Written Torah vs. Oral Torah

Written Torah vs. Oral Torah

Throughout Judaism, one important debate has been whether to allow followers the flexibility of changing rules or to not make any changes to the rules, with some variations falling in between the two.  Two different versions of the Torah existedThe Written Torah had all the rules set in stone, which meant that they almost entirely unchangeable.  The Oral Torah didn’t have the rules written down, which would allow for change and adaptation if necessary.  Reform Judaism should identify more with the Oral Torah, seeing as both allow for change and permit us to make our own decisions for how to follow Judaism.  Although only the Written Torah still exists, Reform Judaism helps to carry on the tradition of adaptation and change that the Oral Torah started.

Sometimes, a religion can get stuck in the past by only following a set of unchangeable rules that no longer apply to modern society.  Having a set of rules that exists orally avoids this problem.  An Oral Torah is more adaptable, so if society changes, so can the rules.  Also, the Oral Torah gives you an element of choice the Written Torah does not.  If you do use the Oral Torah, though, it can easily be forgotten.  It is also quite difficult to pass down the Oral Torah, making it harder to carry Judaism on.  Though the Oral Torah is very adaptable, it is also quite easy to forget and therefore lose.

The Bible.  The Torah.  The Qoran.  The Vedas. The list goes on and on.  Every major religion has a central religious text that has many of its rules and stories written in it.  The written Torah helps Judaism because it’s much easier to pass down its knowledge than with Oral Torah.  Also, if we use a written Torah, it is impossible to simply forget everything.  However, the Written Torah can not change, meaning the rules can not adapt to changes in society.  Also, because the rules don’t change, they can become outdated or useless.  Though the Written Torah can be very useful in that it is impossible to just lose all the knowledge, it also makes it incredibly difficult to change anything.

One of Reform Judaism’s main philosophies is that it gives you the power to adapt the rules to coincide with modern society, the same way the the Orah Torah did for the Jews a long time ago.  The Oral Torah allowed Judaism to change based on the environment around them.  Because none of the rules were written down or set in stone, they did not last forever.  Reform Judaism is definitely closer to the Oral Torah in that both allow for change within the religion.  Also, when we need to see what the rules are, it is much easier to know the rules in the Oral Torah than in the Written Torah, as there are many more rules in the written one, just like how it is easier to know only the rules that you have chosen, than to know every single one for Judaism.  Throughout its existence, the Oral Torah left room for decision making and enabled Jews to be flexible, just as Modern Reform Judaism does today.

Today, there is an ongoing struggle between Reform and Orthodox Jews over how we should interpret our Judaism.  While one group says that we should always do exactly what the rules say and not change much at all, the other group says that we should adapt and interpret the rules based on modern society.  The Oral and Written Torah each represent one of these groups.  Orthodoxy would identify more with the Written Torah, as the rules are set in stone and almost completely unchangeable.  Reform would be much closer to the Oral Torah, as it allows for change, and permits adaptation.  Though we are all within one religion, how we interpret that one religion and even keep track of its rules can vary from person to person.