Difference between revisions of "Avot and Mitzvot – Was Avraham the First Jew/2/he"
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<category>קיום מצוות מלא | <category>קיום מצוות מלא | ||
<p>כל המצוות היו קיימות ונשמרו לפני שניתנו בסיני. בעמדה זו שיטות חלוקות בשאלה האם הייתה מחויבות אלוקית  לקיים את המצוות טרום-סיני או שמא מדובר ביוזמה מרצון של האדם.</p> | <p>כל המצוות היו קיימות ונשמרו לפני שניתנו בסיני. בעמדה זו שיטות חלוקות בשאלה האם הייתה מחויבות אלוקית  לקיים את המצוות טרום-סיני או שמא מדובר ביוזמה מרצון של האדם.</p> | ||
− | <opinion | + | <opinion>ה' ציווה |
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<mekorot> | <mekorot> | ||
− | + | <multilink><a href="SifreDevarim41" data-aht="source">Sifre Devarim</a><a href="SifreDevarim41" data-aht="source">Devarim 41</a><a href="Sifre Devarim" data-aht="parshan">About Sifre Devarim</a></multilink>,<fn>Cf. <multilink><a href="SifreBemidbar111" data-aht="source">Sifre Bemidbar</a><a href="SifreBemidbar111" data-aht="source">Bemidbar 111</a><a href="Sifre Bemidbar" data-aht="parshan">About Sifre Bemidbar</a></multilink> which implies that there were commandments which were only given to Moshe and not to the Patriarchs.</fn> <multilink><a href="NeofitiBereshit2-15" data-aht="source">Targumim</a><a href="NeofitiBereshit2-15" data-aht="source">Targum Neofiti Bereshit 2:15</a><a href="PsJBereshit2-15" data-aht="source">Targum Pseudo-Jonathan Bereshit 2:15</a><a href="Targum Neofiti" data-aht="parshan">About Targum Neofiti</a><a href="Targum Pseudo-Jonathan" data-aht="parshan">About Targum Pseudo-Jonathan</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="AvotDRN2-21" data-aht="source">Avot DeRabbi Natan</a><a href="AvotDRN2-21" data-aht="source">Version 2, Chapter 21</a><a href="Avot DeRabbi Natan" data-aht="parshan">About Avot DeRabbi Natan</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="PirkeiDRE11" data-aht="source">Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer</a><a href="PirkeiDRE11" data-aht="source">11</a><a href="PirkeiDRE20" data-aht="source">20</a><a href="PirkeiDRE21" data-aht="source">21</a><a href="PirkeiDRE31" data-aht="source">31</a><a href="Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer" data-aht="parshan">About Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer</a></multilink>,<fn>See also <multilink><a href="LekachTovBereshit43-16" data-aht="source">Lekach Tov</a><a href="LekachTovBereshit2-15" data-aht="source">Bereshit 2:15</a><a href="LekachTovBereshit43-16" data-aht="source">Bereshit 43:16</a><a href="R. Toviah b. Eliezer (Lekach Tov)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Toviah b. Eliezer</a></multilink> which links <a href="Bereshit2-15" data-aht="source">Bereshit 2:15</a> to the following verse which serves as the source of Noachide laws in many Rabbinic sources.</fn> <multilink><a href="Kirkisani" data-aht="source">Anan and other Karaite exegetes</a><a href="Kirkisani" data-aht="source">Kirkisani</a><a href="Yefet" data-aht="source">Yefet b. Eli</a><a href="OtzarNechmad" data-aht="source">Otzar Nechmad</a><a href="KaraiteCommentary" data-aht="source">Karaite Commentary</a><a href="KaraiteTract" data-aht="source">Karaite Tract</a></multilink><fn>See also <multilink><a href="RMubashir" data-aht="source">R. Mubashir HaLevi</a><a href="RMubashir" data-aht="source">Critique of the Writings of R. Saadia Gaon (p. 78)</a><a href="R. Mubashir HaLevi" data-aht="parshan">About R. Mubashir HaLevi</a></multilink> and the opinions cited by <multilink><a href="RasagCommentaryBereshit4" data-aht="source">R. Saadia Gaon</a><a href="RasagCommentaryBereshit4" data-aht="source">Commentary Bereshit 4</a><a href="R. Saadia Gaon" data-aht="parshan">About R. Saadia Gaon</a></multilink> and <multilink><a href="IbnBalaamBereshit8-2" data-aht="source">R. Yehuda ibn Balaam</a><a href="IbnBalaamBereshit8-2" data-aht="source"></a><a href="R. Yehuda ibn Balaam" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yehuda ibn Balaam</a></multilink>.</fn> | |
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</mekorot> | </mekorot> | ||
− | <point><b> | + | <point><b>מי צֻוָּה?</b> עמדה זו טוענת כי התורה ומצוותיה נתנו עוד לאדם הראשון. המדרשים לומדים זאת מקריאת המילים "לְעָבְדָהּ וּלְשָׁמְרָהּ" בבראשית ב':ט"ו כמתייחסות לתורה. <br/><br/>This position maintains that the Torah and its commandments were given already to Adam.<fn>The earliest extant source for this position and for its interpretation of <a href="Bereshit2-15" data-aht="source">Bereshit 2:15</a> may be the pseudepigraphic work, <a href="2Enoch31-1" data-aht="source">2 Enoch</a>.</fn> The Midrashim derive this by reading the words "לְעָבְדָהּ וּלְשָׁמְרָהּ" in <a href="Bereshit2-15" data-aht="source">Bereshit 2:15</a> as referring to the Torah.<fn>Avot DeRabbi Natan and Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer argue that "לְעָבְדָהּ וּלְשָׁמְרָהּ" cannot refer to the Garden of Eden because it had no need for toil or guarding (see Bereshit 3:23). This would appear to also be the argument in the Sifre.<p>It is possible that the Midrashic motif is also motivated by the fact that גן is a masculine noun in its other Biblical occurrences (see Yeshayahu 58:11, Yirmeyahu 31:11, Shir HaShirim 4:12,16). Cf. <multilink><a href="BereshitRabbah16-5" data-aht="source">Bereshit Rabbah</a><a href="BereshitRabbah16-5" data-aht="source">16:5</a><a href="Bereshit Rabbah" data-aht="parshan">About Bereshit Rabbah</a></multilink> for a different but related figurative interpretation which limits the scope of the command to observing Shabbat (also feminine), but see below for alternative explanations of the verse and gender.</p></fn></point> |
