ibn Ezra’s Torah Confession

In his commentary on the Pentateuch, Abraham ibn Ezra, a medieval rabbinic commentator, lays out five methods of interpretation. Excepting his own, he subjects each method to caustic ridicule. The ridicule, actually, is quite beautiful from a literary standpoint, but that’s beyond the scope of this post.

The question of how to practice law after the destruction of the Temple drove the formation of Rabbinic Judaism . Their teachings and detailed explanation of Torah Law became known as  the Oral Law (i.e. Mishnah and Talmud). Eventually, the Oral Law was canonicized in Rabbinic circles. On the flip side of Rabbinic Judaism is the Karaite viewpoint of the Hebrew Bible. They held that the Tanakh only was authoritative and rejected the Oral Law as a a part of the canon.

Ibn Ezra “undresses” the Karaite vision of the Hebrew Bible in his introduction to his commentary. Ibn Ezra recognizes that “you will not find one commandment with all of its requirements explained.” This point is important because certain laws in the Torah carry the punishment of excommunication (being “cut off” to be more exact”). If the laws are not spelled out, how can you avoid this punishment? How can the law be kept? According to Ibn Ezra, you need the Oral Law to explain how to keep the Torah.

Ibn Ezra’s observation continues to be a valid question for interpreters today. For Christians, however, the rabbinic tradition is not an option. The lack of explanations casts doubt on whether or not the Torah was ever meant to be read as a law book. Of course, such readings still endure. We should not retreat to the New Testament and abandon the Torah. The Oral Law may not be in the in the Christian canon, but the Torah Law is. Beyond that point, the issue gets murky. Should we seek strict literary solutions? How much does historical background play into interpretation? The answer is not easy. We will continue to struggle with this important issue, but, in so doing, we will be blessed by the richness that understanding the Torah will bring.

Advertisement