The world is broken. And getting worse. So why I am still optimistic?
Just a few decades ago, the Iron Curtain fell, a grand coalition for freedom blanketed Europe, even Putin was an American ally, and I wondered then why other people were so pessimistic.
The optimistic/pessimistic divide seems to be baked into our brains, some of us leaning positive, others negative. Given both sides’ ability to argue their positions, it is hard to escape the conclusion that reasons follow — they do not precede — our sunny or cloudy disposition. Our predisposition toward one side or the other makes us see the evidence differently.
Optimism/pessimism can be mapped onto another divide: liberal/conservative. Liberals see a world where change heralds promise; conservatives see a world change implies loss.
And indeed, researchers have tracked both optimism/liberalism and pessimism/conservatism to different regions of the brain.[i] We are hardwired to lean in one direction or the other.
In 1901/02, William James applied the two dispositions to religion, calling optimism the religion of “healthy-mindedness” and pessimism the religion of “the sick soul.”[ii] James’s nomenclature betrays his own psychological makeup: he suffered intense periods of depression, and wished to be “healthy” like other people. So ignore the unfortunate terminology. His point remains. Pessimistic religion emphasizes the preponderance of evil in human history. Optimistic religion stresses the positive presence of God and the steady evolution toward a better time to come.
We actually need a balance of both. Evil, after all, is real. Pessimists make too much of it; optimists ignore it at their peril.
All of which brings us to the Passover Haggadah, and the story we tell about ourselves this year.
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The rabbinic celebration of Passover began centuries before book culture. With no written text to fall back on, whatever got said at the seder was made up on the spot – following, however, an agreed-upon outline. “Start with [Israel’s] degradation (matchil bignut); then finish with praise [to God] (um’sayem b’shevach); and seal [the message] with redemption (v’chotem big’ulah). More colloquially, “Tell the story of Israel’s degradation and praise God for redeeming us from it.”[iii]
But what is Israel’s “degradation” and (by extension) its opposite, “redemption” from it? Two third-century Talmudic Rabbis, Samuel and Rav, debate that point.[iv] Samuel offers the obvious answer. Degradation is “Our ancestors were slaves to Pharaoh,” in which case, redemption is “God freed us” from it. Rav, by contrast, identifies true degradation as “In the beginning, our ancestors were idolaters”; redemption was our conversion to worshipping the one true God. For Samuel, degradation is imposed from without; for Rav, it is what we do to ourselves. Both positions are included in the traditional Haggadah.
By the Middle ages, a list of things that count as redemption — any one of which would have been enough to merit praise of God — was assembled into a list, called Dayyenu (“It would have been enough”). By then, rabbinic theology had fastened on the centrality of human sin as the cause of Israel’s various historical bouts with degradation; so the crowning act of redemption was seen as the establishment of the Jerusalem Temple with a sacrificial cult that provided atonement. Jews settled down to await a messiah who would build a third Temple, the necessary means to atone sufficiently to end Jewish degradation at the hands of the nations. In William James’s scheme of things, we had become a religion for sick souls.
Animated by emancipation from medieval ghettoes and aflame with the promise of modernity, nineteenth-century Reform Jews rejected Judaism’s sin-and-punishment mentality. Their 1908 Haggadah added a Dayyenu line: yes, God “built for us a temple,” but God also “sent to us prophets of truth and great leaders in each generation to bring all hearts nearer to the divine kingdom of righteousness and peace.” In 1923, “great leaders in each generation” was changed to “made us a holy people to perfect the world under the kingdom of the Almighty, in truth and in righteousness.”
Either way, this modernist version of our sacred story replaced the “sick soul” perspective with optimistic “healthy mindedness.”
Is degradation persecution from without (à la Samuel) or something we bring upon ourselves (à la Rav)”? Or a combination of both? Is ultimate redemption dependent on God (forgiveness of sin, bringing a messiah) or on us (acting “in truth and righteousness,” “great leaders in every generation,” being a “holy people”)?
