Two Questions about Judaism with Answers for Christians

Abstract

Two issues often trouble people trying to understand traditional Judaism: (1) If the Torah explicitly mentions sacrifice as an element in attaining atonement for sin, how can Judaism provide atonement for sin when sacrifice has been unavailable since the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple? (2) How can rabbinic law be legitimate when it clearly expands and deviates from the plain meaning of the Torah's legal passages? I address the first question by showing that much of Hebrew Scripture does not relate to sacrifice as a necessary or central element in the achievement of atonement. Ritual sacrifice is barely mentioned in the narratives and poems relating to sin and atonement in Hebrew Scripture. Furthermore, biblical texts relating to the period following the destruction of the First Temple (when sacrifice was unavailable) express no concern that without sacrifices atonement is impossible. I address the second question by demonstrating that Scripture does not set out its laws in sufficient detail for their practical observance. These details must have been available in a body of unwritten interpretation and explication that accompanied the revelation of biblical law and which was eventually preserved in rabbinic law. Furthermore, Scripture authorizes judges to decide hard cases and describes the creation of new yet legitimate religious practices unmentioned in the Torah. More generally, rabbinic tradition views the explication and expansion of Torah law as a central project of the Jewish people that expresses true respect for Torah law as a living body of religious knowledge and practice.