(א) משֶׁה קִבֵּל תּוֹרָה מִסִּינַי, וּמְסָרָהּ לִיהוֹשֻׁעַ, וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ לִזְקֵנִים, וּזְקֵנִים לִנְבִיאִים, וּנְבִיאִים מְסָרוּהָ לְאַנְשֵׁי כְנֶסֶת הַגְּדוֹלָה....
(1) Moses received Torah from Sinai and passed it on to Joshua; Joshua [passed it on] to the Elders; the Elders to the Prophets; the Prophets to the Men of the Great Assembly....
Study Questions on Pirkei Avot 1
**Background: Pirkei Avot is part of the Mishnah. Its first section presents a "chain of tradition" leading from Moses to the Pharisees and early Rabbis.**
1. On the previous source sheet, 2(E), look at Texts 4 and 5: what group was left out of the "chain" here that we might have expected to be included?
2. "Moses received Torah from Sinai": Do you believe there is a difference between saying "Torah" or "the Torah" in this text? Share your thinking.
3. Explain briefly, based on what we've studied, how we know that this mishnah--even viewed very traditionally--can only be a generalization, since the entire Torah was not literally all given at Sinai, at least as it appears from the text of the Torah itself.
וְאָמַר רַבִּי לֵוִי בַּר חָמָא, אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ, מַאי דִּכְתִיב ״וְאֶתְּנָה לְךָ אֶת לֻחֹת הָאֶבֶן וְהַתּוֹרָה וְהַמִּצְוָה אֲשֶׁר כָּתַבְתִּי לְהוֹרֹתָם״.
״לֻחֹת״ — אֵלּוּ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְּרוֹת,
״תּוֹרָה״ — זֶה מִקְרָא,
״וְהַמִּצְוָה״ — זוֹ מִשְׁנָה,
״אֲשֶׁר כָּתַבְתִּי״ — אֵלּוּ נְבִיאִים וּכְתוּבִים,
״לְהוֹרוֹתָם״ — זֶה תַּלְמוּד,
מְלַמֵּד שֶׁכּוּלָּם נִתְּנוּ לְמֹשֶׁה מִסִּינַי.
And Rabbi Levi, son of Hamah, said in the name of Rabbi Shimon, son of Lakish: What is the meaning of the verse, “And I will give you the Tablets of Stone, and the Teaching, and the Commandment which I have written in order to instruct them” (Exod 24:12)?
“Tablets”--this refers to the 10 Commandments.
“Teaching” ["Torah"]--this refers to the Written Scriptures [the Five Books of Moses].
“And the Commandment”--this refers to the Mishnah.
“Which I have written”--this refers to the Prophets and the Writings [i.e., the rest of Tanakh].
“In order to instruct them”--this refers to the Talmud.
This teaches that all of these things were given to Moses at Sinai.
Study Question on Berachot 5a
**Background: This Talmud passage, and the one following it below (Text #6), illustrate very well the Rabbinic principle that every phrase, word, and even letter of the Torah is meaningful. Nothing in it is considered unnecessary or without a purpose.
It was clear to many of the ancient Rabbis that God gave much more to Moses on Sinai than just the Ten Commandments--and much more than just the Five Books of Moses as well. Verses like Exod 24:12 were used to support this belief.**
1. Try to explain the logic in each of these claims about what Moses was given: how is the claim derived from the words of the verse? For example, what's the connection between the phrase, "Which I have written" and the Prophets and the Writings? Or why was "And the Commandment" linked specifically to the Mishnah? Do your best to suggest possibilities in each case.
And Adonai gave me the two Tablets of Stone written with the finger of God, and upon them [things were written] according to all the words which Adonai spoke to you on the mountain, from out of the fire, on the day they gathered together.
