Religion Class: Judaism Essay

What role does the law play in Judaism?

Order from chaos: that is what law gives to man. But to Israel, law isn’t simply a list of rules to govern its people. If one were to attempt to strip the law from the people of Israel, it would be as if trying to strip roots from a tree – theoretically possible, but to what end? The tree would wither and be of little use. Judaism’s law is such a part of the peoples’ lives that it has become to define them as a people. But exactly what does the law do for the people and how is it involved with the keeping of Judaism?

In order to understand the law’s role in Judaism, one must first define what the law actually is. From a Western-view, such as most people of USA have, law is government associated. We have national governmental laws that deal with foreign exchange and national security, and localized government whose laws deal with the finer things such as permits for building on privately-owned property. However, the law of Judaism encompasses much more than just the national or regional governmental laws.

Judaism’s law bases its power in with the people’s belief system, or religion, if you will. The law includes both oral Torah and written Torah. “Torah” can be interpreted as “the teachings of God” or “law” and are included with in the first five books of the Bible, which are collectively called the “Pentateuch.” Judaism points that their people received God’s law through Moses at Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19).

When many people hear of religious law, their thoughts point to the Ten Commandments, a list of do’s and do-not’s that tell people how to live a moral life. Many people agree that the Ten are impossible to keep, and yet Judaism boasts 613 commandments found throughout the Pentateuch! (Cohn-Sherbok, 405-17) However, in Judaism, The law is not just a list of do’s and do-not’s, but they include them in stories to better explain their meaning and reasoning. Rabbinic sages take the Torah and interpret it, setting them in story explanations so that the people can grasp what exactly God’s law demands of them. For example, Neusner examples this through a rabbi’s teaching of Leviticus 19:18 which reads, “You shall not take vengeance or bear any grudge.”

“… To what extent is the force of a grudge? If one says to him, ‘Lend me your spade,’ but he did not do so. The next day the other one says to him, ‘Lend me your sickle,’ and the other replies, ‘I am not like you, for you didn’t lend me your spade [but here, take the sickle]!’ In that context, it is said, ‘or bear any grudge’.” (pg177)

Thus, through example story, the people can then incorporate these understandings into their own life and day-to-day living, thereby pleasing God. They therefore have a better example of how to live then just a simple listing of rules to follow. And, if individually they can strive to become as close to God as possible, as well as working together and becoming as one, then communally they will be blessed with God’s grace and favor.

But what is the point to following Torah in the first place? Israel’s relationship with the Almighty began when He called Abraham out from his homeland and made a covenant, a kind of “contract,” with him. The basics of the Covenant are that Abraham and his descendants are to follow and worship God only, and He will make Abraham’s descendants into a great nation, one that will bless many others, and the people thereof will be too many as to count them (Genesis 12).

In the Judaic mindset, God is seen as a creator of history and its stories. He is not a God to make the world and then find more interesting things to do, leaving the earth to survive on its own; nor is He one to find interest simply watching humanity or causing strife for pleasure. Instead, their God is one who has a hand in shaping and changing Israel into a people for Himself. Thus, when Israel is banished from their land or forced under another’s authority, they see their situation as God’s way of trying to turn them back to Him. A form of punishment, yet it also brings the hope that when they get their act back together and follow Torah, they will be right in the eyes of God who will, in His timing, set them back into position of power and worth.

This leads into the question of how Judaism has been able to stay alive for so long. What is meant is this: why have so many other nationalities failed to survive when banished from their lands when Israel has been through many up-turnings and yet still survives? (Scott) What holds them together as they merge in with surrounding nations? The answer is the law. The law governs their economic handling, their internal socialization, policies and attitudes regarding foreigners, the worship rituals to God, right down to their diet and yearly festivals. Torah changes their daily lives and therefore shapes their worldview.

The societal differences and the people’s attitude towards others play back and forth on each other. For instance, a simple example of social differences would be looking at their diet. Diet restrictions alone can single people out from certain communal bonding activities. If you can’t eat pork and everyone has a BBQ night every Friday, you will be less inclined to go on a regular basis. Thus the daily actions and restrictions that the Torah gives the people set them to be much different than the surrounding lands. Couple those differences with the mindset that if Israel is God’s chosen people and they are pleasing to Him, then they have a spot in Heaven waiting so that they can serve God and enjoy rest from darkness. This attitude enforces the separation because one would not want to endanger displeasing God by mingling with the surrounding law-less lands.

When the Temple was destroyed in 70CE, Israel could no longer perform sacrifices which were commanded by the Torah. Because this worship was no longer possible to be done, the people turned to regular study of the law, placing great importance upon this (Scott). The overwhelming belief being that when Israel gets her act back together and follows God, then He will bring redemption and call them back to the promised land. This “get-back-on-track” mindset fueled people to stick together and to go back to their roots. The law gave them the glue to bind together and settle in foreign lands as a group instead of melting out into the masses. Thus, the reason Israel as remained for so long can be traced to their connection to the Covenant and to the Torah that came afterwards.

Just as a tree depends on its roots for survival, so does Israel depend on the law. The integration of the Torah into everyday life, religious worship, and governmental law sets a strong foundation for the people of Israel to keep their identity as a people devoted to their God. Without this foundation, the people may well have melted into the surrounding nations, losing sense of self and of their dedication. From order to chaos.



Works Cited

Cohn-Sherbok, Dan. Judaism: History, Belief and Practice. England: London, 2003. Print.

Neusner, Jacob. Judaism: an Introduction. England: London, 2002. Print.

Scott, Rachel. “Introduction to the Study of Religion: Judaism” Virginia Polytechnic University. McBride Hall, Blacksburg, Va. January 2012