Law Principles in Torah - Essay Example

The paper discusses law principles reflection in Torah. The way these principles are reflected in the narrative of the Holy Book of the Judaists is discussed further on. The main claim is that a personal attitude of the narrative of Torah enables the holy texts to be perceived by the readers in an unobtrusive manner. A code of laws, which is usually assigned to Torah texts, in reality, is a set of moral principles of behavior for Judaists. Law and narrative in Torah Introduction The narrative is often discussed in the modern linguistic context from multiple perspectives. A combination of law and narrative in the Judaic Torah is an interesting theme for discussion. If to discuss a manner of narration of other Judaic books, we would see that the Mosaic books are the sources for two different literature styles: halakhah and aggadah. The former style represents law; the latter style represents theological stories, reflections and different interpretations of biblical narrative1. Today many scientists investigate Biblical texts from different perspectives. This is essential to facilitate the understanding of God and help contemporary church create new approach to religion. On the one hand, these two different styles refer to different emotions and feelings of the readers: these two styles evoke emotional and creative imagination of the readers and sophisticated rules of jurisprudence2. Such kind of a literature appeal can be explained in the following terms: both parts of brains of Jewish are activated. Currently, in accordance with researches and studies, Torah’s legal background and imaginative narrative are criticized. Thus, in accordance with Barmash (2004) there is no need to refer to the God as the creator of the Universe. The same is argued about the fact that the twelfth chapter of Exodus and the whole book of Genesis are unnecessary parts of Torah. These are antagonistic moods in relation to Jewish religious beliefs. The titles we meet in Bible, namely “Old Testament” and “New Testament”, can’t be considered to be original terminology of church as there is no anything in the history that forbids to call the parts of the Bible differently. Looking for the words to replace, people have already offered a great number of variants. However, the author admits that this replacement may also generate problems. When the people see the worlds “First” and “Second”, they will understand that they should read first part and then move to the second. Taking into account that people prefer to refer not to Old or New Testaments but to certain sections or book of the Bible, the author offers the names for these parts: Torah, Prophets, Writings, Gospels, and Letters. Such designations are really the most appropriate as they may help establish good relations with Israel. Law principles in Torah Moreover, with respect to the modern researchers and scientists, it is of crucial importance to define Torah’s real role and intention: whether this book is the book of codes of law or whether it is a form of imaginative narration? If to correlate the basic points of Torah with narrative principles and questions, the descriptive basis of the book is one of the most important aspects of this book. If to correlate Torah with the basic questions of law, then there is a need to answer to such questions as what is wrong or right way of doing. The analysis of various questions from the Torah shows surprising theme alterations, negation and/or elements of convention. Taking into account both the specificity of the composition records and the adaptation of the Torah, it is possible not only to learn these characteristics of the content, but to find out how they encourage the reader to understand them. Rabbi Yitzhak claims that: “Law is not, for Judaism, a series of arbitrary rules even though it comes from God himself. Nor is Judaism a matter of blind obedience - obedience, yes, but blind, no”3. Moreover, the roots of law should be found in history and cosmology. The basis of law is somewhere in the unseen depths of the Heaven. The roots of the law should be found in the Creator’s Law is rooted in history and cosmology. The main intention of Torah should not be considered in terms of holy principles obtrusion; the God makes an attempt to clarify the basic postulates, to which humans are obliged to be subjected. Torah is a perfect way to interpret the basic legal postulates, which should be followed by Judaists. From historical viewpoint, the creation of the Torah, as complete set of works, can be compared to formulation of the unity of God, notwithstanding that this fact is controversial. The composition of Torah represents the foundation for Decalogue. There, nevertheless, the composition is considerably expanded, with new perception of the world through the belief in one God. The Torah links together the aspects of actuality, especially those connected with daily life. The forms of Gods identity and essence are undoubtedly discovered by this link. The author states that simultaneously it becomes quite understandable that every modern critic of this creation should realize that these texts are