Rarely have these questions loomed as large as they do this year. The many chapters of the Haggadah’s evolution give us lots of leeway in answering them. Looming over any answer we might choose to give, however, is the Haggadah’s judgment, “Not just once, but in every generation, enemies arise to destroy us [degradation], but the Holy One saves us from them [redemption].” The entire statement is hard to accept as literally true. Anti-Semitism is indeed always around, to some extent, but lots of Jews in lots of generations have lived pretty happy lives. And we would have to expand the idea of divine intervention to include our own capacity for maximizing good over evil.
Whatever our story, then, do we emphasize the negative (anti-Semites are always out to get us; there is no progress: first Pharaoh, then Hitler, now Hamas) or the positive (we are empowered to affect redemption; there is progress: from Egypt to Sinai and a promised land; a post-Shoah State of Israel and healthy diasporas; a reconstituted Jewish future when the war ends)?
One thing is certain. The Haggadah in all its forms emphasizes redemption. However bad our degradation, we conclude with the image of Elijah the prophet, and “Next year in Jerusalem.” I will end my seder as I always have – as Jews everywhere always have: with the promise of redemption.
The late Rabbi Michael Robinson (z”l, may his memory be a blessing) recalled visiting Israel and tripping over some loose pavement. Shaken by the experience, he pulled himself onto a nearby bench to recover. A rather pious-looking man passed by (a rebbe perhaps ?) and asked what happened.
“I fell,” Rabbi Robinson explained.
”No,” said the rebbe, “You got up.”
The Haggadah reminds us that Jews are the People who get up.
[i] Cf., e.g., https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/conservative-and-liberal-brains-might-have-some-real-differences/#:~:text=The%20volume%20of%20gray%20matter,threats%2C%20is%20larger%20in%20conservatives; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3807005/.
[ii] William James, Gifford lectures, 1901/02; published as The Variety of Religious Experience (1902: Modern Library Ed., New York: Random House, 1994), Lectures 4-7.
[iii] M. Pesachim 10:4,6. Those portions of the Mishnah between “Start with [Israel’s] degradation (matchil bignut); then finish with praise [to God] (um’sayem b’shevach)” in Mishnah 4; and “seal [the message] with redemption (v’chotem big’ulah)” in Mishnah 6 are later insertions. The verbal form (matchil, um’sayem, v’chotem) demonstrate that the three phrase go together.
[iv] Pes. 116a.
Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, Ph.D. 
Love this. Wishing you such a chag samayach ❤️❤️❤️
Angie Atkins
Director, Wexner Heritage Alumni
Wexnerfoundation.org
TRUTH:
Your the dude who calls me a, moron and a, idiot..
Has a adverture story with a talking snake and a flood that never could happen and you think I’m going to tell you the truth of God.
Just go slaughter a, unblemished lamb but be careful around the Synogoges because I fear that they will be burned down.
That’s not a LOL statement.
Moshe Kerr:
Idiot, the story of Chava, which your worthless silly translations refer to as Eve, & the snake —- first introduces the Central Theme of the Torah NOT of Paul’s absurd “original sin” but rather the concept of g’lut/exile. Idiot, the concept of korbanot, which your worthless silly translations refer to as sacrifices …… NOT! LOL a barbeque unto Heaven. But a oath brit/alliance, which your worthless silly translations refer to as covenant.
Why does covenant fail dismally to define the term ברית, transliterated as brit? Korbanot learns from בראשית\ברית אש. How does אש define ברית? The dedication of a קורבן to HaShem, fundamentally requires the אש of sworn oath(s). False oaths created death – from nothing, through the Floods in the days of Noach! Just as the creation of Life – from nothing, created from the sworn oath during בראשית, creation of the Universe.
Idiot, how does a person swear a Torah oath? Answer: to swear a Torah oath requires wisdom known as שם ומלכות, which your worthless silly translations (translations always lack the power to define the כוונה, (poor translation “intent”). Oral Torah commands that a Torah oath requires שם ומלכות, like as expressed through the verb תפילה, which your worthless silly bible translations call “prayer”. Prayer refers to saying tehillem/Psalms.
