Pursuing Jewish Law: Faith And Practice

Judaism is one of the world's oldest religions, dating back nearly 4,000 years, and is considered the original Abrahamic faith. Followers of Judaism believe in one God who revealed himself through ancient prophets, including Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and Solomon, among others. The Jewish sacred text is called the Tanakh or the Hebrew Bible, and it includes the same books as the Old Testament in the Christian Bible, though in a slightly different order. The Torah, or the first five books of the Tanakh, outlines laws for Jews to follow and is sometimes referred to as the Pentateuch.

The word halakha is often used to refer to Jewish law and is derived from the Hebrew root halakh, which means to walk or to go. Halakha is based on biblical commandments, subsequent Talmudic and rabbinic laws, and customs and traditions compiled in various books. It guides religious practices and beliefs and numerous aspects of day-to-day life, including civil and criminal matters.

Halakha comes from three sources: the Torah, laws instituted by rabbis, and long-standing customs. The 613 commandments or mitzvot at the heart of halakha are considered unchangeable and are a mix of clear, explicit commands, implicit directives, and laws derived through deductive reasoning. While there is broad agreement on the number of commandments, there are differences in how some lists divide or categorise related or overlapping mitzvot.

The process of developing, interpreting, modifying, and enacting rules of conduct is how halakha evolves. The rabbis of classical Talmudic Judaism developed a system of hermeneutic principles to interpret the written Torah, and their teachings were committed to writing around 200 CE in the Mishnah, the earliest compendium of Jewish law. Later, the Talmud was created, containing the Mishnah and another text known as the Gemara, which includes interpretations of thousands of rabbis.

Today, different Jewish religious movements interpret and apply Jewish law according to their respective principles. While many Jews view halakha as spiritual guidance rather than binding law, it remains a central factor differentiating these movements.

The Written Torah

The Torah, or Jewish Written Law, consists of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. These books are also known as the Chumash, Pentateuch, or Five Books of Moses. The word "Torah" has multiple meanings, including a scroll made from kosher animal parchment, with the entire text of the Five Books of Moses written on it; the text of the Five Books of Moses, written in any format; and the term "Torah" can mean the entire corpus of Jewish law, including both the Written and Oral Law.

The Torah is foundational to Judaism. It is said to have been given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai, and it includes all of the biblical laws of Judaism. The Written Torah is also referred to as the Written Law, Torah she-bich'tav in Hebrew, or the Law of Moses.

The word "Torah" in Hebrew is derived from the root ירה, which means 'to guide' or 'to teach'. Thus, the more accurate translation of "Torah" is "teaching", "instruction", or "doctrine", rather than simply "law".

The Oral Torah

For example, the Written Torah states in Exodus 23:19 and Deuteronomy 14:21 that it is forbidden to "boil a kid in its mother's milk". The Oral Torah explains that these verses indicate a vast array of practices, including the complete ban on eating any kind of land animal with any kind of dairy product, the requirement of separate sets of cooking equipment and serving utensils for meat and dairy, and the obligation to wait some time after eating meat before consuming dairy.

The laws in the Oral Torah take two forms. Some are explanations and details of laws derived directly from interpretations of Torah verses. These are known as d'oraita, or "of the Torah", and are considered as binding as if they were explicitly detailed in the Written Torah. Others are laws known as d'rabbanan, or "of the rabbis". These are laws that were legislated by the rabbis and are considered obligatory by observant Jews, although transgressing them is not considered as severe as transgressing a d'oraita law.

Halakha

The development of Halakha began with the Oral Torah, which rabbinic sources claim was revealed at Mount Sinai along with the Written Torah. The Oral Torah was transmitted orally until it was recorded in texts such as the Mishnah, the earliest compendium of Jewish law, in the 3rd century. The interpretive traditions of the rabbis of the Land of Israel were later compiled into the Talmud Yerushalmi (Palestinian Talmud) in the 5th century, and the Talmud Bavli (Babylonian Talmud) in the 6th century.