connected to the reality of the time, when they were created God only wants us to know the fact, why people should follow the Divine Command. It is necessary for God to interpret the basic points of his words. Torah’s narrative can be found in the story about Adam and Eve. When they are in Eden, this story may be considered to be a prelude to the complex Jewish dietary laws. Both Adam and Eve are not allowed to act the way they want. The way of a self-restriction is the way to the Heaven. While reading the Torah, it is impossible to ignore theme or language alterations in topic or language, the negations and sudden application of topics, which are really inappropriate. Nevertheless, by taking into account the specificity of the composition records and adaptation, a reader not only becomes familiar with the content, but can evaluate the ways the text encourages the reader to analyze the proposed material. Reading Torah, it is really impossible not to understand the value and richness of the composed text. People are inclined to think that only they should have rights because, according to John Locke, they are property owners. However, it is not right, because biblical laws state that there can be no property, because God is a possessor of the whole Universe. Animals and plants are creatures under the God, so they should have certain rights and property must not be considered as reference point, because those who have no property also have their dignity Another reflection of narrative and a legal basis of Torah can be traced on the example of Cain and Abel story of murder. Human beings are created in the image of God and to kill another human being means killing God. A famous expression “hevel havalim, hakol havel” should be understood as “Life is fragile; a mere breath [translated the same as the name of Abel] separates a living human being from a corpse.4” In the story of the inhabitants of Sodom and Gemorrah many other themes occur. Moral requirements and the need for justice are promoted in this part of Torah. Besides a set of legal rules and principles, which should be followed, Torah proclaims the basic principles of social behavior for Judaists. For example, to love the first-born son, to give him the double-share of the heritage is the basic principles of the social behavior for the Judaists. To put it simply, an interconnected unity of law and narrative in Torah should be considered in the following terms: “the Torah law and narrative are intertwined for the most profound of reasons, namely that Gods law is not arbitrary. It speaks to the human condition. It arises out of human history”5. Therefore, the Divine principles of Torah do not position God as a tyrant. A Creator and Lawgiver are two sides of the one coin. A grain of creation corresponds to a grain of law For example, let us consider the sedra and the law of the Red Heifer. Its name is derived from the following expression: “Judaism traditionally saw the ritual of the Red Heifer as the supreme example of a chok, that is, a decree that has no reason or logic other than the fact that it was commanded by God”6. In accordance with other researches and studies, there is not strong connection between law and narrative in Torah. Thus, Chukkat is focused on mortality issues. The idea of mortality provided by Rabbi Tarfon in the Mishnah: “It is not for you to complete the task, but neither are you free to desist from it. The great tasks of humanity are too large to be completed in a single generation”7. Therefore, it is claimed that people will live in another world after their deaths. A correlation between the narrative and law can be seen in the law precedence of law by the main goal of mortality. Thus, a correlation between the concepts of death and life are closely interrelated in the narrative of Torah. The usage of the image of the Red Heifer is a strong claim about coexistence of life and death, the correlation between ephemeral and the eternal. From another perspective, there is a kind of a comfortable metaphysical comfort of Torah. It is reflected in the relations between Miriam and Aaron, the mortality of Moses8. Nevertheless, the concurrent phenomena, such as the water of life and other concepts are connected with life in Torah. In accordance with Glanville (2007): “Law informs the narrative, and the narrative explains the law. We need both, just as we need the analytical lefthemisphere and the integrating right-hemisphere of the brain”9. Moreover, there is a strong correlation between the concepts of the sedra and chok. The existence of world, reflected in Torah is reflected in the narrative of the book and the moral laws of life are described in the laws of Torah. The fact of death is reflected in the law of the Red Heifer. Nevertheless, God is life and he provides the water and other vital components of human lives. With the help of techniques employed from literature and narratology the main points of law are identified in Torah. Moreover, the issues of law in Torah are reflected on three different levels: on the level of the story (description of a chain of events); the text (the verbal representation of the story); the discourse 10a