https://cross-currents.com/2016/10/30/no-rabbi-cardozo-the-torah-is-not-flawed/
I have friends who were profoundly impacted by Rabbi Cardozo in his early days as a master lecturer in hashkafah (Jewish philosophy) at a famous Jerusalem yeshiva. I think that all of us one way or another benefited from Rabbi Cardozo’s early writings, as an expositor par excellence of authentic Torah perspectives, using scholarly academic tools to reach the minds of those who otherwise would not appreciate the material. We are quite saddened by Rabbi Cardozo’s departure from this model and his embarkation on a path of subverting Torah teachings and Torah authority. We long for the previous Rabbi Cardozo to reemerge and again spread the light of genuine Torah wisdom.
"Nor do I believe that its laws, literally interpreted, are all morally
ReplyDeleteacceptable. They are not. Rather, I believe that the Torah is often
morally, deeply, and
flawed, and that furthermore, God Himself intentionally made it flawed."
So ayin tachat ayin, for example - taken literally - is it flawed or not?
The Karaites take this, and many other things literally. No fire on Shabbat - literally means even if we prepare it before shabbat, it is forbidden. I read that the mediaevel karaites even externded Shaatnez, not just wool and linen, but any mixed fibres! Cotton +silk, cotton and wool. wool and cashmere, etc. There is a verse which says not to mix shaatnez.
So let us have some clarity about what Cardozo is actually saying, before attacking him. Orthodox (rabbinic/ halachic/ oral law ) Jews do not follow the literal Torah. The sadducees, and the Karaites did. So which interpretation is morally perfect and which is imperfect?
The discussion of Chazal, innovation, devices is too big to answer on a feedback comment. Are there loopholes in the Talmud? Perhaps. But it is big area , and ultimately, some will say no, every halacha, gezeiro, etc was given on Sinai, others will say the authority was given on Sinai , and implemented using rabbinic creativity. If you have a Karaite appraoch, then only the written Torah is from sinai.
Thsi is just jumping up and down based on a fallacious reading.