“hyperbole is a standard feature of agada Rav Chajes”
Torah thought on כי תבוא
Hyperbole = exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally. "he vowed revenge with oaths and hyperboles"
“Mishna - Mas. Avoth Chapter 1 Mishnah 1. Moses received the Torah [Scripture and its complementary Oral Instruction, with special reference to the latter] at [lit. from] Sinai and transmitted it to Joshua [IARN, Ch. I, 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 [The Elders that outlived Joshua, Judges II, 7 “The people served the Lord during the lifetime of Joshua and the lifetime of the older people הזקנים who lived on after Joshua and who had witnessed all the marvelous deeds that the Lord had wrought for Israel.”Elders in this Mishnah includes the Judges.], 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 מסר (transmitted) and קבל (received) v. Bacher, Tradition und Tradenten, p. 1], Joshua to the elders, and the elders to the prophets, and the prophets to the men of the Great Synagogue [Kenesseth hagedolah: A body of 120 men founded by the leaders of the Jews who returned from the Babylonian captivity].”
“The Lord will send you back to Egypt in galleys, by a route which I told you, you should not see again. There you shall offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but none will buy. These are the terms of the covenant which the Lord commanded Moses to conclude with the Israelites in the land of Moab, in addition to the covenant which He had made with them at Horeb.” (Deuteronomy 28:68-69).
Wicked Haman made it law that Jews could not sell themselves to be slaves to escape their death. We accepted the Written Torah with נעשה ונשמע wholeheartedly. We accepted Oral Torah begrudgingly. Oral Torah continues to grow. Rewards and punishments for Oral Torah is in the next world. צִדְ֒קָתְ֒ךָ צֶֽדֶק לְעוֹלָם וְתוֹרָתְ֒ךָ אֱמֶת: תִּתֵּן אֱמֶת לְיַעֲקֹב חֶֽסֶד לְאַבְרָהָם אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּֽעְתָּ לַאֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ מִֽימֵי קֶֽדֶם: בָּרוּךְ אֲדֹנָי יוֹם יוֹם יַעֲמָס לָֽנוּ הָאֵל יְשׁוּעָתֵֽנוּ סֶֽלָה: יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת עִמָּֽנוּ מִשְׂגָּב לָֽנוּ אֱלֺהֵי יַעֲקֹב סֶֽלָה: יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת אַשְׁרֵי אָדָם בֹּטֵֽחַ בָּךְ: יְהֹוָה הוֹשִֽׁיעָה הַמֶּֽלֶךְ יַעֲנֵֽנוּ בְיוֹם קָרְאֵֽנוּ:בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֱלֺהֵֽינוּ שֶׁבְּ֒רָאָֽנוּ לִכְ֒בוֹדוֹ וְהִבְדִּילָֽנוּ מִן הַתּוֹעִים וְנָֽתַן לָֽנוּ תּוֹרַת אֱמֶת וְחַיֵּי עוֹלָם נָטַע בְּתוֹכֵֽנוּ הוּא יִפְתַּח לִבֵּֽנוּ בְּתוֹרָתוֹ וְיָשֵׂם בְּלִבֵּֽנוּ אַהֲבָתוֹ וְיִרְאָתוֹ וְלַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹנוֹ וּלְ֒עָבְ֒דוֹ בְּלֵבָב שָׁלֵם לְמַֽעַן לֺא נִיגַע לָרִיק וְלֺא נֵלֵד לַבֶּהָלָה: Part of our daily prayer. The Written Torah is תורת אמת which we accepted wholeheartedly at Mount Sinai. Violations of the Written Torah---punishments in this world. Violations of Oral Torah---we can make an excuse, didn’t know, never really accepted, whatever---punishments, if any, in the next world or in the next reincarnation. The Oral Torah is וְחַיֵּי עוֹלָם נָטַע בְּתוֹכֵֽנוּ,.God planted Oral Law within us, our rabbis/sages nurture and Oral Law grows. Follow KA?
So , for example, is all of Pirkei Avot hyperbole?