Why does prayer compare to homosexual sex: A dick in the butt perversion? Your worthless silly God JeZeus said: “Our Father who art in heaven.” LOL. Idiot, your JeZeus God did not know the oath sworn brit exorcised by Avram at the brit cut between the pieces! Just as the משל משכן expressed in the Book of Sh’mote, the root verb of שכן, itself defined by a precedent infinitive Hebrew verb לשבת, teaches the נמשל, (((Metaphor vs interpretation of the metaphor. Which the mesechta of ברכות, the first Book of the 20 volume Talmud, commands through the משל to the Aggadic story comparison to a “written letter”. משל, a letter נמשל, opened and read.))), of לשכן/the infinitive verb: to dwell. The משל of the mitzva of שבת, teaches this identical נמשל.
This בנין אב\legal common law “precedent”/makes a נמשל interpretation ie reading the opened letter, of שם. Recall that to swear a Torah oath requires שם. This רוח הקודש Name NOT a word. Like the worthless silly biblical translations translate – as “Lord”; the worthless silly koran translates – as “Allah”. LOL Translating the רוח הקודש שם to words, expressed and therefore defined as: Sin of the Golden Calf!
This latter introduced term defines the 2nd Sinai commandment: Do not worship other Gods. The Hebrew – אלהים אחרים. Which your worthless silly bible/koran translations refer to as “idols”. LOL Tits on a boar hog has absolutely no value what-so-ever!
The disciples of your אלהים אחרים asked: “Lord teach us how to pray”. To which your God said: “Our Father who art in Heaven”. But Avram, at the brit cut between the pieces, swore an oath alliance oath – that the שם would “dwell” within the hearts of his future born/עולם הבא Chosen Cohen children! Hence God cannot “dwell” in Heaven, but rather within the oath alliance/brit hearts of the Chosen Cohen children born in all future generations! Therefore tefillah – a matter of the heart and NOT the heavens as your avoda zarah God JeZeus taught.
Your worthless silly translations of the bible, according to your idiotic new testament homo-perversion, says that “prophets” predict the future. The koran repeats the word prophet over and over and over. About every 7th word in the koran – nabi/prophet. LOL Muhammad like JeZeus did not know how the Torah defines the word “prophet”. This classic failure defines: Pie in the Sky … Pie in your Eye — religious rhetoric propaganda.
The verb תפילה does not and cannot mean prayer. Why? Because שם as רוח הקודש, which your worthless silly 325 Nicene Creed translates as “Holy Spirit” Trinity portion of their God. This term שם, which you do not know how to pronounce. Your worthless silly translations say Lord, Yahweh, Jehovah, Allah etc etc etc – all examples of the Sin of the Gold Calf – avoda zarah/strange worship\ie the 2nd Sinai commandment: do not worship אלהים אחרים!
This “Spirit Name” must שוכן within the bnai brit chosen Cohen seed(s) hearts. The essense of the mitzva of keeping שבת. Hence תפילה, understood as a “matter of the heart” and not as: “Our Father who art in Heaven”. LOL Your worthless silly JeZeus did not know the כוונה of תפילה. A specific which serves to define the כלל of the Book of בראשית. This the first Book of the Written Torah teaches טהור זימן גרמא מצוות.
This the opening first Book of the Written Torah commands טהור זימן גרמא מצוות, like as does the Book סידור – the most authoritative codification (something like the Shulkan Aruch codification of practical halachot) of time oriented positive commandments.
The first Book of the Torah employs Aggadic stories [[[(1/4th of the Talmud aggadah.) The stories of the 3 Avot and 4 Emmot: Fathers and Mothers of the chosen Cohen People who live in the world to come future born generations! Your worthless silly translations pervert world-to-come as “life after death”… sitting at the right hand of Father God in Heaven/rapture bull shit]]], the Av/toldot relationship between the Book of בראשית, which commands טוהר זימן גרמא מצוות (positive time-oriented commandments), to the other 4 Books of the Written Torah which command תולדות (offspring) positive and negative commandments know as the תרי’’ג מצוות/the 613 commandments.
