Who Has The Authority?

From: "Mike not telling"
To: <comments@….org>
Sent: Sunday, August 11, 2002 8:13 PM
Subject: who has the authority?

Hi, my name is Michael, and I was refreshed to see that there are people in Israel who follow what the Torah says, neither straying to the right or to the left. It is interesting that everyone, instead of allowing a rabbinic leadership, uses their own judgement in deciding the Law. I thought this would be good for me to do, since i disagreed with many of the Talmud' statutes, i thought that maybe my own judgement would prove better than the rabbi's of the Talmud. I have discovered something wrong with this though. If you read Deuteronomy 17: 8-11 you will see that there is indeed a statute that God has given us concerning matters that are of debate. Differences of opinion, if they are too hard to solve are to be taken to the Levi'im and the magistrates at the 'place where He shall choose' which is namely Jerusalem. Now their law is to be followed with out any dispute, as it says, you shall not deviate from thier ruling. So in the end, this is how our disputes are really supposed to be solved, instead of each of us considering for themselves how the law is interpreted, it is to be taken to the Levi'im at the temple mount in Jerusalem. Mail me back your thoughts on this.thank you.______________________________________________________________________________________

Nehemia Answers:

Dt 17 is talking about bring a matter to the officials at the Temple who uncover the answer using prophecy. This is was Moses did when he did not know the answer to a matter in three separate instances, which are:

Lev 24:12 Man who cursed the Name
Nu 15:35 Gatherer of wood on Shabbat
Nu 27:5 Daughters of Zelofchad

In all three of these cases Moses took the matter directly to God. Why didn't he simply ask the Sanhedrin to make a ruling or consult the Oral Law that he had been taught years earlier on Mt. Sinai? The answer is that the
Oral Law did not exist nor did the Sanhedrin. The authority of the "the judge that will be in those days" of Dt 17 derives from prophecy and divinely granted wisdom, both of which Moses had but which the Rabbis are noticeably lacking. Another instance when Dt 17 was fulfilled appears in Ezra 2:63 in which a matter is put off until "such time as a priest stands with the Urim and the Tumim". Now why didn't the Sanhedrin simply makes its decisive ruling in accordance with Dt 17? Why was their need to wait for a High Priest with prophetic means to solve the problem? Because this is what
Dt 17 is talking about! Not just any old Rabbi who happens to have a Jerusalem address but the official High Priest and Judge who bring the matters to difficult before God Himself through prophetic means. Even the High Priest in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah could not fulfil Dt 17 because he lacked the Urim and the Tumim which is part of the Choshen Hamishpat (breastplate of judgment). There is a reason it is called Chosehn Hamishpat, because it is used to consult God directly in legal cases. Now according to the Rabbis God had no say in any of the 4 legal cases we have just considered. According to Babylonian Talmud, Baba Metsia 59b the Torah "is not in heaven" and the decision of the majority of the Rabbis is by definition the truth. So why did Moses and Nehemiah see a need to consult God if the Torah is not in heaven?

The truth is that you are following the personal opinions of someone. But rather than investigating for yourself you are blindly following the commandment of men learned by rote. Instead of worshipping the Creator of the universe you are following the commandments of men who defy God.

Here are some Talmudic passages to consider. It is clear from the Talmud itself that it is not just the learned opinions of the Rabbis but genuine false prophecy:

Supreme Authority of the Rabbis

Now, they were disputing in the Heavenly Academy thus: If the bright spot preceded the white hair [of leprosy], he is unclean; if the reverse, he is clean. If [the order is] in doubt the Holy One, blessed be He, ruled, He is clean; whilst the entire Heavenly Academy maintained, He is unclean. Who shall decide it? said they. Rabbah b. Nahmani shall decide it; for Rabbah b. Nahmani said, I am pre-eminent in the laws of leprosy and tents. A messenger was sent for him, but the Angel of Death could not approach him, because he would not stop his mouth from reading. In the meantime, a wind blew and caused a rustling in the bushes, which he thought was a troop of soldiers. Let me die, he exclaimed, rather than be delivered into the hands of the State. As he was dying, he exclaimed, Clean, clean! when a Heavenly Voice
cried out, Happy are you, O Rabbah b. Nahmani, whose body is pure and whose soul has departed in purity! A missive fell from Heaven in Pumbeditha, [upon which was written,] Rabbah b. Nahmani has been summoned by the Heavenly Academy. (Babylonian Talmud, Baba Metsia 86a)

"We learnt elsewhere: If one cuts [an oven] into separate tiles, placing sand between each tile: R. Eliezer declared it clean, and the Sages declared it unclean... It has been taught: On that day R. Eliezer brought forward
every imaginable argument, but they [the Sages] did not accept them. Said he to them: 'If the law agrees with me, let this carob-tree prove it!' Thereupon the carob-tree was torn a hundred cubits out of its place... 'No proof can be brought from a carob-tree,' they retorted. Again he said to them: 'If the law agrees with me, let the stream of water prove it!'
Whereupon the stream of water flowed backwards - 'No proof can be brought from a stream of water,' they rejoined. Again he said to them: 'If the law agrees with me, let it be proved from Heaven!' Whereupon a Heavenly Voice
cried out: 'Why do ye dispute with R. Eliezer, seeing that in all matters the law agrees with him!' But R. Joshua arose and exclaimed: 'It is not in heaven.' (Deuteronomy 30:12). What did he mean by this? - Said R. Jeremiah: That the Torah had already been given at Mount Sinai; we pay no attention to a Heavenly Voice, because You have long since written in the Torah at Mount Sinai, 'After the majority must one incline.' (Exodus 23:2). R. Nathan met Elijah and asked him: 'What did the Holy One, Blessed be He, do in that hour?' - [Elijah replied,] 'He laughed and said, 'My sons have defeated Me! My sons have defeated Me!'." (Babylonian Talmud, Baba Metsia 59a-b)

Prophetic Origin of the Talmud

Rabbi Abba said in the name of Samuel: For three year the House of Shammai and the House of Hillel were divided. Each one said the law is according to us. Then a voice came out from heaven and said: 'Both of these are the words
of the living God.'" (Babylonian Talmud, Erubin 13b)

When the Almighty revealed Himself at Sinai in order to give the Torah to Israel, he recited to Moses in due order the Scriptures, the Mishnah, the Talmud and the Aggadah [=Midrash], as it is written: "And God spoke all these words." (Ex 20:1). Even that which a student asks his Rabbi, did the Almighty tell over to Moses at that time. After he learned it from the mouth of the Almighty he [Moses] said: 'Master of the universe! Let me write it for them.' He [the Almighty] replied: 'I do not wish to give it to them [entirely] in writing... but the Scriptures do I give to them in writing while the Mishnah, the Talmud, and the Aggadah I give to them orally.'" (Midrash Exodus Rabbah, Parashah 47)

Rabbi Levy bar Chama said in the name of Rabbi Simeon ben Lakish: What is meant by the verse: 'And I will give you the tablets of stone, the law, and the commandment which I have written to teach them.' (Exodus 24:12). Tablets
refers to the ten commandments; law refers to the Torah; and the commandment refers to the Mishnah; which I have written refers to the Prophets and the Writings; to teach them refers to the Gemara [=Talmud]. This teaches us that
all of them were given to Moses at Sinai. (Babylonian Talmud, Berachot 5a)

May YHWH be with you,
Nehemia Gordon World Karaite Movement (R.A.)
POB 7816 Jerusalem 91078 Israel