#1 - The written Torah says without any hesitation or second-guessing that all that was spoken to Moses by the Lord on Mount Sinai was written down. It always directs the children of Israel to the written word of the Lord as the standard of obedience and disobedience, flourishing or judgment, life or death–“If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, The Lord Thy God.” (Deuteronomy 28:58). And the Scripture phrases all of these things in such a way so as to exclude the fictitious notion of an oral law:
[1]. “And Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the Lord hath said will we do. And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Exodus 24:3-4) — Our first chief observation upon this text is the clear statement that Moses wrote “all the words of the Lord,” – not some, but all. In the original Hebrew language of this text, the word כָּל is prefixed unto דִּבְרֵ֣י perhaps for this very purpose of condemning all those who, like the rabbinic Jews, wish to add unto this written law (Deuteronomy 4:2). כָּל is used throughout the Scripture to denote a universal category without qualification, hence the account of the creation of the world tells us that the Lord created “every living thing” (כָּל־נֶ֣פֶשׁ הַֽחַיָּ֣ה). Just as there was no living creature that was not created by God, so also there was no word of the Lord given to Moses which was not written down, and therefore there is no such oral law! Or as one of divines, Herman Witsius, brilliantly summarizes the argument: “Whoever received all the commandments (מצוות) divinely, and wrote them down, did not receive in addition any law that was not to be written. But Moses did this—he wrote them all.
The minor premise has already been affirmed by the Rabbis themselves in these few words.” (Judaeus Christianizans Circa Principia Fidei Et SS. Trinitatem [Conrad Meyerum, 1660], pg. 47). And also upon this text, Rashi writes: “ואת כל המשפטים ‘And all the judgments’; which had been ordained before the Sinaitic legislation: the seven commands given to the “Sons of Noah” (the non-Israelite world), the law of the Sabbath, of filial respect, of the “red heifer” and regarding the administration of justice, all of which had been given to them already in Marah. ויכתב משה; ‘And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord’ from [Genesis] בראשית up to (but not including) the account of the Giving of the Torah and he wrote down the commandments that were given to them in Marah.”
[2]. “And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them.” (Deuteronomy 17:18-19) — As Moses describes for us the godly magistrate of the Jewish church under the old covenant, the necessity of transmitting the Law through writing is declared. And the writing of it is directly proportional and suited unto the purpose described in verse 19, “that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them.” Thus is the sufficiency of the written word of the Lord. If the kings of Israel were to obey what God has commanded of him, his final rule and measure is the written law, declared to be sufficient for the fear of God, and the obedience ensuring thereupon. This alone dashes into pieces the cavils of the Jews who tell us that their rabbinic oral law is needed to obey the laws of the Torah. If this is the case for the common lay Jew, how much more for the king of Israel? And yet the Lord does not prescribe anywhere here.
[3]. “And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the Lord, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day. And the Lord thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the Lord will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers: If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.” (Deuteronomy 30:8-10) – Here the Jews are directed to the written Law as the standard of obedience, which will lead to their divine prosperity if followed, and terrible judgment if not. One need only read the rest of the Old Testament to see how they turned out in this grave and weighty matter!
[4]. “And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and unto all the elders of Israel. And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles, When all Israel is come to appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Gather the people together, men and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Lord your God, and observe to do all the words of this law: And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it….And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished” (Deuteronomy 31:9-13, 24) — Could any clearer testimony be given than this? This being the end of the life of Moses, the summary is given that “Moses wrote this law, and delivered unto the priests the sons of Levi.” And later on in verse 24, the giving of the Sinaitic law is expressly ended when Moses finishes his writing of it.
[5]. “And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel. And all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, as well the stranger, as he that was born among them; half of them over against mount Gerizim, and half of them over against mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel. And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the law. There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them.” (Joshua 8:32-35) —– Joshua here acts in accordance with the directions given in Deuteronomy 17:18-19, for the godly Israelite king to write the law of Moses continually as his guide and rule of practice. Verses 34-35 are of particular importance, since they exclude the oral law without any doubt or hesitation whatsoever. We should interpret verse 35 in light of verse 34. If we were to take verse 35 all by itself (i.e. Joshua read everything which Moses commanded), this could theoretically still allow for the existence of an authoritative oral law which interprets the written Torah. However, verse 34 crashes such a fancy back to hell from whence it came: “Joshua read all the words of the law, the blessings and the crusings, according to all that is written in the book of the law.”
