The Talmud was written by Rabbis and is not inspired by God.ÊÊI agree with the parts of The Talmud that are in agreement with Scripture.
The men who wrote The Talmud were like us.ÊÊSinful and flawed.ÊÊWherever The Talmud disagrees with Scripture, I disagree with The Talmud.ÊÊ
I think there is a problem for anyone who believes things in The Talmud that disagree with Scripture.ÊÊ
I need to show that The Bible is divinely inspired and without error.ÊÊIf there is a contradiction in The Talmud, then The Talmud is wrong.
I think that there are too many Yeshiva educated Jews who elevate The Talmud to a level at par with Scripture.ÊÊThey need to be shown that The Talmud is not perfect, because it was written by men who are not perfect.
Talmud is commentary on and interpretation of scripture. It is written by fallible men; nobody has ever claimed otherwise! How can anybody expect that those who observe Torah in each generation would write commentaries and interpretations.
I am not aware of anything in the Talmud that is clearly contrary to Torah. Although admittedly Torah law is often “stretched” in Talmud, it is never, to the best of my knowledge “contradicted.”
Peppertree, you are right in regards to Talmud. Also, even Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki) erred at times. For example, if someone wanted to start a riot against the Jews, he would merely have to cite Rashi as being a pedophile, who is quoted as writing: "10 years from when he [Isaac] married her [Rebekah], until she turned 13 years old, and fit to be made pregnant; and in those 10 years did he hope and wait for her as his father had done. But because she did not become pregnant, he [Isaac] knew she was barren, and he prayed for her." (Commentary of Beresheis / Genesis 25:26 on Isaac being 60 years old).
Now how can a 3 year old talk and carry on a conversation, and water and straw (say) 10 thirsty and hungry camels? I doubt she was yet as young as 13, which Rashi says is marraigeable age. Now to have sexual relations with a 3 year old, or to justify this activity, is worthy (in my mind) of the death penalty. Yet the Ultra-Orthodox blindly accept glaring mistakes such as this, and run with this teaching of how Rebekah married Isaac at age 3. Yuck! and the pupil dares not call their rabbis / teachers into question, lest they be expelled as "radicals" and "trouble-makers"? If the communities of a 100 years ago in America would have heard this, that Rabbi would have spent that night dangling at the end of a rope. Which is why Rashi and the other commentators are generally only discussed in closed sessions in Jewish dialects.
To be fair, because I indeed respect much of Rashi's writings, I am of a mind to believe that Rashi originally meant Rebekah to have been 13 when she left to marry 40 year old Isaac. Contrary to Rashi, I believe Rebekah was 33 (not 23) when she finally conceived (Isaac then being 60). This would be more in line as to the ages of Miriam and Joseph, the mother and step-father of Christ. Shalom.
Peppertree,
In Eruvin 13b we read of the debate between the school of Shammai and that of Hillel. In this passage, there is a claim of a bat qol "the daughter of the voice" or "heavenly voice" which reasons after the manner of men, saying that since the followers of Hillel were gentle and modest, and quoted the opinions of Shammai before diagreeing, then we are to follow them. However...according to this "heavenly voice", both schools with opposing opinions "are the words of the Living G-D." This is clearly an act of opposing the Torah in giving heed to the heavenly voice over Torah. (cf. Tosefta, Sota 13.2; B. Talmud Sotah 48b, Yoma 9a, Sanhedrin 11a).
For this reason, Paul writes, "G-D is not the author of confusion". In Bava Mezia 59b, Rabbi Jeremiah boldly declares, "...since the Instruction was given on Mount Sinai, we do not pay heed to a bat qol, for it is written in the Torah, 'Decide, according to the majority.'" In effect, since Sinai, said the religious authorities, what man decides is more important than what G-D divines. With this attitude, even if the authorities knew Jesus was HASHEM in the flesh, they would have taken the attitude "HASHEM behind the veil, but we are entitled to rule everything else!" (Cf. Matthew 21:33-43; Mark 12:1-12). Therefore, the logic that HASHEM Messhiach was but a thief and a robber to those who triumphantly led His whipped body out of the city through the Gate of Living Waters (Siloam), after having caused the divorce utterance 3 times. The first utterance in John 18:29-32; the second in John 19:6-7; the third in John 19:15, which is the declaration, "We have no king but Caesar!" With Bava Mezia 59b, you now have the majority [i.e., of G-d's earthly Sanhedrin] being even greater than the bat qol which is greater than Torah, and the "majority of men" now become "gods" who reign in place of El Shaddai as a group form of El Saddai upon the Earth.
Strangely enough, the descendants of these 23 rebellious authorites and the high priest (of the 30 A.D. event in John's Gospel), lamented over the activities of Israel's new lover or supposed adulterous husband, when Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai complained that the Romans were only rebuilding Jerusalem to benefit themselves, to install houses of prostitution and bath houses, and repair bridges solely to collect tolls. (Shabbat 33b). To this day, the loss of Jerusalem is blamed as being "Sinat Khinam", "hatred without a cause or reason". (Yoma 9b). It is never blamed on a spiritual adultery of loving power and money, of defiling the Temple (as Josephus records), of turning away from HASHEM with the whole heart to steal and kill and destroy the children of Israel and their devout Jewish faith.
So we see that in Talmud, and the religious writings of men that are not G-D-breathed, there is confusion over even elementary forms of logical extension, action begetting reaction. There is a Judaism of the priests, and another for the masses. There is a Catholic indulgence of the religious authorities long before the Christians came. There is a murderous robber mode of practicing the faith against one's own kindred, long before the Christian's were accused of doing so. Jews murdering and enslaving and raping and robbing Jews is blanketly forgiven, while those called "Christians" are made the scapegoat of all ills. But what if G-D is not appeased by the lack of acceptance of these above sins against Him? Yoma 8:9 says that is what Yom Kippur's sacrifice is for, and I've yet to hear a public confession of the sins of even just the Sicarii, the "heroes of Masada"; the very ones who caused the destruction of the Temple!!!
The bible calls us ALL as being sinners. The Bible's supposed or accused "contradictions" dissipate with increased knowledge and insight. Not so with the Talmud. Those who persecuted the sons and daughters of Israel, who called themselves "Christian", in behalf of these ancestors, I apologize to the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. And of those ancestors who uplifted or were Sicarii themselves, and opposed Messhiach, in behalf of these, I also apologize to the nations. In Messhiach's Name, I say unto you, Shalom.