Mis-nagid has a great post (Fabricating Fictions Fathers Further Fraud) about where the Torah came from and what went wrong in the process. WARNING: Don't read it if you don't like heresy, this one is the real deal (not like that slifkin guy). You have been warned. However if you are reading it to refute it, then thats ok, as in dah ma lhashiv leapikores.
I don't have a problem with the mis-nagid theory per-se. Its quite logical. Man wrote the Torah, and later generations added the divine myth. However I would make one or two important additions. I would add in a significant element of divine inspiration, and continue to hold of Torah miSinai as in Torah shebaal peh. I know this was not mis-nagids intention and he will no doubt have an absolute fit and tell me that baal peh is even more man made than bictav - my apologies mis-nagid !
This is similar to the Louis Jacobs theory in "We have reason to believe". His approach was that the Torah was man's record of the divine encounter, not G-d's record, but that there was a divine encounter / revelation nonetheless. I am not saying I believe this theory, but it has some logic to it. Though that got him kicked out of the orthodox rabbinate in the UK.
I suggested a similar idea to my rabbi a few months ago, and his reply was "Well there goes half the Talmud then". In other words, most of the talmud revolves around explaining every word in the Torah, so if its not the exact word of G-d, there's not much validity in the Talmuds line of reasoning. Personally I think he is wrong, you would lose about 90% of the Talmud. But seriously, I read some theory that when the Gemara tries to use pesukim, and darshans words and even letters, its all an asmachta, an attempt to recreate the torah baal peh by looking for clues in the bictav. However really baal peh was received through mesorah as is, and does not need baal peh.
I don't see why losing bictav means losing baal peh. Its interesting though that the major heretical movements (e.g. Kairites, Tzedukim etc) always got rid of baal peh and kept bictav. How come there were no heretical movements which kept baal peh but toned down the importance of bictav ? It would keep halachah intact but solve all those pesky Science and Torah and JPED problems. I guess if Bictav was just man made, people would not be able to take the whole baal peh thing too seriously. Plus rabbis wouldn't be able to make so many cool drashas.
Just some thoughts, no need to stone me. I'm not changing my dox, nor my prax, and changing my box is right out. I might change my sox though. I have decided that black is better than blue, because black goes with my black, gray and blue pants, whereas blue doesn't go with black pants really, so they are less flexible. Also a drawer full of black sox would be easier to match, which would make the rebbetzin happy, and thats much more important than my blog, or so she keeps telling me. Another test to see if she reads my blog. So far she doesn't. Why not ????? If my wife was posting stuff on the internet you'ld better believe I would be reading it. Unless it was just a load of chick talk in which case I get way too much of that already. Hee hee.
Anyways, does anyone have any authentic sources which might make this theory somewhat less kefiradik ? Or do you think a snowball would have a better chance in hell than finding any sources for this bunch of heresy, oh and by the way hell is exactly where I'm going for posting this ? Answers on a postcard please, or try the comments. Of course the real reason for this post was just to beat mis-nagid in the best aliteration blog post title competition. I win with 6 words versus 5.