ReplyDelete“hyperbole is a standard feature of agada Rav Chajes”
ReplyDeleteTorah thought on כי תבוא
Hyperbole = exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.
"he vowed revenge with oaths and hyperboles"
“Mishna - Mas. Avoth Chapter 1
Mishnah 1. Moses received the Torah [Scripture and its complementary Oral Instruction, with special reference to the latter] at [lit. from] Sinai and transmitted it to Joshua [IARN, Ch. I, 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 [The Elders that outlived Joshua, Judges II, 7 “The people served the Lord during the lifetime of Joshua and the lifetime of the older people הזקנים who lived on after
Joshua and who had witnessed all the marvelous deeds that the Lord had wrought for Israel.”Elders in this Mishnah includes the Judges.], 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 מסר (transmitted) and קבל (received) v. Bacher, Tradition und Tradenten, p. 1], Joshua to the elders, and the elders to the prophets, and the prophets to the men of the Great Synagogue [Kenesseth hagedolah: A body of 120 men founded by the leaders of the Jews who returned from the Babylonian captivity].”
“The Lord will send you back to Egypt in galleys, by a route which I told you, you should not see again. There you shall offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but none will buy. These are the terms of the covenant which the Lord commanded Moses to conclude with the Israelites in the land of Moab, in addition to the covenant which He had made with them at Horeb.” (Deuteronomy 28:68-69).
Wicked Haman made it law that Jews could not sell themselves to be slaves to escape their death. We accepted the Written Torah with נעשה ונשמע wholeheartedly. We accepted Oral Torah begrudgingly. Oral Torah continues to grow. Rewards and punishments for Oral Torah is in the next world.
צִדְ֒קָתְ֒ךָ צֶֽדֶק לְעוֹלָם וְתוֹרָתְ֒ךָ אֱמֶת: תִּתֵּן אֱמֶת לְיַעֲקֹב חֶֽסֶד לְאַבְרָהָם אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּֽעְתָּ לַאֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ מִֽימֵי קֶֽדֶם: בָּרוּךְ אֲדֹנָי יוֹם יוֹם יַעֲמָס לָֽנוּ הָאֵל יְשׁוּעָתֵֽנוּ סֶֽלָה: יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת עִמָּֽנוּ מִשְׂגָּב לָֽנוּ אֱלֺהֵי יַעֲקֹב סֶֽלָה: יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת אַשְׁרֵי אָדָם בֹּטֵֽחַ בָּךְ: יְהֹוָה הוֹשִֽׁיעָה הַמֶּֽלֶךְ יַעֲנֵֽנוּ בְיוֹם קָרְאֵֽנוּ:בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֱלֺהֵֽינוּ שֶׁבְּ֒רָאָֽנוּ לִכְ֒בוֹדוֹ וְהִבְדִּילָֽנוּ מִן הַתּוֹעִים וְנָֽתַן לָֽנוּ תּוֹרַת אֱמֶת וְחַיֵּי עוֹלָם נָטַע בְּתוֹכֵֽנוּ הוּא יִפְתַּח לִבֵּֽנוּ בְּתוֹרָתוֹ וְיָשֵׂם בְּלִבֵּֽנוּ אַהֲבָתוֹ וְיִרְאָתוֹ וְלַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹנוֹ וּלְ֒עָבְ֒דוֹ בְּלֵבָב שָׁלֵם לְמַֽעַן לֺא נִיגַע לָרִיק וְלֺא נֵלֵד לַבֶּהָלָה:
Part of our daily prayer. The Written Torah is תורת אמת which we accepted wholeheartedly at Mount Sinai. Violations of the Written Torah---punishments in this world. Violations of Oral Torah---we can make an excuse, didn’t know, never really accepted, whatever---punishments, if any, in the next world or in the next reincarnation. The Oral Torah is וְחַיֵּי עוֹלָם נָטַע בְּתוֹכֵֽנוּ,.God planted Oral Law within us, our rabbis/sages nurture and Oral Law grows. Follow KA?
Pirkei avot is not halachic,
ReplyDeleteI do follow Gerald. Kol tuv