− | <point><b> | + | <point><b>עדות לאדיקות מוקדמת</b> – יש פרשנים המצביעים על השימוש במונח "הַבְּהֵמָה הַטְּהוֹרָה" בהקשר לסיפור נח כהוכחה לכך שדיני כשרות היו מוכרים כבר באותה התקופה. <br/><br/>Some exegetes<fn>See R. Abraham of Baghdad cited by <multilink><a href="IbnBalaamBereshit8-2" data-aht="source">R. Yehuda ibn Balaam</a><a href="IbnBalaamBereshit8-2" data-aht="source"></a><a href="R. Yehuda ibn Balaam" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yehuda ibn Balaam</a></multilink> as well as some of the Karaite sources above.</fn> point to the Torah's use of the term "הַבְּהֵמָה הַטְּהוֹרָה" in the Noach stories<fn>See <a href="Bereshit7-2" data-aht="source">Bereshit 7:2,8</a> and <a href="Bereshit8-20" data-aht="source">Bereshit 8:20</a>. Other sources attempted to adduce evidence for the early existence of Kashrut laws from the phrases "אֲשֶׁר הוּא חַי" (see <a href="KaraiteCommentary" data-aht="source">Karaite Commentary</a> which renders "חַי" as ritually pure) or "כְּיֶרֶק עֵשֶׂב" (see <multilink><a href="DialogueTrypho20" data-aht="source">Trypho</a><a href="DialogueTrypho20" data-aht="source">Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho 20</a></multilink>'s claim that not all herbs are fit for consumption) in <a href="Bereshit9-3" data-aht="source">Bereshit 9:3</a>.</fn> as proof that the laws of Kashrut were known already at that time.<fn>However, see <multilink><a href="IbnBalaamBereshit8-2" data-aht="source">R. Yehuda ibn Balaam</a><a href="IbnBalaamBereshit8-2" data-aht="source"></a><a href="R. Yehuda ibn Balaam" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yehuda ibn Balaam</a></multilink> who argues that if this was true, there would have been no need for the Torah to later specify which animals were permitted to be eaten, as this would have been well known. See also below for alternative interpretations of the verses by Noach.</fn></point> |
− | <point><b> | + | <point><b>עונשים לעוברי עבירה</b> – כמה מקורות קראיים טוענים כי המבול, העונש שהוטל על הכנענים בגלל חטאיהם, והפסוקים בספר יחזקאל האומרים כי היה ראוי לחסל את ישראל במצריים מוכיחים כי המצוות היו קיימות לפני מתן תורה בהר סיני.<br/>Some <a href="KaraiteTract" data-aht="source">Karaite sources</a> assert that the bringing of the Flood, the punishment meted out to the Canaanites for their sins, and the verses in Yechezkel which say that the Israelites deserved to be wiped out in Egypt demonstrate that the commandments existed before Sinai.</point> |
− | <point><b> | + | <point><b>דת האבות</b> – עמדה זו טוענת כמובן מאליו כי האבות קיימו את כל מצוות התורה.<br/><br/>This position takes for granted that the Patriarchs observed all of the Torah's commandments.<fn>Cf. the formulation in <multilink><a href="BavliNedarim32a" data-aht="source">Bavli Nedarim</a><a href="BavliNedarim32a" data-aht="source">Nedarim 32a</a><a href="Bavli" data-aht="parshan">About the Bavli</a></multilink> "שאין לך מי שנתעסק במצות כאברהם אבינו".</fn></point> |
− | <point><b> | + | <point><b>עבירותיהם של האבות </b> – <br/><br/>This approach encounters difficulties in explaining the instances in which our forefathers seem to have violated the Torah's prohibitions, particularly those of forbidden sexual relationships.<fn><a href="Yefet" data-aht="source">Yefet</a> attempts to also address why Avraham did not circumcise himself until he was 99 years old, by drawing a parallel to the Children of Israel not performing circumcision in the desert.</fn> Thus, <a href="Yefet" data-aht="source">Yefet</a> goes so far as to assert that Leah and Rachel were merely relatives and not sisters,<fn>Cf. <multilink><a href="RYBSBereshit30-9" data-aht="source">R. Yosef Bekhor Shor</a><a href="RYBSBereshit18-8" data-aht="source">Bereshit 18:8</a><a href="RYBSBereshit30-9" data-aht="source">Bereshit 30:9</a><a href="R. Yosef Bekhor Shor" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="RambanYevamot98a" data-aht="source">Ramban</a><a href="RambanYevamot98a" data-aht="source">Yevamot 98a</a><a href="R. Moshe b. Nachman (Ramban, Nachmanides)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Moshe Nachmanides</a></multilink>, and Sefer Nizachon Yashan 34 that they were born from two different mothers.</fn> and that Yocheved was Amram's cousin rather than his aunt.