🚀 go-pugleaf

In soc.culture.jewish Jacob Love <jl...@engin.umich.edu> wrote:
: Again, regardless of what your religious position may be, there is no
: doubt whatsoever that the Masoretic text which scribes *attempted* but

Actually, you still miss my point.

To me, the holy "texts" of Judaism can not be limited to the written
Torah, but to the Oral Tradition as well. Halachah currently requires
a particular text (ok, there are three traditions right now). To me,
this is therefor /the/ text.

Any attempt by a historian to create earlier versions of the text might
be interesting, but not -- in the view of Orthodox Judaism -- relevant
to defining the text of the Torah.

IOW, the idea that codes work with the mesoretic text speaks about
the Jewish Torah -- written as well as oral.

: My understanding is that this is not true. In fact, I'm not sure how
: any comparative work could be done since I don't believe the digitized
: texts actually exist for manuscript comparison.

Well, funny enough, I own the book Hamaymad Hanosaf: al hakesivah hadu-mamdis
batorah (The Added Dimension: on the two-dimensional writing in the Torah),
by Doron Vitztum, Published by Agudah Limichakeir Torani in 5749 (no Gregorian
date given -- 1988 or 1989). The comparison to the Samaritan text is mentioned
on pages 17-19, although admittedly they only use it for one experiment.

You may doubt their claims if you'd like, but I didn't make it up.

: >Frankly, I think the whole trend into experimental religion is not
: >what Judaism is about.

: I really don't understand what this means or what it has to do with
: the topic. But maybe I don't want to know.

I just meant I don't think people ought to believe in G-d or follow
the Jewish lifestyle because someone "proved" the origin of the Torah.
It's not what Judaism is about. Putting such a peice into the center
of your religion will necessarily give you a warped Judaism.

-mi

-- 
Micha Berger (973) 916-0287      Help free Ron Arad, held by Syria 3910 days!
mi...@aishdas.org                         (16-Oct-86 - 14-Sep-97)
For a mitzvah is a candle, and the Torah its light.
http://aishdas.org -- Orthodox Judaism: Torah, Avodah, Chessed