Can We Really Trace Judaism Back to Sinai? Q&A With Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz

What’s said in this shiur

The opening of this shiur, in Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz’s own words — taken from the captions, so names and Hebrew terms may be approximate.

Number one, how do we measure rabbinic Judaism sort of one else versus the Karaite? How we practice is so far off assuming that Moshe Rabbeinu or Bais Yisrael practice. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> How do we know that this ultimately, you know, how do we get here based on this? >> You know, you know, there there is no question that even the most traditional person would have to admit if we were to be transposed to the past and see Moshe Rabbeinu keeping the Torah, it would not look the same as we do today and for a very simple reason because we have so many rabbonim and gezeiros and takanos. many rabbonim and gezeiros and takanos. And so obviously Judaism is very very different. >> [snorts] >> Uh but the traditionalist understanding and this is where you know, let's say Orthodox tradition differs from the academic approach. The academic approach views all of aspects of Judaism as evolutionary and subject to change. So they'll they'll say that uh tefillin, you know, come from the beginning of the second temple period or whatever they would say. Uh we do believe that there was an unbroken continuity. You know, the Rambam in the hakdamah to the Mishneh Torah lists more than 40 generations of

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1. 0:00Number one, how do we measure rabbinic Judaism sort of one else versus the Karaite? How…
2. 2:00based on the Rambam's chain of custody, all the way down to the time of the…
3. 4:02you guys all know you're American. If you're Americans, you know Mark Twain. If you're not,…
4. 6:04studying texts and debating and arguing over it. Now, as I say, the Rambam had a…
5. 8:36intuitive approach to things. A question is asked, an answer is given. All of the steps…
6. 10:38question. Was Rosh Hashanah observed one day in the Eretz Yisrael after the the Hurban or…
7. 12:43you know, five Rishonim and three out of five. We now discover 25 Rishonim and it…
8. 15:19>> is attacking back has caused him a lot of sorrow. So, the one 100% I…
9. 17:22to make mistakes and mislead Am Yisrael. >> What about the power of El Am Davar?…
10. 19:26progressive. Now again, even if you believe things change, God forbid, don't confuse that with reform.…

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