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History reveals the Hand of God. After 2000 years, the reestablishment of the nation of Israel points to the existence of God. And what is our role in this world?

The early history of the biblical timeline is long with spread out events. The period of the Book of Judges and Kings is about 200 years each. The Prophetic period was about 400 years and encompassed two exiles.

Several events in history parallel biblical events. The Asian Hyksos dynasty takes over in Egypt, CA 17^th-15^th BCE. This would be during the time of Jacob’s family. Archeological evidence indicates that the Hyksos had the same material culture as the Canaanites. They were merchants. In addition, they possessed horses and chariots. They knew how to shoot arrows from horseback suggesting they had mastered the development of the composite bow. In all likelihood the Hyksos were Canaanites who had collected additional know how and horses from traders. In the bible we read how Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to purchase grain. Here Jacob’s family exhibits merchant qualities. Joseph’s rise to power in Egypt would have been more difficult under a pre/post Hyksos xenophobic dynasty. A Hyksos pharaoh would have been predisposed to Joseph who was from the land of Canaan. The Hyksos dynasty falls in the 15^th century BCE to a ‘native’ Egyptian dynasty. The ‘old’ xenophobic Egyptian Rulership returns enslaving the Israelites who were then living in the lush, lower Nile delta of Goshen. In 13^th century BCE, G-d sends Moses a Jew, who Pharaoh’s daughter had adopted, to bring His people home to Israel.

In 721 BCE the Assyrians conquer the Northern Tribes of Israel. Isaiah prophesied that Judah under the leadership of the righteous King Hezekiah will not fall.^[1932] The Assyrians reach the hills around Jerusalem and 140,000 die by an angel defending the city. Babylon with Egypt and Media (Persia) conquer Nineveh capital of Assyria in 609 BCE. The Babylonians go on to conquer Israel in 589 BCE and the Temple in Jerusalem falls in 586 BCE. 130 years after the prophecy of Isaiah, 559 BCE, King Cyrus the Great leads the Medes or Persians under the walls of Babylon via the Euphrates river which he had dammed and captures the capital, overthrowing King Nebuchadnezzar. This fulfils Isaiah’s prophecy of the fall of Babylon and the prophecy of Daniel who was in the service of the King Nebuchadnezzar. Darius of Persia permits the Jews to start rebuilding their temple in 519 BCE. The Hellenistic empire under Ptolemy I takes control of Israel in 323 BCE. Pompey of the Romans captures Jerusalem in 63 BCE. Herod the Great expands the second temple in 29 BCE. Jewish revolts against the Romans in 70 CE, 115 CE, and 132 CE. Byzantine empire takes over with Julian the Apostate in 330 CE. Arab conquest of Jerusalem in 638 CE. Dome of the Rock built 691 CE.

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest material biblical texts, raised questions on the accuracy of the modern day text. However, the variations found in the scrolls are almost always of additional material. For example, Psalm 145 in the DSS contains a verse for the letter Nun. Interestingly the verse is inspiring and an excellent fit. Furthermore the DSS Psalm 145 fragment is older than the earliest physical copy of the canonized biblical text. Nevertheless, it would be wrong to infer that this version of Psalm 145 represents David’s original writing. The nature of being a scribe in Israel was not necessarily to copy a holy text identically, but to occasionally improve on style, correct spelling, and to add notes or to the text in inspired manner. This was not the case outside of Israel, where the rabbis said prophecy did not exist. Hence the Masorites, who canonized the Hebrew bible, selected earlier preserved biblical texts from those amongst the Israelites that returned from the Babylonian exile. The shorter the text the less likely explanatory editing had crept in.

Editors, scribes, biblical redactors and interpreters were often the same folk in the biblical period. The Truth of the Bible is that it is unified and meaningful because of the contributions of both prophets and interpreters. To ignore the interpreters in the pursuit of the pure intention of the original text is to deny the essence of the Bible, which is a collection of texts that the interpreters selected based on inspired judgment. In reference to biblical scholarship or criticism, James Kugel said, “What is, as I say, naïve about this view (the denial of interpretation) is its failure to take into account the crucial role played by ancient interpreters in the very emergence of the Bible.”^[1933] Interestingly, the same folks who selected the biblical texts, the Masorites, led in their interpretation.

Nevertheless, there is a danger that an interpreter may use a biblical text for his own agenda and hence abuse the intention of the prophet. For the scholar, the proper balance is to pursue the contextual truth of the biblical text with an inspired interpretation. The New Testament is an example of a text interpreting the Old Testament for its own fulfillment. Newer interpretations often contradict older interpretations closer to the original prophets’ intentions.

