What Is the Oral Torah?

Read the transcript below, or watch the video teaching by Yehuda.

Introduction to the Oral Torah

The Mishnah makes up a central part of the Oral Torah. Additionally, the Oral Torah also includes the Gemarrah, Rabbinical stories, rules, and customs that were passed on throughout generations.

Shalom everyone. Occasionally, the topic of the oral Torah arises in discussion amongst believers who seek to draw near and to learn about Israel's traditions. And yet, this subject tends to stir up emotions, as some oppose it while others want to learn more about it.

My goal is to present some of the basics for a fruitful and focused discussion. As students of Messiah, we all aspire to study and deepen our knowledge first and foremost from the Word of God. We do this to strengthen our faith in Yeshua, the Messiah.

The Discussion

Today I'd like to raise questions for discussions within the Messianic movement. First of all, do we need a law book or instructions for the movement? And who should be responsible for creating such laws — such as how should we celebrate the Lord's Supper, and who's allowed to participate? Can kids join? And what do we use — bread or matzah, grape juice or wine?

And who defines what a congregation is? And how do we worship and pray? Should a congregation leader be formally ordained? And if so, by whom? What is the authority and title of a congregational leader? And what are his responsibilities?

Now, concerning the holidays — every religion has unique holidays: Ramadan, Christmas, Sukkot. What should be our holidays and how do we observe them? Which customs and traditions do we follow? Are our holidays different from the Jewish Passover, Sukkot, Purim, Hanukkah? It's important to seek clear answers to these questions.

The Controversy of the Oral Torah

The term “oral Torah” typically causes some opposition among most of the believers, as it's one of the main points of conflict between Judaism and the Messianic faith — as Orthodox Judaism makes a constant effort to prove that the oral Torah was given on Mount Sinai and that we're obligated to follow it, sometimes claiming that it even carries more authority than the written Torah.

But from a Messianic Jewish point of view, we insist that the oral Torah is absurd and false.

In Judaism, it's commonly understood that God gave Moses the written Torah, and alongside it, during the forty days that Moses spent with God, God gave further details and explanations concerning the commandments, which are called the oral Torah. The traditions of the fathers were passed down orally from generation to generation until the nearing of the destruction of the Second Temple, when they were written down so they wouldn't be forgotten.

As mentioned before, in general, our attitude as believers towards the idea of the oral Torah is quite hostile. And indeed, it's not possible to prove that the oral Torah was given on Mount Sinai.

A Messianic Perspective

Here it's important to note that as believers, we cannot accept the oral Torah to be equal to the written Torah from Sinai, which are the five books of Moses. There should be at least one undisputed foundation upon which we can all stand together, and that is that in addition to the Torah — the five books of Moses — we see the Prophets, the Writings, and the New Testament as divinely inspired. As such, they are sacred and they have the highest authority in our lives.

But alongside this, we still need some kind of traditions — and that's exactly the topic of our discussion.

How do we preserve our collective identity? Do we desire to observe commandments as part of our community life? What are the four species of Sukkot? How do we celebrate Passover? How does one get married? How do we keep the Shabbat?

From these simple questions, we understand that it's difficult to observe much of God's Word collectively without additional knowledge or tradition.

For believers, the main difficulty and really the heart of the dispute is the matter of the authority of the oral Torah. The challenge lies in the claim that the oral Torah is as sacred as the written Torah.

The word halakhah means “way of life” and defines broad ideas and general directions as well as detailed rulings for specific cases. As long as the oral Torah remained oral and unwritten, the rulings were flexible and fewer binding obligations, which created more space to be adapted to life's changes.

However, once it was written down, that flexibility was lost. Of course, fixed traditions also have their advantages, as they take away the need to reinvent the wheel each time again.

Let's take Passover as an example. It's structured and defined, and it's clear when and how many wine glasses we fill and when we recite each of the blessings. This greatly simplifies the planning for the holiday. It also provides continuity between generations — in knowing that the Passover I celebrate is just like the one my grandfather celebrated and likely similar to how my grandchild will celebrate it in the future.

Such traditions preserve our identity and give a sense of belonging, as well as a practical tool to remember, teach, and pass on our customs and faith to the next generation.

Yeshua Above All Else

That being said, traditions shouldn't come at the expense of our living faith. It's important to draw a red line — a fundamental principle that cannot be moved even a millimeter — and that is a clear declaration that Yeshua is the light and the way. Yeshua should be the center of our faith life, and He is our number-one priority in life.

Meaning, we should disqualify everything that contradicts Yeshua or distracts us from our faith in Him.

So now let's look at Yeshua's attitude towards the idea of halakhah during the Second Temple period. The tradition of the elders, as Yeshua called it, already had a strong hold among the people of His time. Sometimes this tradition was used to test or question Yeshua.

For example: why didn't Yeshua's disciples wash their hands before eating — a tradition of the elders? Another example is the healing on Shabbat, like Luke 6, where Yeshua is asked the question whether it's permitted to heal on Shabbat. This question is basically a test: would Yeshua heal on Shabbat?

Today we are familiar with a principle named pikuach nefesh, which means “saving a soul.” It allows people to work on Shabbat in life-saving jobs such as doctors and nurses, as well as police and fire departments.

And so, in Jerusalem, the religious hospital Shaare Zedek operates fully on Shabbat with ambulances and religious doctors and nurses.

Based on Yeshua's reply in Luke 13, I believe that the same approach was accepted during His time:

The Lord answered him,

“You hypocrites! Doesn't each of you on the Shabbat untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Shabbat day from what bound her?”

When He said this, all of His opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things He had done.

Yeshua looked directly at those that questioned Him and exposed their true motives — they were ashamed.

In several places, Yeshua directly opposes those who prioritize the traditions of the elders above the commandments of the written Torah.

He replied:

“Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites, as it is written:
‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.
They worship Me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’
You have let go of the commandments of God and are holding on to human traditions.”

I understand the spirit of Yeshua's words in the following way: when tradition is used to fulfill the Torah, that's good. However, when tradition is used to distort God's Word — even slightly — or to gain profit, manipulate, exploit, control, or influence, it's corrupted.

Unity & The Future Of The Body Of Messiah

Let's return to the beginning and ask what is and isn't allowed for us as believers. Unfortunately, within the Messianic body, we lack sufficient order. Every congregation and every ministry functions according to what's right in their own eyes — a phrase that in the Bible always leads to disaster.

In the near future, as a movement, we should introduce some kind of local or set of guidelines. In order to achieve that, every congregation will need to compromise somewhat and align with a broader movement. That's how it works. That's a small price to pay to achieve more unity — just as a local congregation needs to be broad enough to absorb a wide variety of believers.

Because if our movement or congregation isn't open-minded enough, it quickly becomes a sect. Both Passover and Yeshua's parable of the sower (Matthew 13) describe four different types of people — and there's room for all of them.

The Passover Haggadah describes four types of sons, which include the wise, the simple, and the one who does not know how to ask. Then there's even room for the wicked son. That so-called evil one is symbolized by the willow branch, which is an equal part of the four species we hold together during Sukkot.

To summarize, as believers — especially in Israel — we should answer the question: how do we collectively observe the Word of God? Do we reinvent the wheel (something that's definitely possible), or do we make use of the knowledge and the customs, some of which are ancient and an integral part of our people, passed on throughout generations — while making it clear that we're dealing with a framework of customs that aren't binding nor sacred.

And no matter what decision we end up choosing, Yeshua the Messiah should be the centerpiece of our life and faith.