Oral law and the Reform Movement.

                Since the destruction of the second temple, Jewish law has been changing. Before the destruction of the temple, Jews only followed the laws within the Torah with very little interpretation or flexibility. After the destruction of the temple, Rabbi Ben Zakai manages to escape to Yavneh with other rabbis. There they began to develop and understand the flexible and changing ‘Torah Shebaal Peh’ or Oral Law. The written Torah and oral Torah both have advantages and disadvantages that are very relevant to the reform movement today.

                The major difference between the oral law and written law is the ability to be changed. The written law is set in stone, it is the Torah, and the Torah does not change. This can be seen as positive or negative. It is negative because it gives no flexibility for any laws or ideas. What happened happened, and what is said is said. This idea is still widely ignored by, hopefully, all sects of Judaism for a few specific laws, for example; the sale of a raped woman to her rapist. Or the stoning of a woman if she is not a virgin on her wedding night. Though you can’t change what the written Torah says, as reform Jews we have the ability to choose how Jewish we want to be. The positive side of the Torah being set in stone, never changing, is that there is no question of who or what happened in Jewish tradition. It will always be Moses who led us out of Egypt, Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and Jacob who stole Esau’s birthright. It gives us, the Jewish people, something to always remain the same. That is what connects all of us, from Ultra-Orthodox to Reconstructionist, the Torah is always the same.

                On the other hand, the oral law also has its positives and negatives. The best part about the oral law is that it can be changed and interpreted for the changing times. After the destruction of the second temple, the rabbis of Yavneh adapted the 3 sacrifices a day into praying 3 times a day. This is because they had no place to do the sacrifice.  As reform Jews, we have adapted the oral law to fit into our every day lives, no longer basing our lives around Torah, but basing Torah around our lives. When I am home, I very rarely go to my synagogue to pray once a month. I go when I feel I should, and when I have time. I also choose not to keep kosher, it is a personal choice of mine because keeping kosher where I live is frankly very difficult. We adapt the Torah to our lives around us. This can also cause negativity within the Jewish people. The major argument is how much can be changed, Ultra-Orthodox think basically nothing should be changed, while reform thinks very much should be changed. This can cause, and has caused, a very obvious split in the Jewish people.

                In conclusion, Reform Jews should relate to the oral and written Torah in order to keep the connection with the Jewish people, while also doing what we believe is right. The oral Law has changed very much through the years and will continue to change. With the change of the oral law comes the change of the Jewish people, but one thing will not change and that is the Written Torah which keeps us connected as a Jewish people.