Overall, interpretation is beneficial if we find moral and spiritual meaning in the text that improves our closeness to G-d and each other. That an interpretation may be obtuse becomes irrelevant if it suits better the purpose of the bible.

To question the veracity of the bible, but to believe in G-d requires one to define or ignore the truth.

Often, G-d condescends to the requests of the people. When the people ask for a king, G-d proclaims that the people have forsaken Him, but relents and permits kingship, which evolves into the messianic hope. Another condescending is the High Priest being able to place the sins of the people on the head of a goat, ‘transference of sins’. After a stray scapegoat returns to town the people decide that the goat must be thrown over a cliff on Yom Kippur instead of simply led into the wilderness.

An ancient Hebrew legend says that one time the abandoned scapegoat somehow found its way back to Jerusalem much to the horror of the people. Consequently, it was deemed that all future scapegoats would be taken to a particular cliff in the wilderness and thrown down insuring its death.^[1935]

The Almighty’s condescension to letting Israel have a human king led to messianic movements estranged from Judaism. Some of these movements canonized their conflict with the Jews in religious texts leading to persecutions ad-infinitum. Yet, the hope for messiah lives and Jewish folklore teaches that G-d created the messiah before the creation of the world.

The Ribono Shalom foresaw that Israel would request a leader other than himSelf and provided that such leadership would enter Israel to direct the people back to G-d.

In the ancient near east, almost all nations recorded history and religious texts as propaganda about the greatness of their leaders and peoples. The one exception to this rule was the Jewish people who recorded religious texts chastising their peoples and leaders. One would think the consequence of this honesty would be a greater respect for such a people. On the contrary, we have seen that other nations have taken these writings and jumped on the accusatory bandwagon, degrading the Jewish people while overlooking their own faults.

Both the Old and New Testaments are scripture written by Jews. They contain reprimands and criticisms for the Jewish people to help them improve. Other nations have adopted these texts as their canon. One might think that these nations would apply these scriptures examining their own lives in their light. Instead, many have taken to stereotyping Jews for all time, believing the prophets accusations eternal prophecy. Consequently, nations who have adopted the Jewish testaments continuously attack them, judging them according to a double standard, while exempting their own behavior.

While other nations protected their reputations by not recording negative historical events about their own peoples, the Jewish bible is very open about the virtues and vices of the Jewish nation. Religions such as Christianity and Islam adopting the Old Testament become prejudiced by these teachings instead of seeing them as applying to themselves. The New Testament taking after the trend of the prophets applies criticism towards the Jewish people. The negative examples of Jewish people in the New Testament are a major historical cause of anti-Semitism.

In the story of the Horbon Bayit Rishon, Destruction of the First House of Israel,^[1936] Rabbi Nachman of Breslov taught that Mezuzaraden, the chief butcher, led the armies into Jerusalem. In Jerusalem he killed nine hundred and forty thousand Jews. In a valley outside of a Jerusalem he killed two million and one hundred thousand Jews. He noticed that the blood ran like a river into an area touching the blood of where the prophet Zechariah had died. He noticed that the blood was boiling in that area like there was a fire. He asked the Jews about this. They were afraid to admit, “He was a prophet amongst us, who was speaking the word of G-d, who told us that our sins would lead to this destruction. We refused to listen to him and we killed him.” After a few tests to try to appease the blood, Mezuzarden realized the truth and said, “I will take up the part and avenge this prophet.” He asked his soldiers to bring all the chief rabbis of the Sanhedren. Speaking to the blood he said, “I am going to appease you by killing all these chief rabbis, myself.” Still, the blood kept boiling so he asked that all the youth, the young boys and girls be brought before him and he killed them. Still, the blood kept boiling so he asked all the children be brought before him as well and he slew them. He called out to the blood, “Zechariah, Zechariah, I have killed the best of your people, do you want me to kill every last living Jewish person?” Finally the blood stopped boiling. He then became very pensive. “If all of this bearly satisfied the death of one person, how can I make amends for all the people I have killed?” He was aware of one Jewish principle, that of tshuvah. He took off his general’s clothes, converted, repented and began studying Torah and became a devout Jew.