The Siddur has the verb root of סדר/order. The Shemone Esrei tefillah rabbinic prayer, adjunct of the Torah tefillah known as kre’a shma שמע ישראל ה’ אלהינו ה’ אחד. These טהור זימן גרמא מצוות, all of them (which includes all the halachot within the Talmud codification of Oral Torah; tens of thousands of commandments NOT simply 613 commandments, which the Order of the Shemone Esrei blessings, which likewise require שם ומלכות, organized into the Order of 3 + 13 + 3 blessings or 613 which defines the Shemone Esrei “standing tefillah”.
According to mesechta שבועות/oaths, a person who swears a Torah oath must “stand” before a Sefer Torah. Hence another name for tefillah, but not of prayer, Amida – or standing tefillah! Covenant does not mean brit because it fails to teach the absolutely required basis of swearing Torah oaths! All טהור זמן גרמא מצוות swear a Torah oath & require שם ומלכות.
Moshe at the end of his life said: “I give you Life & Death. Therefore (the Torah language of swearing an oath) choose Life. The First Book of בראשית, the first two Parshiot of בראשית ונח – The Creation of the world and the destruction of all life – accomplished through Torah oaths. Prayer has no concept of טהור זימן גרמא מצוות & its absolute fundamental binding/Akadah\ with Torah oaths. Yitzak the chosen first-born Cohen seed of Avraham. The term brit, never once brought within the book Koran! Sarah commandment Avraham to throw-out that bond woman mother of Yishmael. That her son would never inherit the oath brit sworn alliance faith.
The Book of בראשית has an Av/toldah relationship with the other 4 Books of the Written Torah which contain the 613 commandments! The Book of בראשית only has a few commandments: Fruitful and multiply, removal of the sciatic nerve, circumcision – all tohor time-oriented commandments!
Your worthless and silly God JeZeus, not only did he NOT understand that the mitzva of שבת requires making the most essential הבדלה which separates forbidden מלאכות from forbidden עבודות – both verbs translated with the biblical broad brush as “work”. LOL The devils’ in the details. A wine-bibber has the wisdom of palate which can discern different wines! The new testament forgery incorrectly understood bibber as “drunkard”. In like manner a person cannot keep the mitzva of Shabbat without discernment between the forbidden verbs of מלאכה ועבודה. JeZeus never kept shabbat! He did not know tohor time-oriented commandments Av/toldot relationship with all other Torah commandments, and how much more so to all other Talmudic halachot!
The mitzva of tefillah stands upon korbanot – which requires swearing a Torah oath which requires שם ומלכות. The latter does not translate as king anymore than ברית translates into covenant. LOL.
Three divisions of Israel: Cohonim, Leviim, and Israel. In the עבודת השם within the משכן (mistranslated as tabernacle of the congregation), the sons of Aaron had the Torah mitzva: known as Moshiach, to dedicate korbanot. The Tribe of Levi: have the Torah mitzva in this עבודת השם of singing Tehillem (Which makes the required הבדלה which separates swearing a Torah oath from saying a non-oath prayers/praises.); the Tribes of Israel designated no less than a minyan (10 men) to read the מעשה בראשית stories as found in the Book of בראשית, to acknowledge that עבודת השם dedicates as its most basic כוונה, time oriented טהור זימן גרמא מצוות.
Your אלהים אחרים Gods JeZeus did not ever teach this Av of all Torah commandments: time-oriented commandments. The story of fruitful and multiple, circumcision, and removal of the sciatic nerve – one and all teaches that time-oriented commandments connected to life & death situations\crisis. If a people fails to reproduce, like post Shoah Torah cursed Europeans today, their civilization dies. The story of the sons of Yaacov utterly slaughtering the inhabitants of Sh’Cem, guilty of the crime – that the Chief of that Tribe of Sh’Cem – raped Dinah – the daughter of Yaacov. The commandment to remove the sciatic nerve remembers the time when Yaacov met his brother Esau who came to him with, according to Targum Uziel (the top talmid of Hillel) Esau came with 400 Officers + their enlisted troops – an Army!
