Way of Life

I gave this section the title "Way of Life" because it is more about the way the Jewish community was meant to function in the promised land. G-d did not leave them to their own devices in the Land, He provided various forms of leadership including Judges, Prophets, Priests and Kings.

Prophecy in Judaism is primarily about delivering messages from God to the people. The Hebrew word nabiy (naw-bee') which is generally translated prophet can also mean spokesman. Our English word prophet is from the Greek and means to fore tell. That is likely why we more usually think of prophecy as telling the future, but that is not generally what happens with the Hebrew prophets. The Bible begins with the history of the world from creation to the call of Abraham. By teh time of Abraham the close relationship between G-d and his creation had been largely lost. Abraham is called out of the rabble and then called a prophet, that is spokesman, in Genesis 20.7, which is the first time that designation is used. Out of Abraham came the patriarchs; Isaac and Jacob. Israel becomes a nation in captivity in Egypt. When Moses is called to deliver the Children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt, Aaron, Moses brother and spokesman is called his prophet. When they arrive at Mount Sinai and receive the Torah, Moses has a direct relationship with G-d. G-d wished that the nation could also have that.

When the Torah was given at Mount Sinai, all of Israel experienced direct prophecy [Exodus 19-24]. However, that revelation was too powerful for them, and they requested that Moses serve as an intermediary between them and God's word [Exodus 20.19]. Following that model, God sent us other prophets to communicate His messages. Prophecy continued until the beginning of the Second Temple period. [The last of the Biblical prophets is Malachi who is dated around 445-425 BC.] Since then, we have received God's word with less clarity. One of the indicators of the future redemption will be the return of prophecy to Israel. When the glory of God will be revealed in the future world, all will prophesy, young and old [Joel 2.28]. (  https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/5183322/jewish/Prophecy-in-Judaism.htm 7/29/24)

In the present day G-d's word is discerned by studying the Torah. Which leads us to the present page. Commands given at Sinai form the bases of Jewish legal studies, and teh basis for the commands discussed in these pages.

Idolatry, Idolaters and Idolatrous Practices are a major theme of the Bible up until the Babylonian captivity. According to the Rambam, Idolatry began in the days of Enosh (Genesis 4.26), when the people deviated from the truth (Laws of Idol Worship). In the Biblical narrative society declines from there. Then there is the story of Abraham and the Idol shop that is part of tradition where Abraham realizes who God is despite the world around him. That said Idolatry is no longer a major theme in the Bible after the return from the Babylonian exile. The notion here is putting anything in the place of God is idolatry. Through most of the Tanakh the disgusting practices of the idolatrous nations around Israel are vaguely described and forbidden in Israel.

As we have said Agriculture and Animal Husbandry are effected by local conditions of climate. In this section crossing of species is forbidden but according to the definition of species that was used when I was in school crossing of species would not be possible--that is the definition of species. The creation apologists talk about kinds of animals rather than species. Horses, donkeys and zebra can inter breed which indicates that they are actually of the same kind. There are mules, a hybrid between a donkey and a horse, in the Bible stories which would seem to indicate that there was no prohibition of that sort of breeding, at least in the time of Samuel and David.

Clothing or at least the type of clothing that is common in a society is often a way to recognize its members. Tassels (tzitzit) and prayer shawls (tallit) are covered under signs and symbols but they are distinctive Jewish articles of clothing. The Orthodox often wear them as a matter of course but most other Jews reserve them for worship. That is not the subject of these commands. The focus is cross dressing. Additionally it would be difficult at best to find clothing that is made of only one type of material these days.

The Firstborn of all animals and people are consecrated to the Lord, they are also can be redeemed in various ways, but without that redemption they belong to the Lord. Some of them become sacrifices or there are sacrifices required to redeem them. The notion is that everything is a gift from God and the first portion of everything is offered back to Him.

Most of the outside world know that there are Dietary Laws but there is really no reason to know the details. This page does not really treat the details either because there is much Rabbinic law that stands on top of the command we find in the Torah. Rabbis have studied the commands in this group and have many rules that, from the outside at least, do not seem to fit the commands. At any rate diet tends to separate observant Jews from the rest of the nations but the covenant also tells them how to relate to others.

Vayikra (Leviticus) 19.18 says "You shall neither take revenge from nor bear a grudge against the members of your people; you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord." This is a striking law for its time and we still struggle with it today. About clause "you shall love your neighbor as yourself," Rabbi Akiva says: "This is a fundamental [all-inclusive] principle of the Torah." - [Torath Kohanim 19:45] [Chabad.org]. This is the principal around life in the community and the Business Practices section. It is primarily concerned with dealing honestly with everyone. Lending to the poor is commanded even if the likelihood of being repaid is minimal. Further commands regulate the relationship between the rich and Employees, Servants and Slaves. (We note that slavery is not forbidden but it is regulated. Slaves are to be treated well. You are not to keep a fellow Israelite as a slave forever, that is not the case with the foreigner.) Sabbath regulations apply equally to slaves, strangers and animals.

Vows, Oaths and Swearing sound strange to us today but we do have contracts. The general notion is that your word should be trustworthy and your oaths reliable. The Sabbatical and Jubilee Years serve to allow the land to rest and debts to be forgiven. The Bible is not clear whether Israel ever manages to observe this portion of the law. Not only are the people and animals to observe the Sabbath but there is also commanded a sabbath for the land. In another section there are commands to save for the sabatical year where there will be no harvest.

Just as with the Sabbath and Sabbatical year regulations, The Court and Judicial Procedure require the fair treatment of everyone regardless of poverty. This is another place in the law where Israel is commanded to be separate from the other peoples of the world. Judges for Israel are to come from within Israel. Injuries and Damages is confusing at best but hat is not one of my divisions.

Property and Property Rights are important for a market economy. As with much of the Law God actually retains title to the land. Having said that tenure on the land is an important for investment and improvement. There are also commands surrounding lost property. To assist your neighbor in securing what is his. 

The Criminal Laws section includes kidnapping, robbery and fraud as one might expect but also covetousness and thinking evil thoughts. It is followed by Punishment and Restitution which relates only incidentally to the criminal section. The focus is to make the wronged party whole as much as possible.

 

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