<fn>This matches the position of the LXX, Neofiti, and Peshitta who translate "דֹּדָתוֹ" in Shemot 6:20 as "daughter of his aunt" rather than just "aunt". The earliest source for this position is Demetrius the Chronographer. For more on this position and its chronological implications, see <a href="Duration of the Egyptian Exile" data-aht="page">Duration of the Egyptian Exile</a>.</fn> Alternatively, these actions were, in fact, problematic.<fn>Cf. <multilink><a href="BavliPesachim119b" data-aht="source">Bavli Pesachim</a><a href="Pesachim119b" data-aht="source">Pesachim 119b</a><a href="Bavli" data-aht="parshan">About the Bavli</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="DaatZekeinimBereshit37-35" data-aht="source">Daat Zekeinim</a><a href="DaatZekeinimBereshit37-35" data-aht="source">Bereshit 37:35</a><a href="DaatZekeinimShemot6-20" data-aht="source">Shemot 6:20</a><a href="Daat Zekeinim" data-aht="parshan">About Daat Zekeinim</a></multilink>, and <multilink><a href="MinchatYehudaVayikra20-19" data-aht="source">Minchat Yehuda</a><a href="MinchatYehudaVayikra20-19" data-aht="source">Vayikra 20:19</a><a href="R. Yehuda b. Elazar (Minchat Yehuda)" data-aht="parshan">About Minchat Yehuda</a></multilink>.</fn></point> |
<point><b>Polemical motivations</b> – The implication of this position is that the laws of the Torah are immutable and eternal. It thus served as a direct response<fn>See <multilink><a href="DialogueTrypho20" data-aht="source">Trypho</a><a href="DialogueTrypho20" data-aht="source">Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho 20</a></multilink>'s argument in his debate with Justin Martyr.</fn> to both Christian contentions that the precepts were given only as a corrective for the sin of the Golden Calf, and Islamic claims that the Law is always subject to change.<fn>This is made explicit by <a href="Kirkisani" data-aht="source">Kirkisani</a>. For the possible influence of polemical concerns on Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, see M. Zucker, על תרגום רס"ג לתורה, (New York, 1959): 450 n.6.</fn></point> | <point><b>Polemical motivations</b> – The implication of this position is that the laws of the Torah are immutable and eternal. It thus served as a direct response<fn>See <multilink><a href="DialogueTrypho20" data-aht="source">Trypho</a><a href="DialogueTrypho20" data-aht="source">Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho 20</a></multilink>'s argument in his debate with Justin Martyr.</fn> to both Christian contentions that the precepts were given only as a corrective for the sin of the Golden Calf, and Islamic claims that the Law is always subject to change.<fn>This is made explicit by <a href="Kirkisani" data-aht="source">Kirkisani</a>. For the possible influence of polemical concerns on Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, see M. Zucker, על תרגום רס"ג לתורה, (New York, 1959): 450 n.6.</fn></point> | ||
</opinion> | </opinion> | ||
− | <opinion | + | <opinion>Human Choice |
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<mekorot> | <mekorot> | ||
− | + | <multilink><a href="MishnaKiddushin4-13" data-aht="source">Mishna Kiddushin</a><a href="MishnaKiddushin4-13" data-aht="source">Kiddushin 4:13</a><a href="MishnaChulin7-6" data-aht="source">Chulin 7:6</a><a href="Mishna" data-aht="parshan">About the Mishna</a></multilink>,<fn>See, though, J.N. Epstein, מבוא לנוסח המשנה (Jerusalem, 1948): 977 who suggests that this passage, like various others found at the conclusion of tractates, is a later addition to the Mishna.</fn> <multilink><a href="ToseftaKiddushin5-21" data-aht="source">Tosefta Kiddushin</a><a href="ToseftaKiddushin5-21" data-aht="source">Kiddushin 5:21</a><a href="Tosefta" data-aht="parshan">About the Tosefta</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="BereshitRabbah61-1" data-aht="source">Bereshit Rabbah</a><a href="BereshitRabbah16-5" data-aht="source">16:5</a><a href="BereshitRabbah34-9" data-aht="source">34:9</a><a href="BereshitRabbah61-1" data-aht="source">61:1</a><a href="BereshitRabbah64-4" data-aht="source">64:4</a><a href="BereshitRabbah95-3" data-aht="source">95:3</a><a href="Bereshit Rabbah" data-aht="parshan">About Bereshit Rabbah</a></multilink>,<fn>Note, however, that Bereshit Rabbah 16:5 states that Hashem commanded Adam to observe Shabbat, and 61:1 speaks of Hashem's role in facilitating Avraham's knowledge of the laws.</fn> <multilink><a href="TanchumaVayigash11" data-aht="source">Tanchuma</a><a href="TanchumaLekhLekha1" data-aht="source">Lekh Lekha 1</a><a href="TanchumaVayigash11" data-aht="source">Vayigash 11</a><a href="Tanchuma" data-aht="parshan">About the Tanchuma</a></multilink> | |
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</mekorot> | </mekorot> | ||