Rabbi Nachman teaches that this happened with many famous people or their children. The children of Haman studied Torah in B’nai Brak in Israel. The children of Sisera enemy of Israel, whose head Yael nailed to a rock, taught classes to children in Jerusalem. Shemayah and Avtalyon, the fourth pair heading the Sanhedrin at the end of the Hasmonean era, were proselytes descendent from Sanheriv, the Assyrian, who had conquered the Middle East.

From here we learn that G-d may use the wicked against the Jewish people, because of our sins, but even they can atone for their sins if they or the descendents turn completely around. So much the more so, we should all know that there is not a sin to great that G-d cannot forgive us. The prophets intended their message to the people they chastise not to a third nation to stereotype with hatred. When the Christians see themselves as Jews in the year 6000, Christian anti-Semitism will end.

When G-d speaks with a prophet, He manifests within the symbols and knowledge that the prophet has acquired. Most wrongly conceive that G-d speaks to a prophet as an outside source divested of the background, language, and knowledge of the prophet. In essence, G-d is an inside source for the prophet revealing the past, present, and future within his or hers background for understanding. Hence, improving ones knowledge improves the dimensions of ones prophecy. Moshe, for instance was familiar with the ideas of several religions. He may have possessed scrolls or oral tradition containing family trees or historical texts that prepared him for the Torah prophecy. Knowledge doesn’t detract from the significance of prophecy. Knowledge enables the prophet to ask the right questions and understand the answers in context.

Other religions have parallels to Jewish mysticism.^[1937] In Zoroastrianism there is a dualist cosmology in which the conflict between the forces of good and evil is played out. On the good side stood Ahura Mazda who is the source of the good angels and on the evil side stood Angra Mainy, the Destructive Spirit, and his demonic hordes. The demonic hordes evolved from the Indian devas in the veda idea. There are Intelligences and other classifications of angels here. The Essenes who believed in a battle between the Sons of Light and the Sons of Darkness were following a similar idea with a concept of angels and fallen angels. Nevertheless, the Jewish idea is that there is only one G-d. The actions of angels are only a reflection of the action of men below. That every nation has a counterpart guardian angel and the battles between men are reflected in the battles between angels is a Kabbalistic idea.

The concept of the sefirot is only remotely similar to the Gnostic idea of aeons.^[1938] Gnosticism posited far more than ten aeons, and they referred to planes of existence with a plane ruler. There is a diminishment of the spiritual force in each descending aeon, until one finally reaches the physical world, which is ‘evil’ in Gnosticism. The Sefirot on the other hand relate to the attributes of G-d manifesting in this world. There is however the common idea that the shefa, bounty of G-d’s energy, descends through the sefirot to our world. “When the Gnostics viewed the night sky they saw the stars as angels who had erred, the heavens as a vault barring them from their soul’s home.”^[1939] In Jewish Kabbalah the stars have an associated angel but not an angel that has “erred.” G-d supports his creation continuously with angels.

The Zohar is an example of a work written in the name of an earlier author. Religious Jews identified the author with Shimon bar Yochai. Critics claim the author is Moses de Leon. Historically, many of the ideas in the Zohar are of later origin than the first century, the time Shimon bar Yochai lived. Nevertheless, the text stands on its own merit, even with an unknown author. To those who claim it bears Platonic, Pythagorean, Gnostic, or Zorastrian ideas and deny its value on this regard, I will say that unique Jewish interpretations make the text very useful.

To benefit from a text like the Zohar, one places ones mind in a state pursuing the symbolisms of the author. Amazement reveals new pathways to G-d. The historical authorship becomes less significant when one realizes that crediting an earlier sage is an act of humility. Also within the spiritual realm, G-d provides a Maggid or speaker who transmits ideas from the perspective of an earlier sage. In this manner, the Zohar is a diving board of ideas. One must swim deeply in these ideas before one resurfaces with visionary and spiritual experiences.

Enoch 1, 2, and 3 contain writings claimed to be from Hanoch. Enoch 1 consists of Babylonian inspired ideas of angels while Enoch 3 is Merkavah Mysticism. The ideas in these texts are not outside of Judaism. In fact the books of Enoch are sources for many biblical commentaries on the Torah. In a similar manner, the Book of Yashar is a source text for much of the Midrash Rabbah.^[1940]

“What distinguishes a pseudepigraphic work from a biblical work is that pseudepigraphy answers questions and a biblical work raises them.”^[1941]

‘Rab Judah reported in the name of Samuel:^[1942] Three thousand traditional laws were forgotten during the period of mourning for Moses’. They said to Joshua: ‘Ask’;^[1943] (that they be revealed from heaven) he replied: It is not in heaven.^[1944] They [the Israelites] said to Samuel: ‘Ask’; he replied: [Scripture says:] These are the commandments,^[1945] implying [that since the promulgation of these commandments] no prophet has now the right to introduce anything new.

