Hello John and Doves,
I do not know very much
about the Talmud - the Oral Torah - and didn't realize how
much it differs from the Torah.
"The Oral Law is a legal
commentary on the Torah, explaining how its commandments
are to be carried out. Common sense suggests that
some sort of oral tradition was always needed to accompany
the Written Law, because the Torah alone, even with its
613 commandments, is an insufficient guide to Jewish
life....Without an oral tradition, some of the Torah's
laws would be incomprehensible....Finally, an oral Law was
needed to mitigate certain categorical Torah laws that
would have caused grave problems if carried out literally.
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-oral-law-talmud-and-mishna
The
Oral Law -Talmud & Mishna
This Oral Law was
eventually put in writing because there was a time when so
many teachers/rabbis were killed in revolts that they
feared the Oral Law would be forgotten unless it was
written down.
"The Hebrew Scripture
(also known as Torah) is the bedrock of Jewish practice
and beliefs. But the verses are
often terse, containing layers of hidden meaning.
Since the "Giving of the Torah", Jewish people studied
Scripture along with a corpus of Divine traditions (the
Oral Torah), which elucidated and expanded the Divine
wisdom of Torah. These oral traditions, and much
more, were eventually recorded in the Talmud."
"Much of the Talmud is
written as a conversation. A statement will be made,
questions will be asked, answers will be suggested and
rebutted, and more answers will be prooffered, often going
on for pages. Looking carefully at the names to whom
the questions and answers are attributed (and many are
simply anonymous), one can see hundreds of years of
brilliant scholarship and intense analysis packed
together. ...The Talmudic discussion was by read
people who were working their hardest to apply G-d's word
to their real life. Thus, the bulk of the Talmudic
texts contain analysis of Biblical verses and Torah law,
but it's interspersed with everything from medical advice
to stories, from folk sayings to fabric dying tips."
"The Talmud is almost
entirely the product of thousands of discussions that took
place in Torah academies. In Hebrew, these can be
known as a yeshivah....Until this very day, yeshivah
students around the world spend many hours a day poring
over the Talmud and its commentaries."
I have read that the
Talmud, to most teachers/scholars, rabbis, sages, and
yeshivah students is more important and more vital to
Judaism than the Torah.
Which brings me to the
following videos. I knew that the
"ultra-orthodox' Jews had very strict rules but I had no
idea how bad this was...until I watched the following
videos produced by One For Israel Ministry. The
teachings of the rabbis 'educate' men and women about
these very strict (and unfair) rules. Throughout the first
video linked below you'll see quotes from both current and
past rabbis in the Israeli government and one quoted rabbi
was head rabbi of the IDF, along with quotes from past and
present well respected rabbis.
One For Israel Ministry
is a Messianic Jewish organization that is reaching out to
Jews for Yeshua - they "started a new series called "The
Lies", unraveling the lies told about who Yeshua is and
about those who follow him." This Jewish ministry
is exposing what the rabbis are saying to the public vs
what they are saying in private to other rabbis and
their students.
Here is their website if
you'd like more information:
"Viral Video ROCKS the
Rabbinic establishment and shocks Israel - Anastasia - Pod
for Israel" Jun 18, 2020 One For Israel
Ministry. This video is a little over 19 minutes and
introduces us to what's been going on with this youtube
ministry's channel and their videos.
Here's one of their
videos - note the 'viewer discretion' warning.
"Myth #12 - The Oral
Torah sees women as The daughter of the King?" -
(Viewer Discretion Advised) Jun 23, 2020 One
For Israel Ministry
I would say the video is
shocking. I had no idea that Jewish (and Gentile)
women were looked at in this way, talked about so
disparagingly and that this 'mind set' is taught to
yeshiva students and other followers of Judaism.
This ministry is trying to reach the women in these
ultra-orthodox religious groups and tell them that God
does not see them like these men do. That God loves
them.
On this ministry's
website, they have their Statement of Faith: (more
at the site)
God:
"The Lord God, the Lord is one." The God of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob is the only God and Creator; there is
none beside him, and all the attributes of God are His
alone. His unique unity consists of Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit, each eternally and fully God. The Son,
our Messiah, having taken on sinless flesh when born to
the virgin Miriam, is also fully human.
Scripture:
The Bible, consisting of the Hebrew Scripture and
the New Testament, is the believer's sole authority in
all matters of faith and practice. It is inspired
by God and without error in the original manuscripts.
( And we can see, that
this is in sharp contrast to the sages and rabbis and
their 'Oral Torah".)
The People of God:
The people of Israel are God's chosen people whom He loves
with an everlasting love. God continues to fulfill
all of the promises given to the Fathers. The body
of the Messiah consists of Jews and Gentiles who trust in
the One God and in His Messiah for the forgiveness of
sin. Both share, without loss of national
identify, in the spiritual promises, which God made to
Israel, and are equal before God.
I pray God blesses this
ministry that is reaching out to His chosen people and
exposing the lies about His Son, Yeshua and telling about
His love for all - men AND women.
Pray for the peace of
Jerusalem!
Maranatha!
Chance