<point><b>Sources which are ambiguous</b> – <multilink><a href="BavliYoma28b" data-aht="source">Bavli Yoma</a><a href="BavliYoma28b" data-aht="source">Yoma 28b</a><a href="BavliZevachim116a" data-aht="source">Zevachim 116a</a><a href="BavliZevachim116aMS" data-aht="source">Zevachim 116a Manuscripts</a><a href="Bavli" data-aht="parshan">About the Bavli</a></multilink>, | <point><b>Sources which are ambiguous</b> – <multilink><a href="BavliYoma28b" data-aht="source">Bavli Yoma</a><a href="BavliYoma28b" data-aht="source">Yoma 28b</a><a href="BavliZevachim116a" data-aht="source">Zevachim 116a</a><a href="BavliZevachim116aMS" data-aht="source">Zevachim 116a Manuscripts</a><a href="Bavli" data-aht="parshan">About the Bavli</a></multilink>, | ||
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<li><b>Torah observance was still optional and not yet obligatory</b> – This appears to be the approach adopted by <multilink><a href="BavliPesachim119b" data-aht="source">Bavli Pesachim</a><a href="Pesachim119b" data-aht="source">Pesachim 119b</a><a href="Bavli" data-aht="parshan">About the Bavli</a></multilink>, and is explicitly taken by <multilink><a href="DaatZekeinimBereshit37-35" data-aht="source">Daat Zekeinim</a><a href="DaatZekeinimBereshit37-35" data-aht="source">Bereshit 37:35</a><a href="DaatZekeinimShemot6-20" data-aht="source">Shemot 6:20</a><a href="Daat Zekeinim" data-aht="parshan">About Daat Zekeinim</a></multilink>.</li> | <li><b>Torah observance was still optional and not yet obligatory</b> – This appears to be the approach adopted by <multilink><a href="BavliPesachim119b" data-aht="source">Bavli Pesachim</a><a href="Pesachim119b" data-aht="source">Pesachim 119b</a><a href="Bavli" data-aht="parshan">About the Bavli</a></multilink>, and is explicitly taken by <multilink><a href="DaatZekeinimBereshit37-35" data-aht="source">Daat Zekeinim</a><a href="DaatZekeinimBereshit37-35" data-aht="source">Bereshit 37:35</a><a href="DaatZekeinimShemot6-20" data-aht="source">Shemot 6:20</a><a href="Daat Zekeinim" data-aht="parshan">About Daat Zekeinim</a></multilink>.</li> | ||
<li><b>The specifics of the implementation of these laws was affected by Noachide status</b> – See <multilink><a href="BavliYevamot98a" data-aht="source">Bavli Yevamot</a><a href="Yevamot98a" data-aht="source">Yevamot 98a-b</a><a href="Bavli" data-aht="parshan">About the Bavli</a></multilink> that there is no paternal lineage or familial relationships for Noachides. This principle is applied by <multilink><a href="BavliSanhedrin58b" data-aht="source">Bavli Sanhedrin</a><a href="Sanhedrin58b" data-aht="source">Sanhedrin 58b</a><a href="Bavli" data-aht="parshan">About the Bavli</a></multilink> and <multilink><a href="RYBSBereshit30-9" data-aht="source">R. Yosef Bekhor Shor</a><a href="RYBSBereshit18-8" data-aht="source">Bereshit 18:8</a><a href="RYBSBereshit30-9" data-aht="source">Bereshit 30:9</a><a href="R. Yosef Bekhor Shor" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor</a></multilink> and <multilink><a href="RambanYevamot98a" data-aht="source">Ramban</a><a href="RambanYevamot98a" data-aht="source">Yevamot 98a</a><a href="R. Moshe b. Nachman (Ramban, Nachmanides)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Moshe Nachmanides</a></multilink> to dispose of the apparent Patriarchal violations.<fn>See also <multilink><a href="RCPaltielDevarim23-9" data-aht="source">R. Chaim Paltiel</a><a href="RCPaltielDevarim23-9" data-aht="source">Bereshit 23:9</a><a href="R. Chaim Paltiel" data-aht="parshan">About R. Chaim Paltiel</a></multilink>.</fn></li> | <li><b>The specifics of the implementation of these laws was affected by Noachide status</b> – See <multilink><a href="BavliYevamot98a" data-aht="source">Bavli Yevamot</a><a href="Yevamot98a" data-aht="source">Yevamot 98a-b</a><a href="Bavli" data-aht="parshan">About the Bavli</a></multilink> that there is no paternal lineage or familial relationships for Noachides. This principle is applied by <multilink><a href="BavliSanhedrin58b" data-aht="source">Bavli Sanhedrin</a><a href="Sanhedrin58b" data-aht="source">Sanhedrin 58b</a><a href="Bavli" data-aht="parshan">About the Bavli</a></multilink> and <multilink><a href="RYBSBereshit30-9" data-aht="source">R. Yosef Bekhor Shor</a><a href="RYBSBereshit18-8" data-aht="source">Bereshit 18:8</a><a href="RYBSBereshit30-9" data-aht="source">Bereshit 30:9</a><a href="R. Yosef Bekhor Shor" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor</a></multilink> and <multilink><a href="RambanYevamot98a" data-aht="source">Ramban</a><a href="RambanYevamot98a" data-aht="source">Yevamot 98a</a><a href="R. Moshe b. Nachman (Ramban, Nachmanides)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Moshe Nachmanides</a></multilink> to dispose of the apparent Patriarchal violations.<fn>See also <multilink><a href="RCPaltielDevarim23-9" data-aht="source">R. Chaim Paltiel</a><a href="RCPaltielDevarim23-9" data-aht="source">Bereshit 23:9</a><a href="R. Chaim Paltiel" data-aht="parshan">About R. Chaim Paltiel</a></multilink>.</fn></li> | ||
− | </ul> | + | </ul></point> |
− | |||