Said R. Isaac the Smith: Also the law relating to a sin-offering whose owners have died was forgotten during the period of mourning for Moses. They [the Israelites] said to Phinehas: ‘Ask’; he replied to them: ‘It is not in heaven’. They said to Eleazar: ‘Ask’. He replied: ‘These are the commandments’, implying [that since the promulgation of these commandments] no prophet has now the right to introduce anything new.

G-d creates truth. Man forms reality.^[1946] The word—logos, reforms reality continuously. In science, our concept of the Universe evolves with each new empirical observation changing reality.^[1947] The past exists only in memories and recordings of history. We determine the reality of the past by our present memory and our focus on what existed.

Prophetic revelation is the gateway to truth. Hence, the Written Torah is entirely revelation of truth revealed to Moses on Mt. Sinai.^[1948] On the other hand, the Oral Torah, which includes Mishnah, Midrash, and Gemara, is a mixture of G-d’s truth and man’s reality. Within the Gemara, there is Agadah (story), Halachah (law), and Kabbalah (received mysticism). When a sage writes with Ruach Hakodesh, he reveals truth. When he writes with dialectic^[1949] legal questioning and answering (Pilpul) or hermeneutical^[1950] exposition (Rules), he forms reality.^[1951] In the Midrash, there is Drash, explanation, based on conjecture and there is Drash based on Ruach Hakodesh as well. The Oral Torah sections on Halacha are based on Rabbi Ishmael’s hermeneutical rules interpreting the Written Torah to form new reality. For this reason these sections are not found in heaven.^[1952]

Rab Judah reported in the name of Rab: When Moses departed [this world] for the Garden of Eden he said to Joshua: ‘Ask me concerning all the doubts you have’. He replied to him: ‘My Master, have I ever left you for one hour and gone elsewhere? Did you not write concerning me in the Torah: But his servant Joshua the son of Nun departed not out of the tabernacle? Immediately the strength [of Moses] weakened and [Joshua] forgot three hundred laws and there arose [in his mind] seven hundred doubts [concerning laws]. Then all the Israelites rose up to kill him. The Holy One, blessed be He, then said to him [Joshua]: ‘It is not possible to tell you. Go and occupy their attention in war, as it says: Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spake; and it further says; [Prepare you victuals for within three days, etc.].

It has been taught: A thousand and seven hundred kal vahomer and gezerah shavah and specifications of the Scribes were forgotten during the period of mourning for Moses. Said R. Abbuha: Nevertheless Othniel the son of Kenaz restored [these forgotten teachings] as a result of his dialectics,^[1953] as it says: And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it; and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife.

The Oral Law is not in heaven. We cannot be sure that the conclusions or explanations were in fact G-d’s true intention or meaning. Reality is formed by man. Interestingly, rabbis hold their principles, their decided laws, higher than the will of G-d when faced with revelation:^[1954]

R. Helbo said: One must always observe the honour due to his wife, because blessings rest on a man's home only on account of his wife, for it is written, And he treated Abram well for her sake. And thus did Raba say to the townspeople of Mahuza, Honour your wives, that ye may be enriched.

We learnt elsewhere: If he cut it into separate tiles, placing sand between each tile: R. Eliezer declared it clean, and the Sages declared it unclean; ^{(end of 59a)}
and this was the oven of ‘Aknai. Why [the oven of] ‘Aknai? — Said Rab Judah in Samuel's name: [It means] that they encompassed it with arguments as a snake, and proved it unclean. It has been taught: On that day R. Eliezer brought forward every imaginable argument, but they did not accept them. Said he to them: ‘If the halachah agrees with me, let this carob-tree prove it!’ Thereupon the carob-tree was torn a hundred cubits out of its place — others affirm, four hundred cubits. ‘No proof can be brought from a carob-tree,’ they retorted. Again he said to them: ‘If the halachah agrees with me, let the stream of water prove it!’ Whereupon the stream of water flowed backwards — ‘No proof can be brought from a stream of water,’ they rejoined. Again he urged: ‘If the halachah agrees with me, let the walls of the schoolhouse prove it,’ whereupon the walls inclined to fall. But R. Joshua rebuked them, saying: ‘When scholars are engaged in a halachic dispute, what have ye to interfere?’ Hence they did not fall, in honour of R. Joshua, nor did they resume the upright, in honour of R. Eliezer; and they are still standing thus inclined. Again he said to them: ‘If the halachah agrees with me, let it be proved from Heaven!’ Whereupon a Heavenly Voice cried out: ‘Why do ye dispute with R. Eliezer, seeing that in all matters the halachah agrees with him!’ But R. Joshua arose and exclaimed: ‘It is not in heaven.’ What did he mean by this? — Said R. Jeremiah: That the Torah had already been given at Mount Sinai; we pay no attention to a Heavenly Voice, because Thou hast long since written in the Torah at Mount Sinai, After the majority must one incline.

