[Avodah] Ahab

[Micha Berger via Avodah]

On Thu, Dec 03, 2015 at 12:08:16AM -0700, Daniel M. Israel via Avodah wrote:
: On Nov 26, 2015, at 1:44 PM, Saul Guberman via Avodah <avodah at lists.aishdas.org> wrote:
:> Please site a source. All of the Avos (assuming they kept all the
:> mitzvos) plus Moshe married non jews.

: I'm somewhat surprised to see anyone on this list assuming there was
: a switch. It's a position I normally associate with people who do not
: believe in Torah min hashamayim.

I think RSG is suggesting a different kind of change. Although I do agree
that those who believe that "Moavi velo Moavis" was a new derashah by
Boaz's court (eg the Rambam) should have no problem believing Ezra's BD
set up a new derashah about inheritence. Or at least accept it as a
non-heretical possibility.

I think the cries of heresy come from those who assume a different
mechanism for the change, like Document Hypothesis ideas about the age
of the pasuq.

But in any case, I thought the topic RSG questioned was about the change
of the meaning of the colloquialism "Jewish" when speaking of the period
before Matan Torah than after.

So that even if they kept all the mitzvos, intermarriage wouldn't have
been an applicable issur.

Kind of like the question of why Avraham didn't do a beris milah
before being commanded if we take their keeping kol haTorah kulah
literally. (Which I do on the mythical level, and have my doubts on the
historical one. Meaning, the aggadita has to be understood in a way that
works logistically if you are going to learn what it is supposed to be
teaching, but if I had a time machine, I bet I would find things weren't
actually done that way...)

So, one of the answers is that a foreskin wasn't orlah until the beris
bein habesrim.

Similarly but even more blatantly: Until there is a beris Sinai, one
cannot really discuss how it was inherited or whether it was inherited
at all. Never mind a prohibition against marrying outside of it.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             The true measure of a man
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