[6]. “And keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself.” (1 Kings 2:3)
[7]. “And the statutes, and the ordinances, and the law, and the commandment, which he wrote for you, ye shall observe to do for evermore; and ye shall not fear other gods.” (2 Kings 17:37) - Though Maimonides twists Ex. 24:12 in favor of the rabbis by misusing the semantic distinction between “law” and “commandment”, we may use his own weapon against him by this text! Here 2 Kings teaches without any ambiguity that the “statutes”, “ordinances”, “law”, and “commandments” were all written down.
[8]. During the time of the godly King Josiah, the Israelites had forgotten the law entirely. The famous story of the priest Hilkiah illustrates how it was recovered to the Jews: “And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it…..Go ye, enquire of the Lord 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 the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.” (2 Kings 22:8, 13) — The fact that no oral law is mentioned here ought to bring great concern to the Jews of today who insist upon it so strongly. Josiah’s repentance was only that the Israelites had not given heed to the written words of Moses in the Law, and he did not mention anything about oral traditions given to Moses passed down through the Sanhedrin.
[9]. In Nehemiah 8, we read of Ezra’s reading of the book of the Law in the presence of the Israelites who had returned from the Babylonian Exile. According to verses 14-18, the Jews then read about the Feast of Tabernacles and proceeded to celebrate it for the first time since the days of Joshua (v. 17). The rabbis commonly insist that one cannot keep this feast without the aid of their oral traditions. If that is the case, why does Nehemiah nowhere mention such an oral Torah?
#2 - As we saw earlier in Numbers 15 (the case of the man who picked up sticks on the Sabbath and was executed), we see a number of instances in the life of Moses and the Israelites, after the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai, in which they did not know how to properly carry out the revelation which had been given to them. This plainly contradicts any notion of an oral Torah, which is so large and comprehensive in its nature (one need only look a bookshelf containing all the volumes of the Mishnah, Talmud, and the commentaries thereon of the Geonim and Rishonim), that Moses would have known what to do in such a situation. But he did not, ergo no such oral Torah was given him. Our first example is Leviticus 24:10-12: “And the son of an Israelitish woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel: and this son of the Israelitish woman and a man of Israel strove together in the camp; And the Israelitish woman's son blasphemed the name of the Lord, and cursed. And they brought him unto Moses: (and his mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan:) And they put him in ward, that the mind of the Lord might be shewed them.” [2]. Numbers 9:6-10: “And there were certain men, who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day: And those men said unto him, We are defiled by the dead body of a man: wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the Lord in his appointed season among the children of Israel? And Moses said unto them, Stand still, and I will hear what the Lord will command concerning you. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the Lord.” [3]. Numbers 27:1-4: “Then came the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph: and these are the names of his daughters; Mahlah, Noah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Tirzah. And they stood before Moses, and before Eleazar the priest, and before the princes and all the congregation, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying, Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not in the company of them that gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah; but died in his own sin, and had no sons. Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family, because he hath no son? Give unto us therefore a possession among the brethren of our father. And Moses brought their cause before the Lord. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, The daughters of Zelophehad speak right: thou shalt surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father's brethren; and thou shalt cause the inheritance of their father to pass unto them.”