R. Nathan met Elijah and asked him: What did the Holy One, Blessed be He, do in that hour? — He laughed [with joy], he replied, saying, ‘My sons have defeated Me, My sons have defeated Me.’ It was said: On that day all objects which R. Eliezer had declared clean were brought and burnt in fire. Then they took a vote and blessed him off.^[1955] Said they, ‘Who shall go and inform him?’ ‘I will go,’ answered R. Akiba, ‘lest an unsuitable person go and inform him, and thus destroy the whole world.’^[1956] What did R. Akiba do? He donned black garments and wrapped himself in black, and sat at a distance of four cubits from him. ‘Akiba,’ said R. Eliezer to him, ‘what has particularly happened to-day?’ ‘Master,’ he replied, ‘it appears to me that thy companions hold aloof from thee.’ Thereupon he too rent his garments, put off his shoes, removed [his seat] and sat on the earth, whilst tears streamed from his eyes. The world was then smitten: a third of the olive crop, a third of the wheat, and a third of the barley crop. Some say, the dough in women's hands swelled up.

Hashem like a parent takes pleasure in the new works of His children. “Defeated Me” is as if to say, “my children have become smarter than me.”

A Tanna taught: Great was the calamity that befell that day, for everything at which R. Eliezer cast his eyes was burned up. R. Gamaliel^[1957] too was traveling in a ship, when a huge wave arose to drown him. ‘It appears to me,’ he reflected, ‘that this is on account of none other but R. Eliezer b. Hyrcanus.’ Thereupon he arose and exclaimed, ‘Sovereign of the Universe! Thou knowest full well that I have not acted for my honour, nor for the honour of my paternal house, but for Thine, so that strife may not multiply in Israel! ‘At that the raging sea subsided.

Ima Shalom was R. Eliezer's wife, and sister to R. Gamaliel. From the time of this incident onwards she did not permit him to fall upon his face in the Tachnun prayer.^[1958] Now a certain day happened to be New Moon, but she mistook a full month for a defective one. Others say, a poor man came and stood at the door, and she took out some bread to him. [On her return] she found him fallen on his face. ‘Arise,’ she cried out to him, ‘thou hast slain my brother.’ In the meanwhile an announcement was made from the house of Rabban Gamaliel that he had died. ‘Whence dost thou know it?’ he questioned her. ‘I have this tradition from my father's house: All gates are locked, excepting the gates of wounded feelings.’

Rabbi Gamaliel held views similar to that of Shamai in terms of strictness. The following viewpoint was in contradiction to the teaching of Avos 1:1 to “educate many disciples.”^[1959]

For Rabban Gamaliel had issued a proclamation [saying]. No disciple whose character does not correspond to his exterior may enter the Beth ha-Midrash.

Rabbi Gamaliel also instituted the 19^th blessing of the Amidah that cursed unbelievers, the Sadduces, and heretics in his time. Later, the blessing referred to Christian persecutors or to secular scoffers. For example, in the year 1400 a baptized Jew spread the slander that the words “for they bow to void and vanity and pray to a god who does not help”^[1960] in the Alenu prayer referred to the founder of Christianity. Hence, today the blessing or curse begins, “And for the slanders let there be no hope.” The first word beginning with a vav, “And”, combines the blessing with the previous blessing in order to maintain the eighteen blessing limitation of the Amidah according to the Mishnah, “RABBAN GAMALIEL SAYS: EVERY DAY A MAN SHOULD SAY THE EIGHTEEN BENEDICTIONS.” ^[1961] Nevertheless, the Gemara explains the intention is that we recite the name of G-d specifically eighteen times to metaphorically compose the Great Name (the Seventy-two Letter Name). ^[1962] With the 19^th benediction, this is no longer the case!

