[Avodah] The Rambam's Ikarim

[rebshrink at aol.com]

In the Journal "Torah Umadah" of January 1, 1993.   Professor Marc 
Shapiro seems to make a common mistake in explaining what the Rambam 
says in terms of the Masoretic text of the Chumash.   The mistake 
creates an inconsistency with what the Rambam seems to say and his 
knowledge of variant (though minor) differences in traditional Torah 
texts.

Following the words of the Ani Maamin which is a summary (not written 
by the Rambam) of the Rambam's 13 Ikarim, Profeesor Shapiro writes:

"The eighth principle teaches that the Torah was revealed from heaven 
and that the Torah found in our hands is the exact same Torah that 
Moses presented to the children of Israel."

The fact that the Torah is word for word from Hashem is truly an Ikar 
of orthodox Judaism.  The problem arises when Shapiro claims that the 
Rambam wrote that what Moshe received is word for word now in our 
hands.   We are all familiar with the fact that there are varying Torah 
texts with slight differences,  used by various orthodox communities.   
The Yerushalmi, as Shapiro notes, admits to the fact that even in terms 
of some words there were variant texts.   The Rambam was aware of these 
facts, and it is hard to believe that he would claim something which is 
contrary to the facts presented in the Yerushalmi or the varying texts 
extant in his own day.   One could say that the Rambam believed that in 
some miraculous way the decisions of which "vav" to accept or reject 
was the correct decision in all cases for his text though not the other 
texts, but this explanation is less than a satisfying  given our 
knowledge of the Rambam's rationalism.

The truth is that the Rambam in his actual statement of the Ikarim 
found at the end of the Gemorah of Sanhedrin writes something different 
 from what is summarized in the "Ani Maamin".    In Hayesod Hashmini he 
writes:

Hatorah min hashamayim , vihu shaneemin ki kol Hatorah hazot hanitunah 
ahl yedai Moshe Rabeinu (A'H) Shehi Kulah mipi Hagevurah, klomar 
shehegiah eilav kulah meeit Hashem yitbarach ...

"The Torah is from heaven, that is, it is believed that all of this 
Torah that was given by Moshe our teacher (A"H), all of it is from the 
mouth of the Almighty, meaning that all of it came to him (directly) 
from Hashem Who is blessed....

According to the Rambam we are required to believe that whatever Moshe 
gave to us at Sinai, he receieved from Hashem, not that every "vav" we 
now find in our community's texts is what he gave us. The emphasis on 
"all of it" is explained further on where the Rambam says that anyone 
who claims that any part of the Torah was created by Moshe, rather than 
dictated by Hashem is the worst type of Kofer.

I have no question that the Rambam believed that 99.99% of the Torah in 
our hands is what Moshe gave us directly from G-d's mouth (Kaviyachol). 
   Our own faith in the careful transmission of the Torah text, a 
transmission that our Rabbis and fathers believed was of life and death 
importance, parallels what I'm sure the Rambam and all of our Talmidei 
Chachamim, past and present believed.   However, the careful wording 
that The Rambam employed in his Eighth Ikar allowed him to maintain his 
integrity by accepting the existence of minor differences in the Torah 
text and at the same time affirm an Ikar Emunah, that the Torah which 
Moshe has given us is totally Minhashamayim.

Kol Tov,

Stu Grant