Human have throughout history felt the need to understand the world around them. Perhaps it is a primal need to survive that has led us to explore the vast unknown and master it. In order to begin uncovering the mysteries that filled our pre-modern world, we must first put a name to which we do not know: G-d. This omnipresent being has allowed us to dispel the fear of the unknown, and throughout time, uncover the knowledge we assigned it to represent. We had scriptures written long ago, that G-d enlightened us with, which gave us information on how to live prosperously and increase our fitness (ability to survive). As our knowledge increased and we uncovered science and reason, the mysteries that God was a placeholder for dwindled and dependency
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The Torah was the law of God and there was no debate about it, as any other view would be sacrilegious. The first sages arose between 1st and 3rd century and were known as the Tannaim. The Tannaim wrote their “most authoritative and influential literary product, the Mishnah” (Segal, p. 43) during the early 3rd century. In a section called, Pirkei Avot (Sayings of the Founders), they quote wise men on the authority of God and Torah, “Simeon the Righteous was one of the last survivors of the great assembly. He would say: On three things does the world stand: (1) On the Torah, (2) "and on the Temple service, (3) and on deeds of loving kindness. Antigonos of Sokho received [the Torah] from Simeon the Righteous. He would say, (1) Do not be like servants who serve the master on condition of receiving a reward, (2) but [be] like servants who serve the master not on condition of receiving a reward. (3) And let the fear of Heaven be upon you" (Nuesner, p. 13). The Tannaim are reinforcing the idea to their (less educated) people that the world revolves around G-d and in order to appease G-d we must study Torah. They do not yet have the knowledge of future sages to interpret the meaning of Torah and instead teach Torah on a one-dimensional …show more content…
Maimonides believed in assisting the learning of his people by adjusting the wording of the scriptures to an intellectual level that his audience could comprehend. By meeting his followers where they are [intellectually] he enabled them grasp meaning of the Torah’s teachings, and obtain a richer form of knowledge than any people prior. Maimonides writes, “A person is obligated to divide his study time in three: one third should be devoted to the Written Torah; one third to the Oral Torah; and one third to understanding and conceptualizing the ultimate derivation of a concept from its roots, inferring one concept from another and comparing concepts, understanding based on the principles by which the Torah is explained, until one appreciates the essence of those principles and how the prohibitions and the other decisions which one received according to the oral tradition can be derived using them. The latter topic is called Gemara… when a person increases his knowledge and does not have the need to read the Written Torah, he should study the Written Torah and the oral tradition at designated times, so that he will not forget any aspect of the laws of the Torah—but he should focus his attention on Gemara
The Torah was the law of God and there was no debate about it, as any other view would be sacrilegious. The first sages arose between 1st and 3rd century and were known as the Tannaim. The Tannaim wrote their “most authoritative and influential literary product, the Mishnah” (Segal, p. 43) during the early 3rd century. In a section called, Pirkei Avot (Sayings of the Founders), they quote wise men on the authority of God and Torah, “Simeon the Righteous was one of the last survivors of the great assembly. He would say: On three things does the world stand: (1) On the Torah, (2) "and on the Temple service, (3) and on deeds of loving kindness. Antigonos of Sokho received [the Torah] from Simeon the Righteous. He would say, (1) Do not be like servants who serve the master on condition of receiving a reward, (2) but [be] like servants who serve the master not on condition of receiving a reward. (3) And let the fear of Heaven be upon you" (Nuesner, p. 13). The Tannaim are reinforcing the idea to their (less educated) people that the world revolves around G-d and in order to appease G-d we must study Torah. They do not yet have the knowledge of future sages to interpret the meaning of Torah and instead teach Torah on a one-dimensional …show more content…
Maimonides believed in assisting the learning of his people by adjusting the wording of the scriptures to an intellectual level that his audience could comprehend. By meeting his followers where they are [intellectually] he enabled them grasp meaning of the Torah’s teachings, and obtain a richer form of knowledge than any people prior. Maimonides writes, “A person is obligated to divide his study time in three: one third should be devoted to the Written Torah; one third to the Oral Torah; and one third to understanding and conceptualizing the ultimate derivation of a concept from its roots, inferring one concept from another and comparing concepts, understanding based on the principles by which the Torah is explained, until one appreciates the essence of those principles and how the prohibitions and the other decisions which one received according to the oral tradition can be derived using them. The latter topic is called Gemara… when a person increases his knowledge and does not have the need to read the Written Torah, he should study the Written Torah and the oral tradition at designated times, so that he will not forget any aspect of the laws of the Torah—but he should focus his attention on Gemara