Some of the Jews have explained these instances away by simply saying that the Mount Sinai, God gave the Israelites the ability to observe all of the mitzvot, but the entire Torah was not yet given then. “And see, that this is what Hashem did for Yisroel at Har Sinai, as behold He did not give them the entire Torah there in that encounter, but it was the general preparation for the entire avodah of mitzvos... and then He gave them first the ability to keep all the mitzvos, and that their actions in His avodah would have positive effects to repair all of creation.” (Moses Chaim Luzzatto, Da'at Tevunot, ch. 158). However, this is an ad hoc cop-out which the Jews maliciously use to escape the force of our argument. Indeed, their own rabbis tell them otherwise: “The Holy One, Blessed be He, showed Moses on the mountain all the inferences that can be derived from the words of the Torah; and all the inferences that can be derived from the words of the Scribes, the early Sages; and also all the new halakhot that the Scribes were destined to introduce in the future in addition to the laws of the Torah.” (Megillah 19b); “When the Holy One blessed be He revealed Himself at Sinai to give the Torah to Israel, He said it to Moses in order: Bible, Mishna, Talmud, and aggadah, as it is stated: “The Lord spoke all these matters” (Exodus 20:1); even what a student asks his teacher, the Holy One blessed be He said to him at that time.” (Shemot Rabbah 47:1). Therefore—I ask the Jews—were the Talmud and Mishnah given to Moses at Sinai or not? Your Talmud and midrash say “yes”, while the 18th-century Ramchal says “no.” One may find the same explanation in Rabbi Yom-Tov Lipmann’s introduction to the Tosafot on Berachot. I am not intending to misrepresent the rabbis as saying that the entire oral law was given at Sinai, since many of them dispute this amongst themselves as to what actually can be traced back to Sinai (which is yet another reason not to accept the authority of their sages!). I am saying that the majority of the Jews teach that the Talmud and Mishnah, and the laws contained therein, were given to Moses; but this is inconsistent with such instances in the Torah where Moses did not know the answer to laws of punishing Sabbath-breakers, the inheritance for the daughters of Zelophehad, and what to do with a ritually impure man on the day of the Passover, all of which are dealt with comprehensively in their Talmud. And yet Moses knew nothing of them!
#3 - The Talmud and rabbinic traditions contain many blatant contradictions against the Scriptures, and slanders thereof. Hundreds of examples have been provided by others, but I shall be content to bring forward 6 examples of such contradictions:
Genesis 5:23-24 speaks of Enoch, the godly man who walked with God throughout his life and like the prophet Elijah after him, avoided passing through death as all other men. The Rabbis choose to contradict the biblical appraisal of Enoch, saying “‘Enoch walked with God, and he was no longer, as God took him,’ Rabbi Ḥama bar Hoshaya said: He is not written in the ledger of the righteous, but rather, in the ledger of the wicked. Rabbi Aivu said: Enoch was capricious; sometimes righteous, sometimes wicked. The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘While he is still in his righteousness, I will take him away.’ Rabbi Aivu said: On Rosh Hashanah he judged him, when he judges all mankind.” (Bereshit Rabbah, 25.1)
In Exodus 4, God is angry at Moses for not circumcising his son, and Zipporah takes a flint stone to perform the circumcision. However, the rabbis deny the testimony of Scripture, saying that Zipporah likely caused someone else to do it, since they cannot see a woman performing the ceremony (Avodah Zarah 27a).
In Genesis 18:8, the angels who visited Abraham ate of his food, which included meat and dairy (as far as we know). The rabbis choose to deny this altogether: “Were they actually eating? No, they appeared as though they were eating, the morsels disappearing one by one.” (Bereshit Rabbah, 48:14)
Commenting upon Numbers 28:15, the rabbis blasphemously say that God asked for atonement to be brought on His behalf for having reduced the moon. “God said to her: Go; let righteous men be named after you. Just as you are called the lesser [hakatan] light, there will be Ya’akov HaKatan, i.e., Jacob our forefather (see Amos 7:2), Shmuel HaKatan the tanna, and David HaKatan, i.e., King David (see I Samuel 17:14). God saw that the moon was not comforted. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said: Bring atonement for me, since I diminished the moon. The Gemara notes: And this is what Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish says: What is different about the goat offering of the New Moon, that it is stated with regard to it: ‘For the Lord’ (Numbers 28:15)? The Holy One, Blessed be He, said: This goat shall be an atonement for Me for having diminished the size of the moon.” (Chullin 60b; cf. Shavuot 9a). Commenting upon this passage of the Gemara, Rabbi Isaac Alfasi (1013-1103) says “Therefore, God said: ‘Bring atonement for Me on Rosh Chodesh, to atone for you’ so that you (Israel) shall complete for Me, through this atonement sacrifice, the honor I said I would give to the moon for having diminished her.” And the explanation of Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel (Be'er Ha-Golah, Well 4, 3:1) is that it is only referring to the sin of the people, but this appears to me to be a twisting of the Talmudists and their words out of embarrassment. However, the writings of the kabbalists are more open about their blasphemy. For the Polish rabbi Moses Isserles (1520-1572) makes it no better by teaching that evil comes from God seemingly as an efficient cause (perish the thought!), saying as follows: “If so, then one world is emanated from the One God, exalted be He, who makes peace and creates evil—all by His will—and they (good and evil) are unified in His hand. And this is what the sa'ir of Rosh Chodesh alludes to. This is the meaning of ‘a sin-offering to the Lord’—to teach that evil, which is the sin, also emanates from the Lord. And this is the meaning of His statement ‘that I diminished the moon’—that is to say: I Myself diminished it, and I created evil, as it is said in Isaiah: ‘Who makes peace and creates evil’ (Isaiah 45:7)—I diminished it, I and no other.’” (Rabbi Moses Isserles, Torat Ha-Olah III, 49:21).