process of communication of a message from sender to receiver11. Therefore, the basic points in the discourse of Torah are plot, character and characterization, point of view, focalization, the process of comprehension and the focus of reading. Therefore, there are the basic elements of the discourse of Torah. Narrative and law in the texts of Torah Both in narrative texts and in the text of Torah, the main devices employed are the illusion of reality in the casuistic laws, the representation of plot scenes, where the characters’ utterances occur12. Moreover, the narrative of Torah can be described as the discourse with the presence of an overall spirit and voice of the Creator, or, in other words, a voice of the lawgiver. There is an evident bivocality of themes and voices in the narrative of Torah. For example, in one of the points of law, concerning the money lending to poor people an empathetic identification on the part of the reader is promoted. If to correlate the basic law principles of torah, we can correlate the basic points with the Deuteronomic law of the Hebrew slave, the Babylonian law concerning the man who abandons the city, the strong negative feelings are legitimized. Moreover, the representation of the law concerning the striking of a pregnant woman appeals for the emotions of the reader; the law of the prohibition of Canaanite ritual, the events are described in an ironic air in the relations between the speaker and his utterance. Therefore, the texts of Torah are inarguable dominant moral principles to be followed by the Judaists. There is no need to look for hidden law motifs of Torah. It is better to focus on the divine principles of the moral law of behavior. Torah should be considered as the book of a code of moral laws. Human sanctification is reached through law principles of Torah. There are laws, which are accountable for in Torah. It is interesting to summarize the way law is presented in Torah: the law issues are represented in the context of personal relations, with the usage of pronouns “I-Thou”. In such a way, law principles of Torah are represented as personal messages of God13. People should develop their personal attitudes and relations in accordance with the main issues, described by God. There is not list of “do’s and don’ts”. There are points referred to commands addressed to God. The leitmotif of Torah should be considered in God’s message to people: “I am Yahweh your God who released you from the land of Egypt” (v. 2); “I Yahweh your God am a jealous God” (v. 5). As far as we can see, the use of a personal pronoun “You” underlines an unobtrusive manner of law principles, developed by God. Conclusion Therefore, there is a strong correlation between an imaginative principles of Torah and law principles of the Holy Book of the Judaists. Torah should be positioned as a personal appeal for the Creator to the humanity and, in such a way, this Holy Book of Judaists is a code of moral behavior principles and not a strict set of laws, which should be followed by the human blindly. A personal approach, a tolerant interpretation of the main points of the Holy Book underline a strong basis for a relevant narrative of Torah and the main points of law, intervened in the Book. References 1. Barmash, P. “The Narrative Quandary: Cases of Law in Literature.” Vetus Testamentum 54, no. 1 (2004): 1–16. 2. Barton, John. “Law and Narrative in the Pentateuch.” Communio viatorum 51, no. 2 (2009): 126-140. (accessed July 21, 2011). 3. Bartor, A. “The Representation of Speech in the Casuistic Laws of the Pentateuch: The Phenomenon of Combined Discourse.” Journal of Biblical Literature 126, no. 2 (2007): 231–249. 4. Burnside, J. P. “Exodus and Asylum: Uncovering the Relationship between Biblical Law and Narrative.” Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 34, no. 3 (2010): 243-266. (accessed July 21, 2011). 5. Carmichael, C. M. “On Separating Life and Death: An Explanation of Some Biblical Laws.” The Harvard Theological Review (1976): 1–7. 6. Dozeman, Thomas B. 2000. Masking Moses and Mosaic Authority in Torah. Journal of Biblical Literature 119, no. 1: 21+. 7. Glanville, Jo. 2007. The Torah Code. New Statesman, 11 June, 56. Database on-line. 8. Halberstam, C. “The Art of Biblical Law.” Prooftexts 27, no. 2 (2008): 345–364. 9. Levenson, J. D. “The Theologies of Commandment in Biblical Israel.” The Harvard Theological Review 73, no. 1/2 (1980): 17–33. 10. Linafelt, Tod. 2008. Prolegomena to Meaning, or What Is "Literary" about the Torah?.Theological Studies 69, no. 1: 62+. 11. Neusner, Jacob. 1999. The Theology of the Oral Torah: Revealing the Justice of God. Montreal: McGill-Queens University Press. Book on-line. 12. Neusner, Jacob. 2003. The Perfect Torah. Boston: Brill. Book on-line. 13. Sailhamer, J. H. “The Mosaic Law and the Theology of the Pentateuch.” Westminster Theological Journal 53 (1991): 24–61. 14. Sprinkle, J. M. “Law and Narrative in Exodus 19–24.” Journal of Evangelical Theological Society 47, no. 2 (2004): 235–52. 15. Watts, J. W. “Legal Characterization of Moses in the Rhetoric of the Pentateuch.” Journal of Biblical Literature 117, no. 3 (1998): 415-426. Read More