[Avodah] Conflicting Sources

[T613K at aol.com]

From: Cantor Wolberg _cantorwolberg at cox.net_ (mailto:cantorwolberg at cox.net) 

>>I  thought the purpose of the Torah She-b'al peh was to illuminate the   
protocol for many things such as T'fillin and Tzitzis.
Therefore, why  would there have been conflicting sources when the main  
source is from  God?<<

>>>>>
There may be other more complex  legalistic reasons, but the simplest 
explanation is that the chain of  transmission became confused over the centuries and 
people forgot things.   The Torah sheba'al peh was, by definition, 
transmitted /orally/ for centuries,  and naturally mistakes crept in and details were 
forgotten, leading to  disagreements.  Subsequently some of these details had to 
be reconstructed  retrospectively, using rules of logic like gezeirah shaveh, 
kal vechomer and so  on.  Eventually it was found necessary to commit the 
Torah "sheba'al  peh" to writing even though a "written oral law" sounds like an 
oxymoron.   Otherwise the oral law was in danger of being forgotten.  "Eis 
la'asos  l'Hashem...."  We see even in our own lives how easily things can  
become confused, as grandchildren argue over whether Zeida did it this way or  that 
way -- whatever "it" may be.  

 


In addition, some details may not be matters of law but of minhag. Over  
time, of course, minhag becomes din, "the way it's always been done" acquiring  
the force of law.





--Toby  Katz
=============






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