In Genesis 39, the story of Joseph’s servitude in the house of Potiphar is recorded, how Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him, and Joseph’s resistance thereunto. In an anonymous midrash, the rabbis deny the teaching of Scripture regarding the righteous character of Joseph in resisting temptation: “At the moment when Potiphar’s wife seized him and said to him, “Lie with me,” he subdued his desire. And because he subdued his desire, he merited that Pharaoh the king placed refined gold upon the arms of his hands.” (Midrash Aggadah, 49:24)
In 1 Samuel 2:12, 17 we read about how the wicked sons of Eli the priest sinned greatly against the Lord, and profaned His tabernacle by committing fornication (1 Sam. 2:22). However, the rabbis of the Gemara deny this word of Scripture altogether: “And although Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Anyone who says that the sons of Eli sinned by engaging in forbidden sexual relations is nothing other than mistaken, even according to the alternative interpretation of the verse that it was due to the fact that they deferred the sacrifice of their bird-offerings by women after childbirth; nevertheless, the verse ascribes to them as if they lay with them. These women came to the Tabernacle to sacrifice doves or pigeons as bird-offerings as part of their purification process, which would permit them to engage in sexual relations with their husbands. Eli’s sons delayed the sacrifice of these offerings and thereby delayed the return of these women to their husbands and their fulfillment of the mitzvah of procreation. Even though, according to this opinion, Eli’s sons did not actually engage in sexual relations with these women, the verse attributes that degree of severity to their conduct.” (Yoma 9a-b).
#4 - There are countless absurd and blasphemous fables in the Talmud, which give much substance to the words of our Apostle Paul warning against Jewish myths. “Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.” (Titus 1:14). And truly, I have never experienced the force of this warning more until I studied the writings of the rabbis, Talmudists, and Kabbalists. I think it would be prudent to set forth a few examples of such absurd tales and Jewish lies that are embedded throughout the Talmud, and admitted by honest Jews. It will give all the more reason for us to take heed, lest we be taken captive by such deceptions. A more fuller list of them may be found by consulting John Paget, An Admonition Concerning Talmudic & Rabbinic Allegations [Amsterdam, 1618]; and J.P. Stehelin, Rabbinical Literature: Or, the Traditions of the Jews, Contained in the Talmud and other Mystical Writings [London: John Robinson, 1748]. And I may note in advance, that the insanity of these fables are so apparent that I need only quote them and explain their basis within the rabbinic writings, rather than attempt a refutation which is not needed nor worthy for such stupidity! I should also mention that I have not restricted myself to the Talmud only in this section but also have used some of the midrash and kabbalistic writings.
The Gemara says that God consulted with a giant sea creature called Rahav when creating the world - “And Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: At the time when the Holy One, Blessed be He, sought to create the world, He said to the minister of the sea: Open your mouth and swallow all the waters of the world, so that there will be room for land. The minister of the sea said before Him: Master of the Universe, it is enough that I will stay within my own waters. God immediately struck him and killed him; as it is stated: “He stirs up the sea with His power, and by His understanding He smites through Rahab” (Job 26:12). Rabbi Yitzḥak said: Conclude from here that the name of the minister of the sea is Rahab, and were it not for waters of the sea that cover him, no creature could withstand his smell, as his corpse emits a terrible stench.” (Bava Batra 74b). The rabbinic commentators known as the Rishonim also agree that Rahav is the actual name of a sea creature, and not merely a metaphorical title for the Egyptians as some interpreters thought: “But according to this Midrashic interpretation, Rahav is not a descriptive title, but rather the actual name of the Prince of the Sea—and not so called because of pride. For his response—“It is enough that I remain as I am”—was not from arrogance, but is actually closer to humility.” (Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel, Chiddushei Agadot)
When expounding upon the story of Job and his suffering, it is known to all that Job did not sin or speak against God as his wife did (Job 2:10). However, the Talmudic doctor known as “Rava” chose to attribute sin to Job—in defiance of biblical teaching: “Rava says: A close reading of the verse indicates that he did not sin with his lips, but he sinned in his heart. What did he say that suggests that he had wicked thoughts? “The earth is given into the hand of the wicked, he covers the faces of its judges; if not he, then who is it?” (Job 9:24). Rava says: Job sought to turn the bowl upside down, that is to say, he alluded here to a heretical thought, as he said that the earth is given into the hand of the wicked, indicating that he had God in mind.” (Bava Batra 16a).
