When The Truth is A Lie

The following article has just been published by Reb Gutman Locks on the blog pages at http://mysticalpaths.blogspot.com. Just calling it mystical paths should set up alarm bells right from the onset. Mysticism and Judaism as I have commented regarding the Kabbalah are diametrically opposed. And as to be expected, when a Karaite challenges a Rabbanite, presents facts, presents strict Torah interpretation, the Rabbi has no other recourse but to proclaim that all Karaites are hysterical in our proclamation that Rabbinates are liars. And as hysterics, his implication is that the converse is true and in fact all Rabbanites must be speaking the truth. A very old rabbincal trick practiced by the tannim and one which the Aher exposed long ago. My responses are in CAPITAL LETTERS, and though I doubt any Rabbanites will bother to read this blog, at least those that are open minded, true followers of the correct path (not mystical) will see the fallacy of Reb Gutman's argument.

It's a Lie Wednesday, December 02, 2009
by Reb Gutman Locks at Mystical Paths

“It’s a lie!” he shouted. “How can you say those blessings? G-d didn’t command you to do those mitzvahs, the rabbis did!” THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN A YES/NO ANSWER BUT AS EXPECTED, SUCH AN EASY RESPONSE WILL NEVER BE FORTHCOMING FROM A RABBI.

He was referring to the blessing we say when we do one of the seven rabbinic mitzvahs. We say a blessing when we do a mitzvah, even if that mitzvah has been given to us by the rabbis. Beside the 613 commandments that are found in the Torah, there are also seven commandments that come from the rabbis. A ROUNDABOUT WAY OF SAYING 'YES' YOU ARE CORRECT. REB GUTMAN DOES STATE THAT THE MITZVAH HAS BEEN GIVEN TO THEM BY THE RABBIS AND NOT BY GOD.

They are:

To light lights for Shabbos,
To light the Hanukkah lights,
To read the Scroll of Esther on Purim,
To recite the prayers of Hallel on holidays,
To recite a blessing for certain types of enjoyment,
To wash hands in a prescribed manner before eating bread,
To construct an eruv to permit carrying to and within public areas on Shabbos,

He explained that he does not have a problem doing those rabbinical commandments, actually he enjoys them. His has a problem with saying the blessing that we say when we do them. I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH RABBANITE JEWS PRACTICING TRADITIONS EITHER. BUT AS THE BLESSING IS RECITED, THE PART THAT GOES 'BLESSED ARE YOU GOD THAT HAS ORDAINED US TO DO....' IS NOT CORRECT. IN FACT RABBI GUTMAN HAS ADMITTED EARLIER THAT IT WAS THE RABBIS THAT ORDAINED IT, NOT GOD. SO IN ESSENCE, ATTRIBUTING SOMETHING TO GOD WHICH IS NOT CORRECT IS USING GOD'S NAME IN VAIN BECAUSE IT IS A FALSEHOOD. AND USING GOD'S NAME IN VAIN IS BREAKING OF ONE OF THE SUPREME COMMANDMENTS.

“I do the commandments, but I refuse to lie and say that G-d has commanded me to do them.” IN THIS INSTANCE, THE STANCE TAKEN BY THE KARAITE IS THE ONLY ACCEPTABLE ONE.

The blessing for these rabbinic mitzvahs is the same blessing that we say when we do one of the Torah’s 613 commandments. “Blessed are You, O L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, Who has commanded us…” And then we mention the particular mitzvah that we are doing. ACTUALLY RABBI GUTMAN, IS ARGUING THAT SOMEHOW BY REPLACING THE LATTER PART OF THE ACTUAL COMMANDMENTS BECAUSE HE CONTINUES TO USE THE FIRST PART BLESSING GOD THAT SOMEHOW THIS NEW SENTENCE BECOMES A SANCTIONED COMMANDMENT BY GOD. THE ARGUMENT THEREFORE WOULD ALSO APPLY BY THIS LOGIC TO SOMETHING AS RIDICULOUS AS,"BLESSED ARE THOU, OUR LORD OUR GOD, KING OF THE UNIVERSE, WHO HAS COMMANDED US TO DRIVE AT RECKLESS SPEEDS THUS ENDANGERING THE HAPLESS PEDESTRIANS." JUST BECAUSE THE FIRST HALF OF THE BLESSING IS USED DOES NOT GIVE ANY CREDIBILITY TO THE LATTER PART. WHAT'S TRUE IN ONE CASE IS TRUE IN ALL CASES AND THEREFORE RABBINICAL BLESSINGS CANNOT BE ATTRIBUTED TO GOD. AS WE ARE ALL AWARE, MAN IS INHERENTLY WRONG IN MANY OF HIS JUDGMENTS. SO AS NOT TO APPEAR WRONG, THE RABBIS HAVE USED GOD'S NAME TO SANCTIFY THEIR OWN EDICTS. THAT IS AN ARROGANCE THAT GOD WILL NOT CONDONE.

“G-d didn’t command me to do those seven things. The rabbis did!” He got louder each time he repeated himself. MOST LIKELY BECAUSE THE RABBIS ARE DEAF TO HIS ARGUMENT.

