JEWISH CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS.
By An Israelite
The Talmud and Its Formation.
It may seem somewhat surprising to the reader to know that a learned Jew has a means whereby he can translate the Bible in thirty-two different ways. This was the invention of one Jose the Galilean. From this it will be clearly seen that the Jew has many loopholes for escape, if one interpretation of the Scripture does not please him. This is used among them at the present day to quite an extent, when the Messianic prophecies are shown to have been fulfilled in the Saviour of Nazareth. In this way they make the Word of God of none effect by their traditions, placing upon it every kind of construction pleasing to themselves. For several centuries these traditions and superstitions increased with great rapidity, and yet scarcely any of them were recorded in writing. They were handed from school to school, from rabbi to rabbi. It was their rule that whatever had been delivered orally, should be retained only in the memory. Toward the second century, the interpretations, decisions, and precedents rendered by such a number of different schools for so long, had become so numerous that one of the greatest rabbis had to acknowledge the impossibility of containing them all. So this rabbi, called “the Holy” and “the Prince,” collected all he possibly could secure from his contemporaries, and for the first time the “oral law” was committed to writing. Its contents are well stated by another in the following:— It, the Mishna, summed up the labors of four centuries. The oral law had become important in the days of the Maccabees; had been supported by Pharisaism; narrowed by the school of Shammai; codified by the school of Hillel; systemized by Rabbi Aqiba; placed on a logical basis by Rabbi Ishmael; and constantly enriched by successive rabbis and their schools. Rabbi put the coping stone to the immense structure. Thenceforth the Mishna molded the entire theology and philosophy of Judaism. . . . It became the bond of Jewish nationality. . . . It completed the “hedge about the law,” which henceforth neither persecution nor dispersion could destroy, and through which neither Hellenism, nor Sadduceeism, nor Alexandrianism, nor Gnosticism, nor Christianity, nor the Renaissance, nor the Reformation, nor modern skepticism, down to the days of Moses Mendelssohn, could break their way. This strange collection of completed and dead decisions being treated as of divine authority, superceded, all but entirely, the Scriptures upon which they professed to have been based. The term “Mishna,” which was given to this work, means learning or repetition; for such it was, especially the latter. It was the groundwork for an understanding of the Pentateuch especially, as well as some other parts of the Old Testament. It was divided into six portions, which treated upon every phase of Jewish life in the home, in society, in religious devotions, and in even the smallest minutia of business. The following are the names of the orders and their contents:— - Zeraim, or seeds, which refers to the productions of the earth, and their relation to man for his sustenance.
- This one treats of the festivals, times, and seasons of the year, including the Jewish feasts, and the new moons, and is called Moed.
- Nashim, or women, treats upon the intent of the marriage institution.
- Nezikin, or injuries, discusses the rights and liberties of individuals, also the rights which belong to society.
- Kodashim, or holies, treats upon the worship and service of God, especially with regard to the Levitical work as carried on in the temple.
- This order is akin to the preceding one, and is called Tohoroth, or purifications, discussing the meaning of the Levitical laws.
This work is certainly a mammoth one, being divided into 63 tractates, which have 526 subdivisions, each chapter having from 5 to 150 sections. With other notes, of which we shall speak presently, the complete set of the Mishna involves 48 volumes. And be it remembered, too, that there are no points nor punctuation marks of any kind in these works. If this work entire were translated into the English language, it would require from 100 to 120 volumes, printed in long primer type, from 400 to 500 pages each, the face of about the size of an ordinary school geography. And according to the rabbis’ teaching, no man can be saved, especially of the Jews, who does not obey all these teachings to the very letter. We need not wonder, then, at the Master’s attitude toward these people when on earth. They are indeed heavy burdens, which it is absolutely impossible for any one to bear. And let us not forget that it is necessary for every pious orthodox Jew to be fully acquainted with all the traditions, in order that his salvation may be secured. When the Mishna was completed, as mentioned above, there were many sayings therein which were very difficult for the laity to comprehend, because of the indirectness of their meaning. Consequently it was found necessary for the scholasts to simplify these teachings to the people, that they might be comprehensive to all. So the Babel structure of oral law kept growing, till it reached a monstrous chaotic mass, which was finally given the name “Gemarra,” meaning completion, hence termed the “Complement.” This work, together with the Mishna, formed the Talmud, the former as the text, the latter as its elucidation. The meaning of the Scriptures was now a clear revelation (?). All that was necessary was to compile them all together, and seal it hermetically, which was done toward the latter part of the fifth century. Since that time there have been a few writers who have added short notes and marginal readings, but the body has remained the same till this day. The question naturally arose how much time would be required for the people to spend upon this stupendous work, containing so much necessary to life and salvation (?), besides giving some attention to the law of God, which was also considered essential. So the following rule was made, which the pious in European countries follow till this day:— Every one is bound to divide the time of his study into three parts: One-third to be devoted to the written law; one-third to Mishna; one-third to Gemarra. Thus the oral law is given double the amount of time devoted to the law of God, from the fact that there are two explanations to the original text. This statement is bad enough on its surface; but its real meaning will show how wicked it is, and will, possibly, enable us to better understand what the Saviour meant when he said, “Ye make null the law of God by your tradition!” The following is its meaning as given by themselves:— What has been said, referring to the previous statement, refers only to the beginning of a man’s learning; but as soon as he becomes great in wisdom, and has no need of learning the written law, or of laboring constantly in the Mishna, let him at fixed times read them, that he may not forget any of the judgments of the law; but let him devote all his time to the Gemarra. Thus they have laid aside the Word of God for their own tradition. In comparing this latter work with the Bible, it is said that the Bible is like water, while the Gemarra is as the spiced wine. In one sense this is certainly true. The Word of God is surely “the water of life,” which all thirsty souls love to drink, and are satisfied; while the oral law is as hippocras, or mixed wine, which does not require much to make people drunk. And how much has this world been filled with the wine of such false doctrines, and thousands of souls been drunken with it! But it is truly blessed that the pure and ever-flowing stream of God’s Word has always had some who have thirsted after its refreshing draughts, and drank therefrom freely, as well as inviting others to freely partake. Even some of these men realized the need of something better than they could furnish to the longing soul; and occasionally we find scattered through the pages pearls of light, which are as gleams of light from the morning-star, portending the dawning of the day. And these have led many a soul to study God’s Word for themselves, and enabled such to find him, the true and living Teacher, who fills the soul with all light, for in him is no darkness at all. F. C. GILBERT.