It is the teaching of the Jews in their tradition that God has divided the world after Noah into 70 nations (Midrash Tehillim, 9:8). 14 from Japheth, 30 from Ham, and 26 from Shem. Rabbi Bahya ben Asher (1255-1340): “‘Tis well known, there are in the world Seventy Nations which are the descendents of Seventy Men, who issued from the loins of Noah. And from them the Heathens are divided into Seventy Nations. For so it is written, ‘And by these were the nations divided in the Earth after the flood.’ [Gen. 10:32] Of these speaks our instructor Moses: ‘When the Most High divided to the Nations their inheritance.’ [Deut. 32:8] which nations were Seventy, according to the number of the children of Noah’s sons, which were Seventy Souls.” (Kad Hakkemach, fol. 56, col. 4). And these 70 nations and their respective languages are said by Jewish tradition to correspond to 70 angels which rule over each of the nations, and surround the throne of God (for which purpose, they misuse Daniel 10:13, 20): “Rabbi Simeon said: The Holy One, blessed be He, called to the seventy angels, who surround the throne of His glory, and He said to them: Come, let us descend and let us confuse the seventy nations and the seventy languages… The Holy One, blessed be He, descended with the seventy angels, who surround || the throne of His glory, and they confused their speech into seventy nations and seventy languages. Whence do we know that the Holy One, blessed be He, descended? Because it is said, "And the Lord God came down to see the city and the tower" (Gen. 11:5). This was the second descent.” (Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, ch. 24). Jewish legends say that Rabbi Chanina was able to master all of the 70 languages, by learning them from a spirit which appeared to him in the shape of a frog (Ma’aseh Avot, ch. 148). In the interpretations of some of the kabbalists, these angels each provide each nation with various protections and provisions for the daily necessities of their lives, both as individuals and as a societal whole; — “The rest of the people are the portion of the stars and planets. But on the part of Jacob it is not so; for the Creator of all things took them for His blessed Portion; wherefore He directs His providence over them more than over all the nations; as it written Mic. 4:5, For all the people will walk every one in the name of his God; and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever. And therefore says David, Psalm 145:20. The Lord preserveth all them that love Him: And this he said of the Israelites. For the Nations have their princes, who are set over them, and who procure to them Ease and good things: And those Princes are the watchmen that are about the city: But as to the Nations, the Lord is not their keeper. Whom then doth he keep? The Israelites, who love him.” (Kad Hakkemach, fol. 42, col. 1). There is also the controversial kabbalistic treatise Emek Hamelech, which many of the Hasidic Jews regard as an authoritative treatment of Lurianic Kabbalah. In it, we read of these seventy angels, that many of them turned away from God; “Even the air, or climates of the nations were corrupted or infected by the Host of Sare hatumach; that is, the Prince of Uncleanness, which are properly the Idols: each of which took possession of his portion and country; according to those words, Which the Lord thy God divided among them [Deut. 4:19].” (Rabbi Naphtali Hertz, Emek Hamelech: Sha’ar Kiriath). The Jews also say that all these evil angels are under the leadership of Samael, who they say was also the patron of the Edomites; “On the other hand, he saw ‘a wicked person that prolongeth his life in his evil’, namely Samael, who causes Edom to continue in her prosperity through the help of his “Evil”, his spouse, the loathsome.” (Zohar, Shemot 16:175; II:11a) It is this Samael whom the Jews say tempted Adam and Eve to commit the first sin during the Fall. They claim also that Eve had sex with Samael and from him conceived Cain. “(Sammael) riding on the serpent came to her, and she conceived; afterwards