<point><b>Polemical motivations</b> – This position may have been intended to counter Christian claims that the mitzvot were given only in the aftermath of the sin of the Golden Calf.<fn>While sources from the pre-Christianity era, such as Jubilees below, already speak of specific commandments being performed before the revelation at Sinai, they do not attempt to consistently apply this concept to all mitzvot.</fn> It thus emphasizes that the mitzvot existed and were observed centuries before that, and that the Patriarchs performed them voluntarily and not because they were an imposed penalty.<fn>The emphasis on voluntary acceptance of the mitzvot is found also in the Midrashic interpretations of "נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע".</fn></point> | <point><b>Polemical motivations</b> – This position may have been intended to counter Christian claims that the mitzvot were given only in the aftermath of the sin of the Golden Calf.<fn>While sources from the pre-Christianity era, such as Jubilees below, already speak of specific commandments being performed before the revelation at Sinai, they do not attempt to consistently apply this concept to all mitzvot.</fn> It thus emphasizes that the mitzvot existed and were observed centuries before that, and that the Patriarchs performed them voluntarily and not because they were an imposed penalty.<fn>The emphasis on voluntary acceptance of the mitzvot is found also in the Midrashic interpretations of "נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע".</fn></point> | ||
</opinion> | </opinion> | ||
</category> | </category> | ||
− | <category | + | <category>No Observance |
<p>The Patriarchs fulfilled only what they were explicitly commanded in Sefer Bereshit, and these did not include mitzvot other than circumcision.</p> | <p>The Patriarchs fulfilled only what they were explicitly commanded in Sefer Bereshit, and these did not include mitzvot other than circumcision.</p> | ||
<mekorot> | <mekorot> | ||
− | + | <multilink><a href="TosafotRidBB120a" data-aht="source">R. Yeshayah MiTrani</a><a href="TosafotRidBB120a" data-aht="source">Tosafot Rid Bava Batra 120a</a><a href="R. Yeshayah of Trani (Rid)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yeshayah MiTrani</a></multilink>, | |
<multilink><a href="RAvrahamBereshit35-4" data-aht="source">R. Avraham b. HaRambam</a><a href="RAvrahamBereshit35-4" data-aht="source">Bereshit 35:4</a><a href="R. Avraham Maimonides" data-aht="parshan">About R. Avraham Maimonides</a></multilink>, | <multilink><a href="RAvrahamBereshit35-4" data-aht="source">R. Avraham b. HaRambam</a><a href="RAvrahamBereshit35-4" data-aht="source">Bereshit 35:4</a><a href="R. Avraham Maimonides" data-aht="parshan">About R. Avraham Maimonides</a></multilink>, | ||
<multilink><a href="IbnKaspiTiratKesef" data-aht="source">R. Yosef ibn Kaspi</a><a href="IbnKaspiTiratKesef" data-aht="source">Tirat Kesef p. 96</a><a href="R. Yosef ibn Kaspi" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yosef ibn Kaspi</a></multilink> | <multilink><a href="IbnKaspiTiratKesef" data-aht="source">R. Yosef ibn Kaspi</a><a href="IbnKaspiTiratKesef" data-aht="source">Tirat Kesef p. 96</a><a href="R. Yosef ibn Kaspi" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yosef ibn Kaspi</a></multilink> | ||
</mekorot> | </mekorot> | ||
− | + | <point><b>Evidence of adherence</b> – <a href="Bereshit18-19" data-aht="source">Bereshit 18:19</a> and <a href="Bereshit26-5" data-aht="source">Bereshit 26:5</a> refer merely to ethical laws or to ad hoc instructions given to the Patriarchs.<fn>This is similar to the "peshat" interpretation offered by <multilink><a href="RambanBereshit26-5" data-aht="source">Ramban</a><a href="RambanBereshit26-5" data-aht="source">Bereshit 26:5</a><a href="R. Moshe b. Nachman (Ramban, Nachmanides)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Moshe Nachmanides</a></multilink> below.</fn></point> | |
− | + | <point><b>Punishments for violators</b> – The generation of the Flood, the inhabitants of Sedom, and the Canaanites were punished for violating natural law.<fn>This approach would likely maintain that Noachide laws were also not given explicitly, but rather were part of natural law.</fn> This position is presented by <multilink><a href="ChizkuniBereshit7-21" data-aht="source">Chizkuni</a><a href="ChizkuniBereshit7-21" data-aht="source">Bereshit 7:21</a><a href="ChizkuniBereshit26-5" data-aht="source">Bereshit 26:5</a><a href="R. Chizkiyah b. Manoach (Chizkuni)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Chizkiyah b. Manoach</a></multilink>.</point> | |
− | + | <point><b>Religiosity of the Patriarchs</b> – The religiosity of our forefathers was manifest in their monotheistic dedication to following Hashem's instructions and in their moral and ethical standard of behavior, but it did not generally reflect itself through ritual performance.</point> | |
− | + | <point><b>Patriarchal transgressions</b> – These commentators explain that the Patriarchs and their families were not yet bound by Torah laws.<fn>Although many of the prohibitions regarding improper relations are described by the Torah as "abominations", making it difficult to understand how the forefathers could engage in such actions even if not yet prohibited, this approach would posit that marrying two sisters or an aunt did not fall under this category.</fn></point> | |
