Hebraic Musing – What are ‘Fence
Laws’?
“Praise
G-d” Did you notice that I just obeyed Chalachah (how
to walk/behave) by hyphenating the name of G-d. In order not to violate G-d’s commandment “Do
not take the L-rd’s name in vain”, the Jewish custom is to build a ‘fence
law’, e.g., to create self-made or rabbinical rule so strict as to protect one
from violating G-d’s commandment. Better
to be extra safe, than to be sorry by offending Almighty G-d. And I do not wish to offend a Jewish reader
who has been raised to obey these particular mitzvah (good deeds).
There
are good reasons for fence laws and the intentions are admirable. A classic example is that rather than
trusting a sign at the edge of a cliff, we build a fence 20 feet back to
eliminate any chance someone might get hurt.
So, fences were created by rabbinic decrees designed to distance one
from risk of transgressing Torah law.
However,
rabbinic fences have grown so high and so firm in their dogma that many people
feel blocked out and therefore, they have lost all desire to find the grandeur
contained within the Torah. There have
been so many “do not’s” written about observing Shabbat that some have lost the
joy of just being human and relishing in the delights of a day resting with the
L-rd. Some develop a fear of doing the
“wrong thing” because of all the many rules and regulations (fences) contained
in the Shulhan Aruch, (Code of Jewish Law). The fear of not doing something in “the right
way” often discourages people from trying.
This was clearly not the intention of our biblical ancestors. But isn’t this what Jesus had to
explain/clarify to the people of His day?
Most would say the
Sages constructed the rabbinic fences to protect us from inadvertent
transgressions of Torah law, to create an attitude of fear or reverence of
G-d.
·
But some
might believe that the fence is to lock us within its confines to the exclusion
of the wisdom of the rest of the world.
·
One might
also wonder whether the fence is to keep everyone else out of that inner circle
and thus prevent them from gaining our wisdom.
·
There are
some Jews for whom Judaism is a set of behaviors. What matters most to them is that the required
ritual is performed in the proper manner.
·
There is
another group of Jews who see Judaism exclusively as a form of social action. They march against injustice, sign petitions,
and write letters to newspapers and congress.
Could the same be said of some of the “do’s and don’ts” in
our traditional Christian teachings? Neither
of these concepts can stand alone. Ritual should be understood and accepted as a
way of practicing righteous living, or Chalachah. These rules need to be appreciated and obeyed
as a way of disciplining us and teaching us restraint, balance, and compassion
and to shift the focus from our perspective to G-d’s perspective.
However, one must be careful to obey a mitzvot from
May we all be blessed to see the holiness (Tzedakah)
within ourselves, within each other and in all of G-d’s creation. And to appreciate why our loving G-d gave us
so many commandments (Mitzvot).
Points to Ponder
Has
Christianity eliminated “fence laws” in their teachings? Or have we added some?
Jesus
preached “Seven Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees”,
Do His messages to the crowd in Matthew 23 apply to us today?
Shalom
Aleichem
Yosef a.k.a. Joe Brusherd
January
2, 2024
Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages
exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith”
“Biblical Marriage (by Yosef)”
Weekly “Hebraic Musings”
Note – An edited version of Hebraic
Insight #17 – “What are ‘Fence Laws’?” published in April 2009
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