I gave him the standard answers, but he would not budge. STANDARD ANSWERS? IS THERE A BOOK OF STANDARD ANSWERS THAT RABBIS USE IN ORDER TO JUSTIFY THEIR OWN PERSONAL OPINIONS? WHAT ABOUT GOD'S ANSWER? SHOULDN'T THAT BE WHAT IS IMPORTANT?

“The Torah specifically tells us to listen to the ‘judges in those days’ (our days) and to do what they tell us to do.[i] It even mentions a grave punishment for anyone who deviates from their instructions.” SINCE THE TORAH PREDATED THE JUDGES IN MOST CASES EXCEPT FOR JOSHUA, THIS ANSWER IS NOT FULLY CORRECT. YES, THE JUDGES ARE PART OF THE TANACH BUT THAT IS NOT WHAT IT SAYS EXACTLY AS I EXPLAIN AT THE END OF THIS ARTICLE. THERE WAS AN IMPLICATION OF COMMON SENSE THAT WAS A REQUIREMENT BY THE TORAH. WHEN GIDEON SACRIFICED HIS DAUGHTER, DOES THAT MEAN ALL MEN SHOULD DO LIKEWISE. OR WHEN ABIMELECH SLEW HIS BRETHREN SHOULD WE DO LIKEWISE. BETTER YET, WE SHOULD ALL LIVE A LIFE OF DEBAUCHERY LIKE SAMSON. NO, GOD DID NOT TELL US TO DO EXACTLY AS THE JUDGES ORDAINED. IN FACT THE LORD WANTED US TO REMEMBER THAT EVEN HIS APPOINTED JUDGES WERE PRONE TO FALSE PRIDE, ARROGANCE AND HUMAN ERROR. SO IF RABBI GUTMAN HAS THE AUDACITY TO EVEN THINK OF HIMSELF AS A JUDGE WITH HIS 'OUR DAYS' COMMENT, HOW VAINGLORIOUS OF HIM.

He argued, “That line in the Torah is talking about when the Temple was standing. It even says that ‘you shall go to that place.’ These rabbinical commandments came way after the Temple was destroyed. It is a lie to say that G-d commands them.” ACTUALLY THE TEMPLE WASN'T BUILT IN THE TIME OF THE JUDGES. AND THIS ARGUMENT DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE RELATED AT ALL TO RABBI'S COMMENT ON THE JUDGES. ANOTHER LITTLE TRICK THAT RABBIS OFTEN USE, BRINGING IN UNRELATED INFORMATION TO CONFUSE THE ARGUMENT.

I tried to explain, “The Torah tells us more than once to listen to our elders, and our elders told us to say these blessings.” It didn’t help. His mind was made up. THE TORAH TOLD THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL TO HONOUR THE PRIESTS AND THE MEMBERS OF THE BETH DIN. THOSE APPOINTED BY GOD AND THROUGH HIS SERVANT MOSES. RABBIS DIDN'T EXIST UNTIL THE POST TEMPLE DAYS,(JUST TO USE GUTMAN'S PREVIOUS STATEMENT) AND CERTAINLY THERE IS NO REFERENCE TO THESE SELF PROCLAIMED TEACHERS AS BEING GOD'S APPOINTED ELDERS.

“You are not using your head,” he insisted. “You are just following blindly without thinking. Those commandments were given by man, not by G-d. You are lying if you say those blessings.” He was getter louder as his frustration with me was getting the best of him. “Nothing you can say will get me to believe that G-d told me to say those blessing.” ONE DOES USUALLY BECOME FRUSTRATED WHEN TALKING TO A WALL. A WALL HAS NO EARS, IT HAS NO THINKING PROCESSESS, AND IT CERTAINLY DOESN'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO PROVIDE A REASONED ANSWER. THAT'S ALL HE WANTED AND HIS FAILING WAS IN NOT WALKING AWAY WHEN HE REALISED THE ABILITY TO REASON WAS NOT THERE.

I knew that he would not listen, but I tried anyway, “The Torah tells us to ask our elders, ‘generation after generation,’ not just while the Temple was standing.[ii] If we were to listen to the elders only while the Temple was standing, why would Moshe have also said ‘generation after generation’? LET'S NOT CONFUSE THE ELDERS OF THE BETH DIN WITH THE RABBIS OF TODAY. HOW MANY OF THEM ARE NOW ON TRIAL IN NEW YORK FOR THEIR SCAMMING OF FUNDS. HOW MANY 'SO-CALLED' ELDERS WERE CAUGHT IN THAT BODY PARTS SCANDAL? THESE ARE NOT ELDERS. THESE ARE NOTHING MORE THAN PEOPLE WITH INFLATED EGOS AND THINKING THEMSELVES ABOVE THE LAW. MOSES WOULD BE ASHAMED OF THEM.

“You would not cut down a food-tree because you know that the Torah forbids it. But the command not to cut down such a tree is referring to the time when we are besieging a city.”[iii] Still, you would not cut one down at any time. AS I MENTIONED, IT IS AN OLD RABBINICAL PLOY TO THROW EVERYTHING INTO AN ARGUMENT EVEN IF IT DOES NOT RELATE TO THE SPECIFIC QUESTION. RED HERRINGS AS WE KNOW THEM. A PLOY BY DESPERATE PEOPLE IS HOW I REFER TO THEM. I DISCUSS THIS FURTHER AT THE END OF THIS ARTICLE.

