The Oral Law

As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.  Romans 4:17 NIV As it is written – Judaism today is intimately dependent on…

Peshat Problems

There is no Scripture except according to its literal sense.  Sefer Ha-Mitsvot (Maimonides) Literal sense – In his article, “The Authority and Interpretation of Scripture in Jewish Tradition,” Nahum Sarna examines the idea that the biblical writers wrote exclusively for their contemporary audiences.  He cites Maimonides’ statement to the effect that the Peshat layer of…