Our Rabbis taught: He who wounds the feelings of a proselyte transgresses three negative injunctions, and he who oppresses him infringes two. Wherein does wronging differ? Because three negative injunctions are stated: Viz., Thou shalt not wrong a stranger [i.e., a proselyte], And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not wrong him, and ye shall not therefore wrong each his fellowman, a proselyte being included in ‘fellowman.’ But for ‘oppression’ also three are written, viz., and thou shalt not oppress him, Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger, and [If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee,] thou shalt not be to him as a usurer which includes a proselyte! — But [say] both [are forbidden] by three [injunctions].

It has been taught: R. Eliezer the Great said: Why did the Torah warn against [the wronging of] a proselyte in thirty-six, or as others say, in forty-six, places? Because he has a strong inclination to evil.^[1963] What is the meaning of the verse, Thou shalt neither wrong a stranger, nor oppress him; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt? It has been taught: R. Nathan said: Do not taunt your neighbour with the blemish you yourself have. And thus the proverb runs: If there is a case of hanging in a man's family record, say not to him, ‘Hang this fish up for me.’

Rabbi Gamaliel teaches, “so that strife may not multiply in Israel!” the decree of the majority is upheld indifferent to the will of heaven. A legitimate question is whether strife multiplies when a minority with the truth is disregarded for the majority.^[1964] The Karite movement disregarded the entire Oral Law and formed its own people, because they did not believe the Oral Torah was authentic revelation. The Reform movement broke from Orthodox Judaism because they set out on their own search for the Truth. One man plus the Truth is greater than then the majority.^[1965]

The Torah sets out the role of the elders/judges to try cases with the “spirit of G-d.”

NUM 11:16 And the LORD said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee.

NUM 11:17 And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.

The officers operated in the gates of the city, attempting to judge correctly with the spirit of G-d. To protect against biased influences, G-d forbids them from accepting gifts.

DEU 16:18 Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment.

DEU 16:19 Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.

DEU 16:20 That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

The 70 elders would constitute the court of the Sanhedren with Moses serving as the President, Nasi. With the High Priest this is 72 and they parallel the 72 names of G-d.^[1966] The 70 elders represent 70 higher angels guiding 70 nations of the world. The Sanhedren served to clarify and unify the law of Israel, the Oral Law as well as to hear cases.

MISHNAH 1. MOSES RECEIVED THE TORAH^[1967] AT SINAI AND TRANSMITTED IT TO JOSHUA,^[1968] JOSHUA TO THE ELDERS,^[1969] AND THE ELDERS TO THE PROPHETS, AND THE PROPHETS TO THE MEN OF THE GREAT SYNAGOGUE.^[1970] THE LATTER USED TO SAY THREE THINGS:^[1971] BE PATIENT IN [THE ADMINISTRATION OF] JUSTICE, REAR MANY DISCIPLES AND MAKE A FENCE ROUND THE TORAH.^[1972]

Yeshiva Aish HaTorah^[1973] has recently popularized the idea of Torah codes. These are words formed by laying out the Torah into various two dimensional tables and searching for names horizontally, vertically, and diagonally. Torah coding like Gematria is a form of kabbalistic meditation. In Torah codes, while some names, places, and events exist; others do not exist. In Gematria, one selects those equivalences that one finds inspirational. There are also words that are clearly connected in meaning that do not connect with Gematria. While computers are useful for pulling out patterns of words or computing the Gematria of all words and sorting them, a person must apply his or her inspiration in selecting those patterns or equivalences that have meaning. Overall these are techniques of meditation.

Torah coding assumes that the Torah is a mystical text delivered verbatim by G-d to Moses on Mt. Sinai without space between words or punctuation. By this approach, words exist in the Torah by reading in different directions or partitioning groups of letters different than the spacing. Those who are most enthused by this technique hold that the Torah we have today is letter for letter the same as given on Mt. Sinai. One must certainly hold that the Torah text is sacred to progress in this form of study.

There is great concern from those studying Torah codes that the Torah should not exist in other versions with even a single letter of difference. To this end the Masorites canonized the Tanach, the version we use today. The Masoretic Torah, letter for letter represents the oldest most accurate form of the Five Books of Moses. Patrick W. Skehan, a biblical scholar of Qumran said:

Frank Cross had this to say at the dedication of the Shrine of the Book holding the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1965:

While haplography^[1976] also produces short readings, and the text of Samuel is demonstrably defective by reason of extensive haplography, there can be no denying that the received text of the Pentateuch is a marvelously compact and well-preserved text, from the point of view of the modern textual critic. The difficulty arises when we look at the received text outside the Pentateuch and the Former Prophets.

