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orion DSS-era Torah sheBa'al Peh
A question came up in private communication which may represent the wider
problem:
> OK, so if we have Torah sheh be'al Peh as an oral expansion ofTorah
>sheh-bi-ketab, you are suggesting Pharisaic origins yet the
>Zadokite fragments clearly criticise the Pharisees for their
>oral interpretation of the written law...for "building a fence around
>the Torah" and seeking the "smooth path." Would Sadducees be
>proponents of "hidden Torah?" I don't think so. What is left?
I'm NOT AT ALL suggesting Perushi origins for Torah sheBa'a'l Peh. I'm
searching for some term other than the criticized Perushi "halakhah," which
will communicate EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE -- Torah sheBa'al Peh as the origin
for Halakhah Perushi. Halakhah Perushi, as well as Ma'aseh Qumrani, derive
from a shared earlier Torah sheBa'al Peh which is attested in Tan"kh. What
is left is Torah sheBa'al Peh or, if you prefer, Xuqim umishpatim.
Then you may understand that Tzedoqim, holding that Ma'aseh PROPERLY
reflects Torah sheBa'al Peh, would certainly argue that Halakhah DOESN'T
properly reflect Torah sheBa'al Peh, and that Halakhah Perushi "slicked
over" important aspects of Torah sheBa'al Peh and exaggerated and/or
distorted others which, according to the Tzedoqim, Ma'aseh retained pristinely.
The point is that Tzedoqim as well as Perushim were unequivocally committed
to Torah sheBa'al Peh (according to their own interpretation of what that
meant: Ma'aseh and Halakhah, respectively).
Yirmiyahu Ben-David
Paqid 16, Qehilat Ha-Netzarim (Nazarene Jews)
www.netzarim.co.il
Ra'anana, Israel