Torah MiSinai, Then and Now #1

Originally published 10/22/09, 11:32 pm.
This is a reprise of an earlier post. There are several new comments as a result of a discussion on Avodah
First, let's reset the table.
There are two different perspectives regarding Torah MiSinai that put things in stark, black-and-white contrast.
Conservative Rabbi Jacob Agus (brother of Irving Agus) stated this in an article in the 1950's.


The strict Orthodox perspective: All of Torah is MiSinai. Period. No qualifications. Since every imperative is Divine, there's not much to talk about...
(NB: Agus broad-brushed ALL Orthodox as subscribing to this thesis)
With regards to Conservatives, J. Agus gave a more Leftist Perspective: Torah is simply NOT MiSinai. It might have Divine inspiration or influence but it is a human product. This view gives modern rabbis carte-blanche to dispute anything they need to dispute.


There are many more "gray" positions between these two. Let's start with Positive Historical. PH does not deny Torah MiSinai, nor does it subscribe to it either. It's kinda' agnostic.
What it does propose, is that antiquity, history, and tradition give some sanctity and much legal weight to Torah Traditions. The older the statute, the less it may be challenged. But the Sanctity or Divinity of any given law is fuzzy. It is legally very conservative and traditional, but not really Orthodox. It makes no claim that any law is really that Holy.
PH should have, in practice, provided a position on Halacha fairly close to the Orthodox one. Why it has not, is beyond the scope of this post.
So consider PH the far right of Conservative Judaism, the most loyal to Torah but not necessarily to its Sinaitic pedigree


What about Orthodox?
There are several brands of Orthodox somewhat to the left of the hardline of above. Some call them by names like Modern Orthodox, Neo-Orthodox, Liberal Orthodox, etc.
Let's go back to the common starting point of Ma'amad Har Sinai. Let's take a hardline stance, that as Moshe Rabbeinu descended the mountain, all of the Written Torah and all of the Oral Torah was MiSinai, meaning Divine, Holy.
What might have occurred that would make the common denominator across the Orthodox spectrum to diverge over time?

Stay tuned for future posts addressing this point.

KT,
RRW