The mitzva to remove the sciatic nerve remembers: the life and death situation which confronted Yaacov when he met with Esau his “brother”. The Aggadic portion of the Talmud understands that prophets command mussar. Neither JeZeus nor Muhammad understood this most basic of fundamentals. Hence both new testament and koran worship אלהים אחרים. Prophets do not predict the future. Rather prophetic mussar applies equally to all future born עולם הבא seed of the chosen Cohen nation of Avraham, who cut this oath brit alliance at the sworn oath-brit between the pieces! Expressed through the word אחד within the mitzva of Kre’a Shma tefillah; the toldot of the Avot accept as “ONE” the oaths which the Avot swore to cut the oath brit alliance with שם ומלכות. This mitzva of tefillah from the Torah requires placing tefillen, the time-oriented commandment which permits the generations of Israel to swear a Torah oath, which requires שם ומלכות. This understanding of שם stands totally apart from the avoda zarah Trinity Holy Spirit established by the Nicene Creed in 325 ce.
The term מלכות, a direct reference to the 13 tohor middot revealed to Moshe at Horev following the Sin of the Golden Calf which translated the First Commandment Spirit Name revelation unto words! The tohor middot of mercy, likewise Spirits – in the image of HaShem. Tefillah remembers the 6 Yom Tov + Shabbat. 3 + 13 + 3. The 13 tohor middot, they define the כוונה of the 13 Middle blessings. תעשה תפילתך במקום קבועה. The language of מקום a סוד reference to השם.
The kabbalah taught by rabbi Akiva which interprets the revelation of the Oral Torah at Horev, 40 days after the Sin of the Golden Calf, known as פרדס. This 4-part concept of Oral Torah logic, divides דרוש ושפט affixed to the warp of Talmudic aggadah; and רמז וסוד affixed to the weft of Talmudic halachah.
The Sin of the Golden Calf not just limited to translating the רוח הקודש שם השם to words; but to ripping the warp/weft fabric of Torah Oral Torah tohor time-oriented commandments apart from one another; halacha requires the aggadah of prophetic mussar – T’NaCH prophets, to define the כוונה of observance of rabbinnic halachic ordanances and rituals, unto mitzvot from the Torah commandments.
The tumah Yad Chazakah avoda zarah perversion of Talmudic common law unto Roman statute law, it up-rooted rabbi Akiva’s kabbalah of פרדס logic; its replacement theology abomination organized Talmudic halachah upon the logic “Order” of how Arab scholars understood the logic of Aristotle. This abomination blew-out the lights of Hannukah. Which dedicates, to interpret the Written Torah only through the logic of the Oral Torah. Which the kabbalah of rabbi Akiva’s פרדס logic sh’itta defines the כוונה of the Oral Torah revelation at Horev. Herein defines the כוונה of מלכות which Torah oaths absolutely and most fundamentally require.
What is the difference between the Torah, Talmud, and Mishnah?
Marc Lipshitz Been involved in counter missionary work for 20+ years
First you need to understand what the Mishnah is. When Moshe received the Torah on Har Sinai he spent forty days and nights studying it and getting taught the performance and explanations of it. Thus when he came down he had two things- the written Torah and the explanations and details of its performance. The written Torah is what is also known as the “Chamishe Sifrei Torah”, commonly translated as “The Five Books of Moses”.
The explanations and details of performance were only passed on orally and are commonly referred to as the Oral Torah. Before the Bar Kochba revolt which resulted in the massive exile of the Jews 80 or so years after the destruction of the Second Temple Rabbi Akivah organized the oral law into a more organized and easier to teach format.
After the Bar Kochba revolt with the bulk of the Jews in exile in different places (the difference to the prior Babylonian exile was that there the bulk of the Jews were in one place, albeit outside of Israel) there was a fear that the oral Torah would be forgotten or altered, so Rebbi Yehudah HaNasi, the head of the Sanhedrin at the time, compiled the Oral Torah into the form we have today and we refer to this written compilation of the Oral Torah as the Mishnah.