“You do many things that come from the rabbis. For instance, the Torah tells us to thank G-d after eating, but the rabbis taught us which words to say when we thank Him. You say those words.” THANKING GOD IS A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MAN AND GOD. ONE DOES NOT REQUIRE FORMAL WORDS TO RECITE. THAT MAN THAT IS MUTE CAN STILL THANK GOD WITHOUT UTTERING A SINGLE WORD. IS RABBI GUTMAN IMPLYING THAT ONLY BY RECITING THE RABBINICAL BLESSINGS CAN A MAN BE HEARD BY GOD? DOES HE NOT REALISE THAT IT IS THE HEART WHICH SPEAKS VOLUMES?

He admitted that he is picking and choosing which things he wants to do. THIS WAS NOT THE ORIGINAL ARGUMENT. RABBI GUTMAN HAS TRIED TO REVERSE THE ARGUMENT AND IMPLY THAT THE QUESTIONER IS SOMEHOW THE ONE REWRITING THE TORAH.

I went on, “But, if you want real proof that G-d agrees with those rabbinical blessings, look at the holiness that we experience when we do those mitzvahs. You do not deny that lighting Shabbos candles and doing these other mitzvahs brings holiness. A TRADITION IS NOT THE SAME AS HOLINESS. WHEN THE RABBIS IN WORLD WAR TWO ADVISED THEIR CONGREGATIONS TO NOT RESIST THE NAZIS, TO DO NOTHING TO SAVE OUR OWN LIVES, BECAUSE GOD WILL SEE OUR PLIGHT AND BY HIS OWN HAND SAVE US, WAS THERE HOLINESS IN OBEYING THOSE RABBINICAL INSTRUCTIONS. WAS THERE A MITZVAH BY NOT RAISING A HAND IN VIOLENCE TOWARDS ANOTHER MAN. LET US NOT MISTAKE THE INSTRUCTIONS OF RABBIS FOR MITZVAHS. A TRADITION OF NON-VIOLENCE LED TO SIX MILLION DEATHS. LIGHTING OF CANDLES AT SABBATH IS NOTHING MORE THAN THE LIGHTING OF CANDLES. YOU DO IT AS A TRADITION, WHETHER RIGHT OR WRONG. DOES IT BRING HOLINESS? ASK THOSE OF ALL THAT LIT THEIR CANDLES AND PERISHED NONETHELESS. THERE IS NO MITZVAH.

“Well, only G-d can ordain holiness. The holiness that we experience when we do those rabbinical mitzvahs is absolute proof that G-d approves of them, and that He approves of the blessings that we say when we do them.” FINALLY AN ACCURATE STATEMENT FROM RABBI GUTMAN. 'ONLY GOD CAN ORDAIN HOLINESS.' THEN HE TRIES TO PULL A FAST ONE SAYING THAT SINCE HE EXPERIENCES HOLINESS FROM DOING RABBINICAL MITZVAHS THEN GOD MUST APPROVE. OF COURSE, THAT'S LIKE A CRIMINAL SAYING HE GET'S GREAT SATISFACTION FROM THE CRIMES HE COMMITS. THEREFORE WHAT HE DOES MUST BE APPROVED BY THE LAW. THE FACT IS THAT IT ISN'T. AND THAT'S THE TRUTH!

[i] Deuteronomy 17:8-12 ACTUALLY RABBI GUTMAN, THIS READS TO HEARKEN TO THE PRIEST, THE LEVITE OR THE JUDGE, I DON'T SEE WHERE IT MENTIONS YOU OR YOUR COLLEAGUES. AS KOHEN, I WOULD THEREFORE SUGGEST MY RESPONSES SUPERCEDE YOURS.
[ii] Deuteronomy 32:7 A VERSE THAT APPLIES TO THE DAYS OF OLD. ASK THE ELDERS AND THEY WILL TELL YOU OF THE OLDEN DAYS; OF HOW THINGS WERE BACK THEN. NOT OF HOW THINGS HAVE BEEN CHANGED TODAY. A VERSE THAT IN APPLICATION IS FAR MORE KARAITE THAN RABBANITE. THANK YOU RABBI GUTMAN FOR BRINGING IT TO MY ATTENTION.
[iii] Deuteronomy 20:19 AS I MENTIONED A VERSE THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ORIGINAL ARGUMENT. NEXT TIME I LAY SIEGE TO A CITY I WILL REMIND MY WARRIORS NOT TO CHOP DOWN ANY TREES. BUT FOR NOW, WHEN I LAY SIEGE TO THE FORTRESS OF RABBINICAL WISDOM I WILL REMIND MY FOLLOWERS THEY MUST NOT ABANDON OR CHOP DOWN THE TORAH (THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE) WHEN MAKING OUR ARGUMENTS AGAINST THOSE THAT HAVE LONG FORGOTTEN THE TASTE OF THE ORIGINAL FRUIT.