</category> | </category> | ||
− | <category | + | <category>Partial Observance |
<p>The Patriarchs only partially observed the commandments. The multiple variations of this approach maintain that distinctions existed between different Patriarchs, types of commandments, and locations.</p> | <p>The Patriarchs only partially observed the commandments. The multiple variations of this approach maintain that distinctions existed between different Patriarchs, types of commandments, and locations.</p> | ||
− | <opinion | + | <opinion>Only Avraham |
− | |||
<mekorot> | <mekorot> | ||
− | + | <multilink><a href="VayikraRabbah2-10" data-aht="source">Vayikra Rabbah</a><a href="VayikraRabbah2-10" data-aht="source">2:10</a><a href="Vayikra Rabbah" data-aht="parshan">About Vayikra Rabbah</a></multilink>,<fn>This is true only for the Vilna edition of Vayikra Rabbah which reads "אברהם קיים את התורה כולה" as opposed to the other characters who observed only specific mitzvot. However, all manuscripts of Vayikra Rabbah, as well as the Ish Shalom edition of <multilink><a href="EliyahuRabbah7" data-aht="source">Seder Eliyahu Rabbah</a><a href="EliyahuRabbah7" data-aht="source">7</a><a href="Seder Eliyahu" data-aht="parshan">About Seder Eliyahu</a></multilink>, read "אברהם קיים את התורה", and it is Yosef who fulfilled "כל התורה כולה". See also the earlier edition of Seder Eliyahu Rabbah 6 which conflates both possibilities. [Note that M. Margulies, in his edition of Vayikra Rabbah, asserts that the entire passage is a later addition.]</fn> | |
<multilink><a href="RemaResponsa10" data-aht="source">Rema</a><a href="RemaResponsa10" data-aht="source">Responsa 10</a><a href="R. Moshe Isserles (REMA)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Moshe Isserles</a></multilink>, | <multilink><a href="RemaResponsa10" data-aht="source">Rema</a><a href="RemaResponsa10" data-aht="source">Responsa 10</a><a href="R. Moshe Isserles (REMA)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Moshe Isserles</a></multilink>, | ||
<multilink><a href="MaharalGurAryehBereshit46-10" data-aht="source">Maharal</a><a href="MaharalGurAryehBereshit46-10" data-aht="source">Gur Aryeh Bereshit 46:10</a><a href="R. Judah Loew of Prague (Maharal)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Judah Loew of Prague</a></multilink><fn>See below that Maharal also differentiates between positive and negative commandments.</fn> | <multilink><a href="MaharalGurAryehBereshit46-10" data-aht="source">Maharal</a><a href="MaharalGurAryehBereshit46-10" data-aht="source">Gur Aryeh Bereshit 46:10</a><a href="R. Judah Loew of Prague (Maharal)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Judah Loew of Prague</a></multilink><fn>See below that Maharal also differentiates between positive and negative commandments.</fn> | ||
Line 87: | Line 72: | ||
<point><b>Polemical motivations</b> – This position is able to maintain that the mitzvot predate Sinai and the Golden Calf, without being forced to defend each and every action of the Patriarchs and their households.</point> | <point><b>Polemical motivations</b> – This position is able to maintain that the mitzvot predate Sinai and the Golden Calf, without being forced to defend each and every action of the Patriarchs and their households.</point> | ||
</opinion> | </opinion> | ||
− | <opinion | + | <opinion>Only Selected Commandments |
− | |||
<mekorot> | <mekorot> | ||
− | + | <multilink><a href="Jubilees6-14" data-aht="source">Jubilees</a><a href="Jubilees4-17" data-aht="source">Chapter 4:17-25</a><a href="Jubilees6-14" data-aht="source">Chapter 6:14-34</a><a href="Jubilees7-22" data-aht="source">Chapter 7:22-54</a><a href="Jubilees15-1" data-aht="source">Chapter 15:1-2</a><a href="Jubilees16-41" data-aht="source">Chapter 16:26-41</a><a href="Jubilees18-20" data-aht="source">Chapter 18:20-22</a><a href="Jubilees21" data-aht="source">Chapter 21</a><a href="Jubilees22-13" data-aht="source">Chapter 22:13-34</a><a href="Jubilees45-22" data-aht="source">Chapter 45:22</a><a href="Jubilees" data-aht="parshan">About Jubilees</a></multilink>, | |
<multilink><a href="RasagCommentaryBereshit4" data-aht="source">R. Saadia Gaon</a><a href="RasagCommentaryBereshit4" data-aht="source">Commentary Bereshit 4</a><a href="R. Saadia Gaon" data-aht="parshan">About R. Saadia Gaon</a></multilink>, | <multilink><a href="RasagCommentaryBereshit4" data-aht="source">R. Saadia Gaon</a><a href="RasagCommentaryBereshit4" data-aht="source">Commentary Bereshit 4</a><a href="R. Saadia Gaon" data-aht="parshan">About R. Saadia Gaon</a></multilink>, | ||
<multilink><a href="RashbamBereshit26-5" data-aht="source">Rashbam</a><a href="RashbamBereshit26-5" data-aht="source">Bereshit 26:5</a><a href="R. Shemuel b. Meir (Rashbam)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Shemuel b. Meir</a></multilink>, | <multilink><a href="RashbamBereshit26-5" data-aht="source">Rashbam</a><a href="RashbamBereshit26-5" data-aht="source">Bereshit 26:5</a><a href="R. Shemuel b. Meir (Rashbam)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Shemuel b. Meir</a></multilink>, | ||
