Freedom To Do What Is Right

Shemot {30:22} Moreover HaSHEM spoke to Moshe, saying, {30:23} "Also take fine spices: of liquid myrrh, five hundred shekels; and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, even two hundred and fifty; and of fragrant cane, two hundred and fifty; {30:24} and of cassia five hundred, after the shekel of the sanctuary; and a hin of olive oil. {30:25} You shall make it a kadosh (set apart) anointing oil, a perfume compounded after the art of the perfumer: it shall be a kadosh anointing oil. {30:26} You shall use it to anoint the Ohel Moed (Tent Of Meeting), the Aron (Ark) of the testimony, {30:27} the table and all its articles, the menorah and its accessories, the Mizbeah (Altar) Of Incense, {30:28} the Mizbeah Of Olah Korban (Sacrifice / Draw Near) with all its utensils, and the basin with its base. {30:29} You shall sanctify them, that they may be most kadosh. Whatever touches them shall be kadosh. {30:30} You shall anoint Aharon (Aaron) and his sons, and sanctify them, that they may minister to me in the cohen's office. {30:31} You shall speak to the Bnei Yisrael (Children of Israel), saying, 'This shall be a kadosh anointing oil to me throughout your generations. {30:32} It shall not be poured on man's flesh, neither shall you make any like it, according to its composition: it is kadosh. It shall be kadosh to you. {30:33} Whoever compounds any like it, or whoever puts any of it on a Stranger, he shall be cut off from his people.'"

Two things caught my attention as I read these verses. Firstly, if the oil formula written above was only to be used by the Cohanim (Priests) and there was / is such a thing as the Oral Law (the Oral Laws are Laws that were supposedly spoken to Moshe (Moses) by HaShem but not written down by him), then why did HaShem not give this formula to Moshe privately and have him pass it down orally to the Cohanim? Why did HaShem have Moshe write down the compound for all to see? Secondly, if HaShem did not want anyone to reproduce this formula for private use, then why did He give us the formula in the first place? I can equate the publishing of this formula to putting bomb making instructions on the internet and attaching a warning not to use the instructions to make a bomb. You as well as I know, that as sure as HaShem made little green apples, someone will download the instructions with the intention of building a bomb. Is HaShem so naïve as to think everyone will listen to Him and not produce this anointing oil formula?

Let me answer the first question by making this statement: “There was/is no such thing as the Oral Law. I know for the orthodox Jewish person who reveres the Talmud (a collection of books which now contain the so called written version of the Oral Law), this is a very bold and disturbing statement. However I can site two Biblical references to support what I have said. First and perhaps the most elementary defence of my statement is that we are clearly told in Scriptures that Moshe wrote down everything HaShem told him:

Shemot {24:4} Moshe wrote all the words of HaShem, and rose up early in the morning,…..

All the words to me, mean exactly that, everything. There is nothing HaShem told Moshe which He did not write down.

Even more convincing then this Scripture are the events that took place during the reign of King Yoshiyahu/Josiah of Judah. Yoshiyahu was a king who had a heart for HaShem. Prior to his reign his predecessors allowed the Temple to fall into neglect and disrepair. So he instructed that the money being collected in the Temple be used to repair the Temple. While the work was taking place Scripture tells us this occurred:

Melachim Bet (2 Kings) {22.8} And Hilkiah the Cohen Hagadol said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the Bet HaMikdash (Temple). And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. {22.10} And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. {22.11} And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes. {22.12} And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king's, saying, {22.13} Go, inquire of HaShem for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of HaShem that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not listened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.

Having found the Torah in the Temple, King Yoshiyahu proceeded to bring the nation and bnei Yisrael back into Torah observance. You can read all about what he did in Melachim Bet chapters 22 and 23. However what I found very interesting and germane to the point I am making here, are these verses:

Malachim Bet {23.21} Then the king commanded bnei Yisrael saying, "Celebrate the Passover to HaShem your G-d as it is written in this book of the covenant." {23.22} Surely such a Passover had not been celebrated from the days of the judges who judged Yisrael, nor in all the days of the kings of Yisrael and of the kings of Yahudah (Judah). {23.23} But in the eighteenth year of King Yoshiyahu, this Pesach (Passover) was observed to HaShem in Yerushalayim (Jerusalem).

Think of it for a moment! If there was such a thing as an Oral Law and it was supposedly passed down uninterrupted, orally, from one generation of Cohanim to another, since the time of Moshe, up until the fifth century AD, when it was finally written down, then why did Hilkiah, the Cohen HaGadol know nothing about the Peasch? Why had Pesach not been celebrated since the times of the Judges of Yisrael? Why was everyone so surprised to learn about the Pesach? The answer I believe is quite clear, there was and is no such thing as an Oral Law! The only authoritative Word from HaShem is His written Torah!

Now to answer the second question that came from reading this Parsha. If HaShem did not want anyone to reproduce this anointing oil formula for private use, why then did He give us the formula in the first place? I think I can do the Jewish thing here and answer my question with a question. Therefore why did HaShem put the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Gan Eden (Garden of Eden) and then tell Adam and Chava (Eve) not to eat from it? Or why did HaShem give us all the negative commandments (the thou shalt not’s), in Torah and then tell us to choose life and follow the positive commandments (the thou shalt’s)? I think the answer is simple. Free will! Let us face it, without a choice we could not make a choice. HaShem did not create us as robots. He does not want us to choose Him because we have no other choice. He wants us to choose and obey Him because we believe in Him, believe Him, love Him and want to be obedient to Him. Obedience after all, has its advantages, i.e. blessings; while disobedience has its consequences! Does that mean we really do not have a choice or free will? Definitely not! Who in their right mind would want to choose consequences if they can choose blessings? Remember that HaShem created us, therefore as our manufacturer He knows what best maintains us. Does a car manufacturer know what is best for the maintenance of the car he created? Yet you as the purchaser/owner still have a choice of whether or not you want to follow the owner’s instruction manual! Blessings and consequences apply also in the case of maintaining our car, yet none of us would consider ourselves obligated, intimidated or locked into obedience to serve the manufacturer!

HaShem tests our willingness to trust Him. As our creator He gives us choices and then tells us what is best for us. It is not intimidation. As it would be to follow the car manufactures instructions, it is just good sense. Knowledge is not liberty to do what you want; it is freedom to do what is right! Choose blessings!

Rabbi Jack "Yaacov" Farber is the spiritual leader of Congregation Melech Yisrael in Toronto, Canada.

Copyright 2004