Today, different Jewish religious movements interpret and apply Halakha in various ways, with some considering it binding and others seeing it as spiritual guidance rather than strict law.

Mitzvot

There are 613 mitzvot, which are divided into 248 positive commandments and 365 negative commandments. Positive commandments are "thou shalt" commandments, such as honouring your mother and father, and negative commandments are "thou shalt not" commandments, such as not murdering.

The 613 mitzvot are derived from the Torah, and the first five books of the Bible. Some are explicit, such as "thou shalt not murder", while others are implicit, such as the commandment to recite grace after meals, which is inferred from "and you will eat and be satisfied and bless the Lord your God". Some can only be ascertained by deductive reasoning, such as the commandment that a man shall not commit incest with his daughter, which is deduced from the commandment not to commit incest with his daughter's daughter.

Many of the 613 mitzvot cannot be observed at this time, as they relate to sacrifices and offerings that can only be made in the Temple, which does not exist today. Others relate to the theocratic state of Israel, which also does not exist today. Some are specific to certain groups, such as agricultural laws, which only apply within the state of Israel, or laws that only apply to Kohanim or Levites.

The most accepted list of the 613 mitzvot is Maimonides' list in his Mishneh Torah.

Commandments

Jewish law, or halakha, is a set of rules and practices that govern every aspect of life, from religious rituals to everyday activities. The word "halakha" is usually translated as "Jewish Law", but a more literal translation might be "the path that one walks". Halakha comes from three sources: the Torah, laws instituted by rabbis, and long-standing customs.

The Torah is the foundation of Judaism and is replete with instructions, directives, statutes, laws, and rules. Most are directed at the Israelites, but some are directed at all humanity. The words of the Torah constitute what the rabbinic tradition calls the Written Torah. However, teachings also emerged that were based on or connected to the Torah, but not literally evident in the text. This body of teaching is known as the Oral Torah, and rabbinic sources claim that it was also revealed at Sinai.

Halakha begins with the Oral Torah. The rabbis of classical Talmudic Judaism developed a system of hermeneutic principles by which to interpret the words of the written Torah. As rabbinic teachings increased, it was necessary to commit them to writing, and around the year 200 CE, the Mishnah, the earliest compendium of Jewish law, appeared. It became the curriculum of rabbinic instruction.

The Talmud is a digest of the various teachings of many generations of rabbis on issues of law and other subjects. It is universally accepted as the arbiter of halakha and is the subject of many extensive commentaries.

The commandments (mitzvot) are divided into positive and negative commands, which are treated differently in terms of divine and human punishment. Positive commandments require an action to be performed and are considered to bring the performer closer to God. Negative commandments forbid a specific action and violations create a distance from God.

The Talmud states that there are 613 commandments in the Torah, 248 positive ("thou shalt") and 365 negative ("thou shalt not"), supplemented by seven commandments legislated by the rabbis of antiquity. Currently, many of these commandments cannot be performed until the building of the Temple in Jerusalem.

The 10 Commandments

The division and structure of the 10 commandments have been open to interpretation throughout history. The commandments themselves are not certain, with 13 sentences in the accepted Jewish version and 17 in the Christian. The allocation of these sentences to the 10 commandments can be done in a variety of ways.

First Commandment

> I am the Lord Your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

Second Commandment

> You shall have no other gods beside Me. You shall not make for yourself any graven image, nor any manner of likeness, of any thing that is heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them, nor serve them, for I, the Lord Your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.

Third Commandment

> You shall not take the name of the Lord Your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that takes His name in vain.

Fourth Commandment

> Remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a Sabbath unto the Lord Your God, in it you shall not do any manner of work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your man-servant, nor your maid-servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested on the seventh day. Wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and made it holy.

Fifth Commandment

> Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord God gives you.

Sixth Commandment

> You shall not murder.

Seventh Commandment

> You shall not commit adultery.

Eighth Commandment

> You shall not steal.

Ninth Commandment

> You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Tenth Commandment

> You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, nor his wife, his man-servant, his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.

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