However, there was discussion on its application, philosophy, ethics, what to do in different situations, the trying to grasp the essence of the law so it could be utilized in different, unenvisaged situations, the mysticism and the practical. These discussions were recorded in the Gemorah. This is how we get to the Talmud- it consists of two main parts- the Mishnah and then the associated Gemorah to that Mishnah.
In modern editions there are also multiple commentaries, footnotes, cross references to passages in the Torah, prophets and scriptures when they are mentioned etc. Typically it is published in 20 volumes- the ArtScroll translation is 73 volumes! It is not something that you just read but something that requires intense study and a teacher so you know how to study and understand the methodology utilized in the Talmud.
Moshe Kerr: No. Totally incorrect. Rabbi Yechuda named his Mishna based upon the בנין אב/precedent that Moshe Rabbeinu named דברים the Mishna Torah — which means common law. The Mishna codified by Rabbi Yechuda in 210 ce follows the משנה תורה common law model established by the Book of דברים. Common law legal system stand upon precedents. The Hebrew for precedent: בנין אב.
The Gemara, compiled by a later set of scholars AFTER Rabbi Yechuda “sealed” the Mishna, based upon the precedents of the sealing of the T’NaCH, caused Rav Ashi and Rav Ravina to seal the Gemara in about 450 ce. The purpose of sealing this Oral Torah methodology of common law, to prevent a perversion of the seal masoret/traditions from counterfeit imposters like the New Testament replacement theology to pervert the seal masoret/traditions unto tumah avoda zarah.
A second primary purpose of sealing the masoret/traditions: that all down stream generations of Israel inherit the identical masoret, thereby preventing an equal Av tumah avoda zarah commonly known as ירידות הדורות – understood that later generations cannot dispute the rulings made by earlier generations. This Av-tumah avoda zarah collapses when confronted with Oral Torah logic which validates that no one generation enjoys a monopoly of Torah logic over later generations.
The correct understanding of ירידות הדורות refers to the idea of “domino effect”.
Talmud, which means learning (Yeshivot fail to learn Talmud, when they study Gemara.), the Gemara brings halachic precedents from across the Sha’s Bavli as precedents. The purpose of the precedents, the Common Law Baali Tosafot commentary/criticism of Rashi p’shat on the Talmud, fundamentally erred and failed to learn a halachic precedent to re-interpret משנה תורה the k’vanna of the language of the Home Mishna which the Gemara brings outside precedent halachic sources to re-interpret the k’vanna of the language of Rabbi Yechuda’s specific Mishna.
This failure of Reshonim scholarship went across the board, some Reshonim better than others. The B’hag, Rif, Rosh common law halachic commentaries, like the Baali Tosafot – correctly learned and understood the Gemara commentary to a specific Mishna as Common law. Not so the super-commentaries written on these excellent Reshonim scholarship of Talmudic common law. The later scholars confused and perverted Talmudic common law unto Roman statute law. Students in Yeshivot across the world, never receive any instruction which differentiates between T’NaCH/Talmudic common law from Roman statute law. A most basic and fundamental error. Which has plagued g’lut Jewry down through the Ages.
In like manner, and equally as bad: the Reshonim scholars abysmally failed to discern (One and All, they failed to make the מאי נפקא מינא הבדלה with discerns “like from like” the basis which observance of all Torah and halachic mitzvot most fundamentally require. A most basic and fundamental error. Which has plagued Jewry down through the Ages. The Av/toldot relationship between tohor time-oriented from positive & negative toldot commandments.
Even Rashi’s common law commentary to the Chumash (as opposed by his טיפש פשט reading of the Talmud. Rashi changed his sh’itta of p’shat as learned from to Chumash and contrasted by his sh’itta of p’shat made upon the Talmud! Reshonim scholarship disgracefully failed to note this fundamental contradiction in Rashi scholarship. Proof that the Reshonim learning had derailed itself and gone off-track. Why? Because the Reshonim and later rabbinic lackeys failed to understand how the concept of ירידות הדורות refuted the Xtian avoda zarah known as “Free Will”.
