Bible vs. Talmud: The Irony of Haredi “Torah” Study

The cycle of Torah reading ends and begins again tomorrow on Simkhat Torah (in Israel; on Sunday, overseas). But what exactly is meant by “Torah”? It depends on who you ask. And the (very surprising) answer holds within it a strange irony – with profound implications for none other than Israeli politics and society as a whole.

One of the two major issues on the election agenda in Israel revolves around the refusal of the Haredim (ultra-Orthodox) to be drafted into the army. Their claim is that “Torah study” is as important for the “defense” of Israel as is military service. That term – “Torah study” – is bandied about as if it was self-evident. But as a matter of fact, the ultra-Orthodox (Haredim) do not study the Torah at all; they study Talmud.

That’s not merely a matter of semantics. Quite the opposite: it entails a profound approach to how one views contemporary Jewish life. I’ll get to that shortly. But first, who today in Israel is studying what?

Until about the third and fourth grade, a Haredi boy will be taught Bible stories from what’s called “The Five Books of Moses,” at least those sections considered “appropriate” for that age. Not biblical laws, just stories. Then around the age of 9, he will move on to Talmud study, never again to return to the Bible. (Many Haredi girls get a bit more Bible, no Talmud, but some Mishnah – the simpler forerunner to the Talmud.)

The education of Religious Zionist (Dati Leumi) children is somewhat different. Although they too study Talmud in their later educational years, they first become steeped in most of the biblical books – including the narratives in Judges (conquering the Land of Israel), Kings (the attempts to consolidate Judaic power), and the Prophets (including the sacking of the First Temple, exile, and return). In short, a Haredi learns almost nothing about ancient Jewish history; the traditional “Orthodox” Israeli is steeped in that history, at least until the destruction of the Second Temple and a bit thereafter.

However, this truncation is not the main issue. The central difference between the Bible (Tanakh) and the Babylonian Talmud (nowadays, the Jerusalem Talmud is hardly studied) is that the Bible focuses on the Jewish People’s struggles for national sovereignty in their own land; conversely, the Talmud is a work steeped in a “Galut” (exilic) mentality. This is a major reason for the huge difference between the self-estranged Haredi approach to the State of Israel and its army, compared to that of the national religious camp.

After the destruction of the Second Temple (68 CE), and the subsequent, even more catastrophic annihilation of tens (possibly hundreds) of thousands of Jews in the Bar-Kokhba revolt (132-135 CE), the Rabbis decided “enough (revolting) was enough.” Henceforth, Jewish energies would be devoted exclusively to study; political matters were a no-no, given the Jews’ lower status among the diaspora nations in exile. The Talmud reflects that ethos through and through: dialectical casuistry, not political strategizing. The latter will come to fruition when the Messiah arrives.
Religious Zionists, on the other hand, going along with secular (Herzlian) Zionism, were truly revolutionary from this halakhic standpoint. No longer willing to accept second class status, they hark(ed) back to the heroes of the Bible: Moses, Joshua, David et al, who fought off their neighbors (Canaanites, Philistines, etc.) and brought or restored political sovereignty to the Jewish People.
Thus, we are left today with Haredim intensely studying a “book” whose spirit is profoundly exilic (the Talmud), whereas the religious Zionists focus on the Bible with its clear message of the struggle for Jewish autonomy.

Here we finally arrive at the great irony I promised at the start. The Bible (Written Law) provides very clear commandments that don’t provide for change or “modernization.” Conversely, the Talmud (Oral Law) is one huge tome involving rabbis seeking ways to adapt the Torah to their own new situation – not only exile but also fighting an up-and-coming competitive religion: Christianity. However, in a perverse reversal of historical irony today’s reactionary Haredim are the ones who are studying the “liquid” Talmud while the more theologically flexible Zionist Orthodox focus on the “solid” Torah!

Indeed, regarding the mandate to join the army and go to war, the situation could not be more clear-cut. The Torah commands every male of fighting age (20-60) to join, especially when attacked by enemies (for a very few exceptions, see my blog: https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/haredim-against-judaisms-highest-value/). Another example: Moses doesn’t allow the two tribes to settle over the Jordan unless they join the war effort to conquer Canaan.

Is it any wonder, then, that the Haredim who consider the State of Israel to be just another state in which they happen to reside, don’t want their children to get too close to straightforward biblical commandments? On the other hand, it’s no surprise that the most militant political group in Israel today is the National Religious (Orthodox) camp – theologically nourished by the heroic militancy of the biblical heroes.

One of the main policy changes that most Israelis want to see is the inclusion of core secular studies (math, science) in Haredi schools. Based on my analysis here, we should add one more demand regarding the Haredi educational system: serious study of the entire Torah. As strange as it might sound, this might force the Haredi world to face reality: true “Torah Study” demands of all Jews living in “Eretz Yisroel” to join the fight in defense of the country.