Line 99: | Line 83: | ||
</mekorot> | </mekorot> | ||
<point><b>Who observed?</b> According to this approach, all of the Patriarchs observed the commandments only selectively. Jubilees attributes the performance of certain mitzvot already to Noach.</point> | <point><b>Who observed?</b> According to this approach, all of the Patriarchs observed the commandments only selectively. Jubilees attributes the performance of certain mitzvot already to Noach.</point> | ||
− | <point><b>Which commandments?</b> | + | <point><b>Which commandments?</b><ul> |
− | |||
<li>Rashbam suggests that only rational mitzvot which relate to a moral ethic were observed.<fn>See other variations of this position in Ibn Ezra, Chizkuni, and Seforno, and cf. <multilink><a href="RadakBereshit26-5" data-aht="source">Radak</a><a href="RadakBereshit26-5" data-aht="source">Bereshit 26:5</a><a href="R. David Kimchi (Radak)" data-aht="parshan">About R. David Kimchi</a></multilink>.</fn></li> | <li>Rashbam suggests that only rational mitzvot which relate to a moral ethic were observed.<fn>See other variations of this position in Ibn Ezra, Chizkuni, and Seforno, and cf. <multilink><a href="RadakBereshit26-5" data-aht="source">Radak</a><a href="RadakBereshit26-5" data-aht="source">Bereshit 26:5</a><a href="R. David Kimchi (Radak)" data-aht="parshan">About R. David Kimchi</a></multilink>.</fn></li> | ||
<li>According to the Maharal, since the mitzvot had not yet been commanded, there was a constructive purpose in keeping only the positive, but not the negative, commandments.</li> | <li>According to the Maharal, since the mitzvot had not yet been commanded, there was a constructive purpose in keeping only the positive, but not the negative, commandments.</li> | ||
− | </ul> | + | </ul></point> |
− | |||
<point><b>Knowledge of the mitzvot</b> – Jubilees maintains that books and traditions were transmitted through the generations forming an unbroken chain from Chanokh<fn>Chanokh received his instructions through a heavenly revelation.</fn> all the way down to Levi.<fn>The texts of the Testaments of Kehat and Amram discovered at Qumran add the missing links from Levi to Kehat to Amram.</fn> For Rashbam, though, Avraham could have deduced ethical commandments on his own.</point> | <point><b>Knowledge of the mitzvot</b> – Jubilees maintains that books and traditions were transmitted through the generations forming an unbroken chain from Chanokh<fn>Chanokh received his instructions through a heavenly revelation.</fn> all the way down to Levi.<fn>The texts of the Testaments of Kehat and Amram discovered at Qumran add the missing links from Levi to Kehat to Amram.</fn> For Rashbam, though, Avraham could have deduced ethical commandments on his own.</point> | ||
<point><b>Evidence of adherence</b> – This position maintains that <a href="Bereshit18-19" data-aht="source">Bereshit 18:19</a> and <a href="Bereshit26-5" data-aht="source">Bereshit 26:5</a> constitute proof only for certain precepts being observed. Jubilees and R. Saadia also find numerous additional verses which hint at the observance of other individual mitzvot.</point> | <point><b>Evidence of adherence</b> – This position maintains that <a href="Bereshit18-19" data-aht="source">Bereshit 18:19</a> and <a href="Bereshit26-5" data-aht="source">Bereshit 26:5</a> constitute proof only for certain precepts being observed. Jubilees and R. Saadia also find numerous additional verses which hint at the observance of other individual mitzvot.</point> | ||
<point><b>Punishments for violators</b> – The generation of the Flood, the inhabitants of Sedom, and the Canaanites were punished for their immoral behavior.<fn>See Chizkuni who explains that some prohibitions derive from common sense and do not need an explicit command.</fn></point> | <point><b>Punishments for violators</b> – The generation of the Flood, the inhabitants of Sedom, and the Canaanites were punished for their immoral behavior.<fn>See Chizkuni who explains that some prohibitions derive from common sense and do not need an explicit command.</fn></point> | ||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
<point><b>Patriarchal transgressions</b> – With regard to the actions of Reuven and Yehuda, Jubilees notes that their violations were not punished because the Torah was not yet given.</point> | <point><b>Patriarchal transgressions</b> – With regard to the actions of Reuven and Yehuda, Jubilees notes that their violations were not punished because the Torah was not yet given.</point> | ||