Adam came to her, and she conceived Abel, as it is said, "And Adam knew Eve his wife" (Gen. 4:1). What is the meaning of "knew"? (He knew) that she had conceived. And she saw his likeness that it was not of the earthly beings, but of the heavenly beings, and she prophesied and said: "I have gotten a man with the Lord.” (Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, 21:2). It said in the Yalqut Chadash, a compilation of esoteric aggadah and midrash, that “Sammael always opposes the Israelites, and accuses them, but when, on the Feast of Peace-Offering, they give him a goat, he comes their Mediator.” (Yalqut Chadash, fol. 118, col. 4). “Sammael said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Sovereign of all the universe ! Thou hast given me power over all the nations of the world, but over Israel Thou hast not given me power. He answered him, saying: Behold, thou hast power over them on the Day of Atonement if they have any sin, but if not, thou hast no power over them. Therefore they gave him a present on the Day of Atonement, in order that they should not bring their offering, as it is said, "One lot for the Lord, and the other lot for Azazel" (Lev. 16:8). The lot for the Holy One, blessed be He, was the offering of a burnt offering, and the lot for Azazel was the goat as a sin offering, for all the iniquities of Israel were upon it, as it is said, "And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities" (Lev. 16:22). Sammael saw that sin was not to be found among them on the Day of Atonement. He said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Sovereign of all the universe ! Thou hast one people like the ministering angels who are in heaven. Just as the ministering angels || have bare feet, so have the Israelites bare feet on the Day of Atonement. Just as the ministering angels have neither food nor drink, so the Israelites have neither food nor drink on the Day of Atonement.” (Pirke deRabbi Eliezer, 46:8-9). And in the Kabbalah texts, this blasphemous superstition is most evident, for the Zohar (which the Jews have traditionally claimed was written by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai) states without any hesitation: “It is written that Aaron shall cast lots upon the two he-goats. Why is one of these for the Lord? Because God said, Let one abide by me and the other roam about the world; for if the two were combined the world would not be able to stand against them. The second one therefore goes forth, and when he finds Israel absorbed in religious service and pious deeds and all at peace with one another he can see no opportunity to bring a charge against them. We have learnt that there are many demons under his control, whose office it is to spy out the earth for those who transgress the commands of the Law; but on that day there is no opening for any accusation against Israel. When that he-goat reaches the rock (of Azazel) there is great rejoicing and the emissary who went forth to accuse returns and declares the praises of Israel, the accuser becoming the defender.” (Zohar, Acharei Mot; III:63a). Hence the Jews choose to offer sacrifice to the devil himself, and trust him rather than our Lord Jesus Christ, their Messiah, to mediate with them before Jehovah. Though they do attempt to evade this further by claiming that it is merely to “calm down” Satan, rather than a sacrifice to them. Rabbi Isaac Karo (1458-1535) said that “A Present is no sacrifice, for a sacrifice proceeds from love and a benevolent heart; and all that a servant gives to his king or master, is done for that end, to fulfill his master’s will. But a present is given to one whom a man fears, to avert an evil, and to avoid suffering by him. Of the same kind is the present given to Sammael [on Yom Kippur]. Nay the holy and blessed God sendeth from his table, of his provisions to the planet Mars to prevent him from hurting the Israelites.” (Toldoth Yitzchok, fol. 101, col. 3). This is no defense at all for the rabbinists, but rather a confession! Is giving a present to Satan any better?
