Joodse traditie als permanent leren

97

of the law, imposing more and more restrictions

and prohibitions. "There is no generation in which

23

the Rabbis do not add to the law" . In the time of Moses, only what he had explicitly received at Sinai ((the written law)) was binding, plus several ordinances which he added for whatever reasons

24

he saw fit. ((However)) the prophets, the Tannaim ,

and the rabbis of every generation ((have continued

25 26

to multiply these restrictions)) Bereikten de rabbijnen met deze uitbreiding van de halakhah hun doel? Werden de meeste mensen door de toegevoegde beperkingen en verboden dichter tot God gebracht? Heschel meent van niet: 'The industrial civilization has profoundly affected the condition of man,and vast numbers of Jews loyal to Jewish law feel that many of the rabbinic

restrictions tend to impede rather than to inspire

27

greater joy and love of God' Door de gewenste manier van leven en de totale levensstijl in gedragsregels voor te schrijven, hoopten de rabbijnen de sfeer van het profane te heiligen en de menselijke waardigheid van elk individu veilig te stellen. Dat het formaliseren van het levenspatroon in veel gevallen ook tot sleur en routinematig handelen zal leiden, is de keerzijde van de medaille:

'In their zeal to carry out the ancient injunction,

2 8

"make a hedge about the Torah" ((dit zijn de

beperkingen en verboden die iemand voor mis-

2 9

stappen moeten behoeden )), many Rabbis

failed to heed the warning, "Do not consider

the hedge more important than the vineyard".

Excessive regard for the hedge may spell ruin 30

for the vineyard . The vineyard is being trodden

3 1

down. It is all but laid waste'. En Heschel trekt de parallel door naar deze tijd en gaat aldus verder: 'Is this the time to insist upon the sanctity of the hedges? "Were the Torah given as a rigid immutable code of laws, Israel could not survive. . . . Moses exclaimed: Lord of the universe, let me know what is the law ((halakhah)). And the