The Masorites were careful to select the oldest most compact forms of the scrolls existing in their day to identify the original Torah. The Masorites may have relied on scrolls that left Israel in the second exile and returned later over those at the Dead Sea. The Bible in Israel was more of a living entity with perhaps key commentary and editorial improvements occasionally finding their way into the scrolls. This applies far more to texts of the prophets and later works than to the Torah. Most supposition amongst biblical critics is that the same process was done on the Torah centuries earlier. There are no alternate texts to prove this. Nevertheless if this would be the case, it would not in any way hinder our belief that the Torah we have today is divinely given and the form intended by G-d.

G-d prefers an ongoing relationship with mankind as opposed to a single happening. The Torah is part of this relationship. G-d gave the Torah to his children. The love of the Torah by his children caused them to add spaces between words to show their understanding to their father. Perhaps Ezra selected Assyrian shapes for the letters magnifying their boldness, improving readability. Rabbi Akiva added crowns to the Torah letters to decorate them with the greatness he saw in them. Others recorded vowel points to preserve the correct pronunciation of the words, as G-d may have prophetically revealed them again in their generation. Still others developed musical notes so that they could pass on the great song of the Torah that they discovered in their generation.

The Dominican Republic under Rafael Trujillo prepared an agricultural community for Jews to resettle during the Holocaust. Only 1000 Jews managed to get to the Dominican Republic at this time. The benevolent dictator stated that his country would be willing to except 100,000 Jews.^[1977] Trujillo led his country from 1930-1961 at which time he was assassinated.^[1978]

The Damascus Affair or libel was a blood libel against the Jews in the mid 1800’s perpetrated by the Damascus community.^[1979] German Jews, thought possessing considerable influence at this time, did not come to the aid of the Damascus community.

Presidents prefer to have advisors with contrary viewpoints to help them make the best decision. Such was the case with Schultz and Casper Weinberger during the Reagan and Bush Senior administrations as is the case between Rumsfeld and Powell in the Bush Junior administration.^[1980] This important lesson teaches the strengths of democracy which is that we have a nation of multiple viewpoints. This permits us to generate a larger domain of solutions to a problem set and hopefully find one that works.

While one viewpoint may be predominantly right and another predominantly wrong, this does not negate the advantage of alternative viewpoints in the democratic process. What is important is that wrong viewpoints do not attempt to override the views of society, but that the percolation of views continues with the right viewpoint eventually rising to the top in public policy decision-making.

For an astute knowledge of world politics, one should read the New York Times.^[1981] ‘The Law of Small Numbers in Politics’ is when a vocal minority is diminishing in relative number in a society than its influence is diminishing as well. The corollary of this rule is that when a vocal minority represents an insignificant number in the population, then it is insignificant for all practical purposes.

^[1927] Michael, Purim 5762.
^[1928] Terry
^[1929] Ibid
^[1930] Mehitzah
^[1931] Based on Terry’s ideas on Purim 5762.
^[1932] Ramban considered Hezekiah the messiah.
^[1933] The Bible As It Was, James Kugel, Harvard Press, 1997, page 558.

