” however, it was agreed that in the situation they were in that it was acceptable. Mendelsohn makes a point that by learning torah through written text, what becomes lost is the teacher- student interaction. He writes the following to explain his