The Pluralistic Halakhah : Legal Innovations in the Late Second Commonwealth and Rabbinic Periods

This study examines by a meticulous analysis of abundant rabbinic citations the pluralism of the Halakhah in the pre-70 period which stands in contrast to the fixed Halakhah of later periods. The Temple's destruction provoked, for political motives, the initiation of this significant shift, which protracted itself, in developmental stages, for a longer period. The transition from the Tannaitic to the Amoraic era was a consequential turning point on the extended path from flexibility to rigidity in Jewish law. INTRODUCTION 11 Detailed Postulates with respect to Halakhic Development 12 Methodology: General Remarks 13 Methodology in Detail 18 Main Topics of Study 27 a) Halakhic Development 27 b) The Nature and Implications of Rabbinic Authority 29 The Context of the Study 49 Sources 50 End-Note 51 1. THE TENSION BETWEEN TRADITION AN INTERPRETATION 53 1.1 The Unity of Written and Oral Torah 57 1.2 The Reverence for Tradition 60 1.3 The Value of Free Expression 68 1.4 Rabbinic Authority to Overrule Even Torah Law 71 1.5 The Antipathy Toward Written Codification 82 1.6 Rabbinic Terminology 88 1.6.1 'Tradition" XXXXX 88 1.6.2 'Torah" XXXXX 90 1.6.3 Methods of Legal Decision XXXXX 91 1.6.4 "Law" XXXXX 91 1.7 Conclusion 101 2. CHARACTERISTICS OF RABBINIC DECISION-MAKING 104 2.1 The Sages' Method of "Legal" Sense 104 2.2 Scholarly Opinions Concerning Halakhic Midrash and Mishnah as the Basis of Halakhah 117 2.3 Rabbinic Authority 136 2.3.1 "Judicial" versus "Legislative" 136 2.3.2 Tannaitic versus Amoraic Attitudes to Authority 139 2.4 The Nature of Tannaitic Disputes 160 2.5 "Do Not Cook a Kid in its Mother's Milk": An Example of Rabbinic Methods 167 2.5.1 Exegesis of the Three Instances 167 2.5.2 Types of Meat 169 2.5.3 Further Issues 171 2.5.4 Types of Milk 172 3. IS THERE A SYSTEM IN RABBINIC DECISION-MAKING? 185 3.1 The Use of the Majority Rule 185 3.2 Repeal Provisions 193 3.3 Preference for Individual Opinion 197 3.4 Did the Halakhah Always Follow Beit Hillel? 210 3.5 Inconsistent Application of XXXXXX 218 3.6 The Role of the Sanhedrin 232 3.7 Conclusion 245 4. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE HALAKHIC SYSTEM PRE -AND POST- DESTRUCTION 252 4.1 The Fixing of a Halakhic Codex: Pre- or Post-70? 252 4.1.1 The Method of Retrojection 257 Excursus: The Association between Pharisees and '"Rabbis" 259 4.1.2 The Role of Yabneh 262 4.1.3 The Existence of Early Disputes 268 4.1.4 Evidence of Pre-70 Pluralism in Decision-Making 270 4.1.5 Differences in Literary Style 272 4.1.6 The Development of Detailed Rules as a Later Phenomenon 275 4.1.7 XXXXX and XXXXX 278 4.1.8 Conclusion 287 4.2 The Development of Institutionalized Halakhah 295 4.2.1 The Effect of the Loss of Centralized Authority 295 4.2.2 The Role of Rabban Gamaliel 297 Excursus: The Title and Authority of the Patriarch (Nasi) and the President of the Academy/Court (Av Bet Din) 299 4.2.2.1 Rabban Gamaliel's Attempts to Unify the Halakhah 319 4.2.2.2 The Reaction of the Sages to Rabban Gamaliel's "Reform" 329 4.2.3 Later Development 342 CONCLUSION 345 APPENDIX: WHO WERE BEIT HILLEL AND BEIT SHAMMAI? 365 Oddities and Inconsistencies 365 a) absence of attributions 365 b) leniency versus strictness 366 c) did the halakhah always follow Beit Hillel? 367 Hypothesis: A Plausible mise en scne 367 The Nature of the Disputes between Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel 372 Analysis Of Mishnah Shabbat - Attempts at Classification 378 Comparison and Contrast between Rabbinic and Dissident Halakhic Rules 387 a) Difference in Principle, Agreement in Practice 388 b) Differences in Practice, Agreement in Principle 390 c) Differences in Both Practice and Principle 391 d) Conclusion 394 BIBLIOGRAPHY 395 SUBJECT INDEX 409 CITATIONS INDEX 425 Nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg hat Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich (1921-2007) herausragende israelische Gelehrte in englisch- und deutschsprachigen Veroeffentlichungen in Europa und Nordamerika bekannt gemacht. Die zu diesem Zweck von ihm begrundete Reihe Studia Judaica bietet heute ein Forum fur wissenschaftliche Studien und Editionen aus allen Epochen der judischen Religionsgeschichte. Nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg hat Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich (1921–2007) herausragende israelische Gelehrte in englisch- und deutschsprachigen Veröffentlichungen in Europa und Nordamerika bekannt gemacht. Die zu diesem Zweck von ihm begründete Reihe Studia Judaica bietet heute ein Forum für wissenschaftliche Studien und Editionen aus allen Epochen der jüdischen Religionsgeschichte. The most outstanding difference between the pre- and post-70 periods is the pluralism of the halakhic environment, with respect to both doctrine and practice, which characterized the pre-70 period, as opposed to the quest for a fixed halakhah in the post-70 period.