^[1934] Meditative answer to whether sin transfer occurs with the high priest confessing the sins of Israel and ‘giving’ the sins to the head of the goat.
^[1935] http://www.veronaumc.org/sermons/Scapegoat.htm
^[1936] Aryeh Rosenfeld, Breslov, Lecture Gittin (divorce) 56A
^[1937] see also the Chapter on Religions.
^[1938] In Gnosticism, there are 365 of these with the highest one ruled by the angel Abraxas.
^[1939] Encyclopedia of Angels, Rosemary Ellen Guiley, Facts on File, 1996, page 71.
^[1940] A text quoted in the Bible itself containing a retelling of the story of Genesis.
^[1941] Michael Walton, 1/20/02.
^[1942] Soncino Talmud, Mas. T’mura 16a
^[1943] Soncino Talmud note: Through the holy spirit, that these forgotten laws should be taught anew (R. Gershom).
^[1944] Ibid: Deut. XXX, 12. The whole Torah has already been given.
^[1945] Ibid: Num. XXXVI, 13
^[1946] Form is at the level of Yetzirah as opposed to create, which is at the level of Beriyah.
^[1947] The finite Universe is now ever expanding from the Big Bang into eventual desolate space.
^[1948] Written Torah composed of the Five Books of Moses, the Prophets, and Writings
^[1949] Dialectic – Proposed Answer (thesis), follow up questions and analysis (antithesis), solution (synthesis). Suggestion, questioning, and answering approach found throughout the Talmud in halachic derivation.
^[1950] Hermeneutical – Explanatory, expository, interpretive, illustrative. For example, Rabbi Ishmael’s rules for expounding the Torah are hermeneutical rules. “Gadamer argues that a historian’s own situation plays a role in determining the content of his interpretation of a historical event, i.e., a historian’s own “prejudices” constitute necessary conditions for historical understanding.”
^[1951] Yacov Neuman, Salt Lake City, Utah, (801) 581-9269. Yacov holds that there is only truth when there is doubt. Every great theory holds a counter theory. see Britannica Talmud and Midrash Article
^[1952] Soncino Talmud, Mas. T’mura 16a
^[1953] Pilpul in the Aramaic, a type of reasoning by example
^[1954] Soncino Talmud – Mas. Baba Metzia 59a-59b
^[1955] This word in Aramaic, וברכוהו, means they excommunicated him.
^[1956] Soncino Talmud note: I.e., commit a great wrong by informing him tactlessly and brutally.
^[1957] Soncino Talmud note: The Nasi and the prime mover in the ban against R. Eliezer.
^[1958] Soncino Talmud note: Ima Shalom feared that her husband might pour out his grief and feeling of injury in these prayers, and that God, listening to them, would punish R. Gamaliel, her brother.
^[1959] Berachot 28A
^[1960] Isaiah 30:7 and 45:20.
^[1961] Berachot 28B
^[1962] see Compound Number 18, Amidah
^[1963] Soncino Talmud note: So Rashi in Hor. 13a. Jast.: because his original character is bad — into which evil treatment might cause him to relapse.
^[1964] In those cases where they differ
^[1965] The motto of the Las Vegas Jewish News
^[1966] see 72 Letter Name
^[1967] Soncino Talmud note: Scripture and its complementary Oral Instruction, with special reference to the latter.
^[1968] Ibid: ‘Joshua received from Moses’. The transmission and reception were done orally. All evidence goes to show that there was a continuous succession of ‘schools’ headed by the Elders, prophets and scribes of their respective generations, which maintained and developed the theoretical study and practical application of the Torah. For a full examination of the terms Mussar (transmitted) and Kabbalah (received) v. Bacher, Tradition und Tradenten, p. 1.
^[1969] Ibid: The Elders that outlived Joshua, Judges II, 7. ‘Elders’ in this Mishnah includes the Judges.
^[1970] Ibid: Kenesseth hagedolah: A body of 120 men founded by the leaders of the Jews who returned from the Babylonian captivity.
^[1971] Ibid: Whereby reverence for, the knowledge of, and the inviolability of the Torah might be secured (cf. Rashi).
^[1972] Ibid: The Torah is conceived as a garden and its precepts as precious plants. Such a garden is fenced round for the purpose of obviating wilful or even unintended damage. Likewise, the precepts of the Torah were to be ‘fenced’ round with additional inhibitions that should have the effect of preserving the original commandments from trespass.
^[1973] Jerusalem, Israel – ‘Fire of the Torah’
^[1974] QUMRAN and the HISTORY of the BIBLICAL TEXT, article “Biblical Scrolls of Qumran”, Patrick W. Skehan, ed. Frank Moore Cross and Shemaryahu Talmon, Harvard Press, page 277
^[1975] QUMRAN and the HISTORY of the BIBLICAL TEXT, article “Contribution of the Qumran Discoveries”, Frank Cross, ed. Frank Moore Cross and Shemaryahu Talmon, p. 280
^[1976] Same as syncope – the removing, loss, or abbreviation of a syllable from the center of a word,
^[1977] Herman Spiegel, 1/1/04 at SLC Chabad.
^[1978] Encyclopedia Britannica 1998.
^[1979] Yossi Mendel of SLC Chabad explained that the German Jewish community which had moved toward reform secularism felt little affinity for the Damascus Jewish community at the time.
^[1980] Senator Joseph Biden interview on KSL.
^[1981] My father’s explanation to me on why I do not understand world politics well is because I do not read this paper carefully. I agree, maybe I will one day.

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