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Minhagim, Takanot,
and the “Oral Torah”
In order to establish their authority over the Jewish people, the rabbis came up with the revolutionary idea according to which their philosophy, traditions and teachings (i.e., the Oral Law) were passed on through the generations, beginning with Moses and ultimately with God Himself.[1] Henceforth, the focus of the rabbinic religion has been to study and meditate on the Oral Law…. In fact, the Oral Law serves as the foundation upon which all the traditions of rabbinic Judaism stand. Without the rabbis’ traditions, rabbinic Judaism loses all its validity and existence.[2] In other words, if the divine origin of the Oral Law is nothing but a myth, then rabbinic Judaism has no leg to stand on.[3] [Bar, Eitan; Broshi, Golan. Rabbinic Judaism Debunked: Debunking the myth of Rabbinic Oral Law (Oral Torah) (Kindle Locations 77-85). SHAMUS. Kindle Edition.]
While I personally do not believe that the “Tradition of the Elders” is binding on Messianic Believers, either Jewish or non-Jewish, this quotation seems to be saying that all of “traditional” (non-Messianic) Judaism loses its validity when devoid of the authority of Rabbinic tradition. I disagree. I think tradition is of great value in keeping individuals connected to their ethnic roots. My disagreement is with the idea that the traditions of men wield the same (or greater) authority as the Scriptures. I disdain the chutzpah of men who dare to claim to have the authority of the Eternal Himself.
Minhag (Hebrew: מנהג “custom”, pl. מנהגים, minhagim) is an accepted tradition or group of traditions in Rabbinical Judaism that have become law. In addition to the 613 commandments, observant Jews consider halakha — Jewish law as derived from the Talmud, but nearly always contrary to Torah — binding upon all Jews. In addition to these, there have always been customs. Some customs were universally adopted (e.g. wearing a head covering), or almost universally (e.g. monogamy). Others are observed by major segments of Jewry but not by others (e.g. not eating kitniyotlegumes on Passover). Other customs are bound to certain localities or groups that originated in certain localities. Obedience to minhag is obedience to the Rabbis instead of obedience to God. See Isaiah 29:13 quoted in Matthew 15:8-9.
Takanot (singular takanah, תקנה) — “Takkanah … An enactment which (1) revises an ordinance that no longer satisfies the requirements of the times or circumstances, or which, (2) being deduced from a Biblical passage, may be regarded as new” (JewishEncyclopedia.com). Encyclopedia.com has an extensive article on Takanot, as does the Jewish Encyclopedia. Refer to Yeshua’s teaching regarding takanot in Matthew 15 and Mark 7.
The “Oral Torah” (Oral Tradition, Oral Law, Tradition of the Fathers/Elders) consists of Rabbinical regulations, now codified in the Talmud, that either add to or subtract from the requirements of Torah in direct violation of Torah; laws enacted by the Rabbis that change or negate Torah law. Obedience to Takanot is obedience to the Rabbis instead of obedience to God. In fact, some rabbis claim that when they make takanot, even God must obey their decisions. But in my mind the issue is forever resolved by Kefa (Peter): “Kefa and the other emissaries answered, ‘We must obey God, not men’” (Acts 5:29).
Do I think all takanot are wrong? Not at all. If you feel that following takanot brings you closer to the walk with the Almighty you desire, or if you feel that takanot are appropriate to your identification with Isra'el, then by all means, follow whatever takanot you desire. I do not, however, believe that viewing takanot as authoritative or binding upon a Messianic Believer (believer in Yeshua) is appropriate.
In order to obey the mitzvot of Yehovah your God which I am giving you, do not add to what I am saying, and do not subtract from it. (Deuteronomy 4:2)
Everything I am commanding you, you are to take care to do. Do not add to it or subtract from it. (Deuteronomy 12:32)
Every word of God’s is pure; He shields those taking refuge in Him. Don’t add anything to His words; or He will rebuke you, and you be found a liar. (Proverbs 30:5-6)
I warn everyone hearing the words of the prophecy in this book that if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues written in this book. And if anyone takes anything away from the words in the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the Tree of Life and the holy city, as described in this book. (Revelation 22:18-19)[4]
The Sages claim that the Takanot (Mishnah) is that body of teaching that God gave to Moses at Sinai which he did not commit to writing, but passed on orally down through the generations. “Moses received the torah at Sinai and transmitted it to Joshua, Joshua to the elders, and the elders to the prophets, and the prophets to the Men of the Great Assembly. They said three things: Be patient in [the administration of] justice, raise many disciples and make a fence round the Torah.” (Pirkei Avot 1:1) However, the written Torah says: “Moses wrote down all the words of Yehovah.” (Exodus 24:4) Through the oral tradition, the Takanot, the sages assigned to themselves the same authority as Moses had, therefore rendering their own opinions as authoritative, or even more so, than the Torah.
One such rediculous rule is that when putting one’s shoes on, one must first put the right shoe on without tying it, then put the left shoe on, tie it, then tie the right shoe. To put shoes on any other way is a “sin,” a violation of their complex rules.
This is one of the many reasons I personly consider myself a Messianic Karaite Jew (please see “Philosophy”) and do not hold the Talmud or Midrash as authoritative in any way. They are, however — as commentary on the Torah — of great value as the treasury of centuries of Jewish case law, and provide extremely valuable insight into the minds of the Sages as they interpreted Torah. And if you personally feel that God is calling you to follow them, then by all means, please listen to Him and not to me! But what would Yeshua do?
5The P’rushim and the Torah-teachers asked Him [Yeshua], “Why don’t Your talmidim live in accordance with the Tradition of the Elders, but instead eat with ritually unclean hands?” 6Yeshua answered them, “Yesha‘yahu was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites — as it is written, ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far away from Me. 7Their worship of Me is useless, because they teach man-made rules as if they were doctrines.’ [quoting Isaiah 29:13]
8“You depart from God’s command and hold onto human tradition. 9Indeed,” He said to them, “you have made a fine art of departing from God’s command in order to keep your tradition! (Mark 7:5-9)
It is up to you to obey whatever you feel is appropriate. But for myself, I prefer to obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29).
1. Mishna, T. Avot 1:1. See further discussion at: Albeck, Shalom, Introduction to Jewish Law In Talmudic Days, Bar Ilan University Press, 1999, p. 17. [BACK]
2. See: Zvi Kortzville, in: Yosef Ofer (ed.), The method of examinations of Rabbi Breuer, published by Wisdom, 2005, p. 267. [BACK]
3. Michael Brown, in: Sid Roth, ed., They Thought for Themselves, 1996. Hebrew version: (Tel-Aviv: Maoz, 2001), 31. [BACK]
4. Although the warning contained in the Revelation is referring specifically to this letter attributed to the Apostle Yochanan, it reflects Yehova’s opinion of those who add to or subtract from His loving instruction to His people. [BACK]
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