Messianic Judaism Quest

We often hear that Messianic Judaism is representative of “Biblical Judaism” or of being “Biblically Jewish.” The exact meanings of these phrases are always complicated and often convoluted. What they imply is that “Rabbinic Judaism” is by default unbiblical.

Were we to ask an Orthodox Jew if “rabbinic” Judaism is unbiblical, one could postulate his answer would be a resounding no!

The principal argument for the Oral Torah is as follows. The book of Sh’mot (Exodus), for example, states very clearly that we shall “labor six days and do no work on the seventh…” and that we should Shamor v’Zachor (remember and observe) the Shabbat to keep it holy.

What is the problem? The problem is that we do not know what this means. What is classified as work? The Torah shb’ktav (written Torah) does not tell us specifically what work is and yet is presupposes some understanding of this.

Hundreds of years later, during the time of the prophet Jeremiah, we find that he chastises the people for, among other things, “carrying burdens (things) out from among their houses or into the city of Jerusalem on Shabbat. Did Jeremiah have access to something we do not have, or is it simply that over time the definition of work was solidified by the judges, prophets, and sages of Israel?

Another example can be demonstrated in the following. The Torah states, “You shall not wholly reap the corners of your field…you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger.” We must immediately ask ourselves a series of questions. How big is a corner? Is it enough to leave four stalks of corn? Who are the poor? Who is the stranger? Is a city dweller excused from caring for the poor and for strangers because he has no fields? We can find many similar arguments stemming from the Temple service itself, to the laws of Kashrut, to circumcision, tzitzit, tefilling, and the list goes on.

So how are these issues resolved? See upcoming posts.

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