<point><b>Polemical motivations</b> – Some maintain that Jubilees was motivated to associate various commandments with characters going as far back as Noach, in order to combat Hellenist claims that the Jewish people's difficulties with the nations of the world began when the Israelites began to observe the mitzvot.<fn>For further discussion, see <a href="Jubilees" data-aht="parshan">About Jubilees</a>.</fn></point> | <point><b>Polemical motivations</b> – Some maintain that Jubilees was motivated to associate various commandments with characters going as far back as Noach, in order to combat Hellenist claims that the Jewish people's difficulties with the nations of the world began when the Israelites began to observe the mitzvot.<fn>For further discussion, see <a href="Jubilees" data-aht="parshan">About Jubilees</a>.</fn></point> | ||
</opinion> | </opinion> | ||
− | <opinion | + | <opinion>Only In Israel |
− | |||
<mekorot> | <mekorot> | ||
− | + | <multilink><a href="RambanBereshit26-5" data-aht="source">Ramban</a><a href="RambanBereshit26-5" data-aht="source">Bereshit 26:5</a><a href="R. Moshe b. Nachman (Ramban, Nachmanides)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Moshe Nachmanides</a></multilink> | |
</mekorot> | </mekorot> | ||
<point><b>Who observed?</b> Avraham and his descendants kept all of the commandments of their own volition ("as one who is permitted but not obligated"), but they did so only while living in Israel.<fn>Ramban points out that Yosef was exceptional and kept Shabbat even when in Egypt. As Shabbat serves as a testimonial to God's creation, observing the commandment helped Yosef teach his children to believe in Hashem.</fn></point> | <point><b>Who observed?</b> Avraham and his descendants kept all of the commandments of their own volition ("as one who is permitted but not obligated"), but they did so only while living in Israel.<fn>Ramban points out that Yosef was exceptional and kept Shabbat even when in Egypt. As Shabbat serves as a testimonial to God's creation, observing the commandment helped Yosef teach his children to believe in Hashem.</fn></point> |
Version as of 08:10, 17 May 2019
אבות ומצוות
גישות פרשניות
סקירה
בדיון אודות ההיקף בו האבות קיימו את מצוות התורה, פרשנים מציעים שלל אפשרויות, החל בשמירה מלאה על מצוות וכלה בהעדר מוחלט שלהן. חלק מהמקורות מתארים את האבות המייסדים כחלוצים מרצון של עשייה ולא רק של אמונה, וחלקם אף מרחיקים לכת וטוענים שהם שמרו אף על תקנות דרבנן. אחרים מנסים להמחיש כי התורה היא נצחית, וכי המצוות ניתנו כבר לאדם הראשון.
כאשר עמדות אלה נתקלות בקשיים בתירוץ העבירות של האבות על איסורים מקראיים, פרשנים אחרים נוקטים בגישה הפוכה ומציעים כי הרוב המכריע של מצוות התורה החלו רק בסיני. כמה חלופות לגישה מפשרת מציעות שהאבות שמרו על חוקי התורה באופן חלקי. לפתרון זה יש את היתרון ביכולת להסביר את העבירות, בד בבד עם שמירה על תמונה של קיום פולחן מוקדם.
קיום מצוות מלא
כל המצוות היו קיימות ונשמרו לפני שניתנו בסיני. בעמדה זו שיטות חלוקות בשאלה האם הייתה מחויבות אלוקית לקיים את המצוות טרום-סיני או שמא מדובר ביוזמה מרצון של האדם.
ה' ציווה
This position maintains that the Torah and its commandments were given already to Adam.4 The Midrashim derive this by reading the words "לְעָבְדָהּ וּלְשָׁמְרָהּ" in Bereshit 2:15 as referring to the Torah.5
Some exegetes6 point to the Torah's use of the term "הַבְּהֵמָה הַטְּהוֹרָה" in the Noach stories7 as proof that the laws of Kashrut were known already at that time.8
Some Karaite sources assert that the bringing of the Flood, the punishment meted out to the Canaanites for their sins, and the verses in Yechezkel which say that the Israelites deserved to be wiped out in Egypt demonstrate that the commandments existed before Sinai.
This position takes for granted that the Patriarchs observed all of the Torah's commandments.9
This approach encounters difficulties in explaining the instances in which our forefathers seem to have violated the Torah's prohibitions, particularly those of forbidden sexual relationships.10 Thus, Yefet goes so far as to assert that Leah and Rachel were merely relatives and not sisters,11 and that Yocheved was Amram's cousin rather than his aunt.12 Alternatively, these actions were, in fact, problematic.13
Human Choice
- Torah observance was still optional and not yet obligatory – This appears to be the approach adopted by Bavli Pesachim, and is explicitly taken by Daat Zekeinim.
- The specifics of the implementation of these laws was affected by Noachide status – See Bavli Yevamot that there is no paternal lineage or familial relationships for Noachides. This principle is applied by Bavli Sanhedrin and R. Yosef Bekhor Shor and Ramban to dispose of the apparent Patriarchal violations.28
No Observance
The Patriarchs fulfilled only what they were explicitly commanded in Sefer Bereshit, and these did not include mitzvot other than circumcision.
Partial Observance
The Patriarchs only partially observed the commandments. The multiple variations of this approach maintain that distinctions existed between different Patriarchs, types of commandments, and locations.
Only Avraham
Only Selected Commandments
- Rashbam suggests that only rational mitzvot which relate to a moral ethic were observed.38
- According to the Maharal, since the mitzvot had not yet been commanded, there was a constructive purpose in keeping only the positive, but not the negative, commandments.