A colossal error made by a great Jewish leader: be it King Shlomo who built an assimilated Catholic Cathedral or the Rambam who perverted Talmudic common law unto Roman statute law. Once a great sage/leader worships avoda zarah, (Shlomo perverted the priority of establishment of Federal Great/Small Sanhedrin courtrooms as the k’vanna of building the Beit HaMikdash), the Av tumah of this perversion which validates the 2nd Sinai Commandment, all down-stream generations likewise pursue this Av-tumah avoda zarah abomination, from generation to generation to generation! Hence the concept of ירידות הדורות invalidates the Xtian dogmatism of “Free Will”.
The Torah mitzva of Moshiach does not learn from a NaCH source. Torah mitzvot learn from Torah sources. Why? Because Moshe Rabbeinu, the greatest of all prophets. The failure of Reshonim scholarship to correctly grasp how the Chumash learns, proof of the cursed existence of g’lut Jewry who lacked the wisdom to do mitzvot לשמה.
The Torah operates upon a most basic: Av/Toldot relationship. The Book of בראשית, together with the tohor time-oriented commandments codification known as the Siddur, commands Av tohor time-oriented commandments. “Time” not tied to a watch, but rather to crisis situations which threaten the chosen Cohen people with Shoah; like Akadat Yitzak, or the mitzva to remove the sciatic nerve! The latter explained by targum Uziel. Esau approach “toast” Yaacov with an Army lead by 400 officers. NaCH precedents D’vorah and HaDassah whose רשות מצוה defines the k’vanna of תפילת ערבית according to rabbi Yehoshua. Av tohor time-oriented commandments learn from women that doing mitzvot with k’vanna — a רשות rather than a חיוב.
In the defence of the Reshonim: in the Gemara of ערבין the Baali Tosafot did not know how Rav Ashi could change the dispute between Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Yose haGelili. According to the כלל, the halacha should follow the opinion of r. Akiva. The Baali Tosafot clearly did not have access to the Targum Uziel. Otherwise, they would have understood that Rav Ashi’s recognition that Uziel agreed with the opinion expressed by rabbi Yose haGelili and therefore changed the halacha expressed in that halachic dispute as recorded in the Gemara of ערובין.
Therefore, the First Book of the Torah serves as the אב טהור זימן גרמא מצוות. The second, third, and forth Books of the Torah serves as the תולדות מצוות; hence the B’hag ruled in his Hilchot G’dolot: that 100 blessings, nar shabbat, nar hannuka, kre’at m’gillah, etc qualify as mitzvot from the Torah!
The Rambam, whose Yad Chazaka perversion worshipped avoda zarah: understood as a) assimilation b) intermarriage with Goyim, as opposed to the Xtian abomination which erroneously translates avoda zarah as idolatry; the 30 year-war slaughtered as many as did WWI when western Europe’s population about 1/3rd of 20th Century Eupean populations, over a debate over the catholic cruxifics and worship of saints.
The Rambam abomination of avoda zarah assimilation to ancient Greek logic, that fool did not understand the kabbalah of how Rabbi Akiva’s פרדס interprets the k’vanna of the revelation of the Oral Torah at Horev. A most basic and fundamental error. Which has plagued Jewry down through the Ages.
The last and 5th Book of the Written Torah משנה תורה commands the generations to learn the Torah through the wisdom of common law ie Rabbi Yechuda and the Gemara sages as codified in the Talmud.
The gravity of ירידות הדורות avoda zara, this question fails to address the Midrashic scholarship which defines the contribution made by the Geonim. As a loom has a warp/weft relationship, the Talmud has halacha/aggadita relationship. Midrash functions as the Geonim scholarship which delved into the Aggadic portion of the Talmud. Yeshivot across the world do not know how to learn, not only Midrash as the primary source-commentary which links the דרוש-פשט with T’NaCH prophetic mussar; like as learns Rashi’s Chumash p’shat. As contrasted by the halachic Oral Torah logic of רמז-סוד. A most basic and fundamental error. Which has plagued Jewry down through the Ages.
Have a nice day