אָמַר רִבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי. עֲלֵיהֶם וַֽעֲלֵיהֶ֗ם כָּל כְּכָל דְּבָרִים הַדְּבָרִים. מִקְרָא וּמִשְׁנָה תַלְמוּד הֲלָכוֹת וָאֲגָדָה. אֲפִילוּ מַה שֶׁתַּלְמִיד ווָתִיק עָתִיד לְהוֹרוֹת לִפְנֵי רַבּוֹ כְּבָר נֶאֱמַר לְמֹשֶׁה בַּסִּינַי. מַה טַעַם. יֵ֥שׁ דָּבָ֛ר שֶׁיֹּאמַ֥ר רְאֵה־זֶה֭ חָדָ֣שׁ ה֑וּא. חֲבֵירוֹ מֵשֵׁיבוֹ וְאוֹמֵר לוֹ. כְּבָר֙ הָיָ֣ה לְעוֹלָמִים אֲשֶׁ֥ר הָיוּ מִלְּפָנֵינוּ׃
Rabbi Yehoshua, son of Levi said [in Deut 9:10]: not just "on them" [is written], but "and on them"; not just "all," but "according to all"; not just "words," but "the words." [These "extra" terms in the verse mean that Moses was given] Scripture [all of Tanakh], Mishnah, Talmud, Halachot, and Aggadah. Even what an experienced student will one day present during their master's class was said to Moses on Sinai. What is the proof of this? "There might be something about which a person would say, 'Look, this is new!'" (Eccles 1:10). His friend replies, telling him, "It has been around forever, in times long before us" (ibid.).
Study Questions on JT Chagigah 1
**Background: This text from the Jerusalem Talmud is based on the verse above it, Deut 9:10. It is another way of asserting the maximalist perspective of what happened at Sinai. As we've discussed, "Halachot" refers to Jewish laws and practices; "Aggadah" refers to Jewish theology and ethics.**
1. How does this text go even beyond Berachot 5a in claiming what was given to Moses at Sinai?
2. How is the verse from Ecclesiastes 1:10 being used to prove that extreme claim? Be as specific as possible.
3. If Berachot 5a and JT Chagigah 1:8 aren't taken literally as historical statements, what else could they mean about the connection between texts like the Prophets, the Mishnah, or the Talmud and what happened at Sinai? Is there a more metaphorical way to take what these passages are claiming, if you don't think that Moses received, for example, the thousands of pages contained in both Talmuds while on Mount Sinai?
תניא אידך כי דבר ה' בזה זה האומר אין תורה מן השמים
ואפילו אמר כל התורה כולה מן השמים חוץ מפסוק זה שלא אמרו הקדוש ברוך הוא אלא משה מפי עצמו זהו כי דבר ה' בזה
ואפילו אמר כל התורה כולה מן השמים חוץ מדקדוק זה מקל וחומר זה מגזרה שוה זו זה הוא כי דבר ה' בזה
There is another baraita:
"For he has despised the word of the Lord" (Num 15:31). This refers to one who says, "The Torah is not from heaven."
And even if he said, “All the Torah is from heaven except this one verse, which was not said by the Holy One, who is blessed, but rather Moses [said it] with his own mouth"--this is [considered] "For he has despised the word of the Lord."
And even if he said, "All the Torah is from heaven except this one inference [from the Torah text], or this one kal vachomer, or this one verbal analogy"--this is [considered] "For he has despised the word of the Lord."
Study Questions Sanhedrin 99a
**Background: This source sheet began with the term "Torah from Sinai." Now, in the text above, we are hearing about the term "Torah from Heaven," which is often used by religious Jews in a similar way, but might, in fact, not be quite the same.
"Inference, kal vachomer, and verbal analogy" are all literary and logical techniques used by the Rabbis to interpret the meaning of the Torah. So the third paragraph in this source is saying that even those things the Rabbis derived from the Torah (but are not actually written in the Torah) are also "from heaven."
1. This text considers two possible scenarios for the origin of any Torah verse: (a) God said it; (b) Moses said it. But even for (a) Moses was the one who wrote the text down. So what about a third option: (c) God said or revealed certain verses, but they were written down by someone besides Moses? What do you think this passage would say about believing in (c)? Is that also "despising the word of the Lord"? Explain.