And this tale about the evil angel Samael does also provide another opportunity whereby we may behold the hatred which the Jews have for Christ and His beloved church. For as we saw above, Samael is claimed to have been the prince of Edom and the patron of the people of Esau (Zohar, Shemot 16:175; II:11a). And the Sefer haBahir (attributed to R. Nehuniah ben Hakanah) says “Samael was punished and made the guardian angel over the wicked Esau. In the Future, when God uproots the Kingdom of Edom, he will lower him first. It is thus written [Isaiah 24:21], ‘God will punish the host of heights of high.’” (Sefer Ha-Bahir, §200) Again, R. Bahya ben Asher refers to him as the “prince of Rome” (Kad Ha-Kemach, fol. 53, col. 4). And in the interpretations of the Jews and their rabbis, “Edom” is a reference to Western civilization, and more peculiarly to the Christian nations. Commenting upon Isaiah 63:1, Ibn Ezra writes, מי וגו'. יש אומרים כי זה הבא הוא המשיח, ויש אומרים שהוא מיכאל, והנכון שהוא רמז לשם הנכבד והטעם על הגזרה שגזר על אדום, וזאת היא מלכות רומא וקוסטנטינא, ונקראו אדומים בעבור שנכנסו בתורת אדום, וזאת התורה נקראה על שם אדום, שהאדומיים האמינו בתחלה בתורת האיש הידוע:; “Who is this that cometh. Some refer this to Messiah, others to the angel Michael; but more correctly it may be referred to God. This prophecy contains the decree made against Edom, that is, against the empire of Rome and Constantinople, who are called Edomites, because they adopted the Edomite religion—that is, the Christian religion—which was first established among the Edomites.” (emphasis mine)
Though the Jews sometimes take Samael/Satan for their mediator, other times they wish to trust in the archangel Michael. “These souls are called the souls of the righteous because they receive their punishment: if slaughtered, they are slaughtered; if stoned, they are stoned; thrown to the ground to be slaughtered with force; strangled and choked as when slaughtered; burned and their sins forgiven. And Michael, the man of Chesed, receives and admits them, for he is the merciful one by his nursing. But Gabriel, who draws from fear, rejects them. Therefore, Michael stands to delay the rejection.” (Rabbi Meir ben Ezekiel ibn Gabbai, Avodat Hakodesh, 2.34). What a sad and bewitched people! They cast about themselves looking for anyone or thing to stand between them and God rather than their Messiah! For some, it is Michael; and perhaps for others, it is Azazel.
The rabbis claim that there is an angel of death. In their vain superstition, they have invented such a concept with no support whatsoever from the Scriptures. The Talmud describes the process of what this angel does at the time of an ill person’s death: “They said about the Angel of Death that he is entirely full of eyes. When a sick person is about to die, the Angel of Death stands above his head, with his sword drawn in his hand, and a drop of poison hanging on the edge of the sword. Once the sick person sees him, he trembles and thereby opens his mouth; and the Angel of Death throws the drop of poison into his mouth. From this drop of poison the sick person dies, from it he putrefies, from it his face becomes green.” (Avodah Zarah 20b) And there is well-known fable and legend that is told amongst among them about R. Yehoshua, and how he was able to “trick” this Angel: “When Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi was on the verge of dying, they said to the Angel of Death: Go and perform his bidding, as he is a righteous man and deserves to die in the manner he sees fit. The Angel of Death went and appeared to him. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said to him: Show me my place in paradise. He said to him: Very well. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said to him: Give me your knife that you use to kill mortals, lest you frighten me on the way. He gave it to him. When he arrived there, in paradise, he lifted Rabbi Yehoshua so he could see his place, and he showed it to him. Rabbi Yehoshua jumped and fell into that other side, thereby escaping into paradise.” (Ketubot 77b)
The rabbis teach that the spirits of the dead communicate with one another, although the Talmudists go on to debate whether they have concern with what goes on upon earth. For they report the following tale concerning a man who had tensions with his wife during Rosh Hashanah: “There was an incident involving a pious man who gave a poor man a dinar on the eve of Rosh HaShana during drought years, and his wife mocked him for giving so large a sum at so difficult a time? And in order to escape her incessant mockery, he went and slept in the cemetery. That night in his dream, he heard two spirits conversing with each other. One said to the other: My friend, let us roam the world and hear from behind the heavenly curtain, which separates the Divine Presence from the world, what calamity will befall the world. The other spirit said to her: I cannot go with you, as I am buried in a mat of reeds, but you go, and tell me what you hear. She went, and roamed, and came back. The other spirit said: My friend, what did you hear from behind the heavenly curtain? She replied: I heard that anyone who sows during the first rainy season of this year, hail will fall and strike his crops. Hearing this, the pious man went and sowed his seeds during the second rainy season. Ultimately, the crops of the entire world were stricken by hail and his crops were not stricken. The following year, on the eve of Rosh HaShana, the same pious man went and slept in the cemetery at his own initiative, and again he heard the two spirits conversing with each other. One said to the other: Let us roam the world and hear from behind the heavenly curtain what calamity will befall the world. She said to her: My friend, have I not already told you that I cannot, as I am buried in a mat of reeds? Rather, you go, and tell me what you hear. She went, and roamed, and returned. The other spirit said to her: My friend, what did you hear from behind the curtain? She said to her: I heard that those who sow during the second rainy season blight will strike his crops. That pious man went and sowed during the first rainy season. Since everyone else sowed during the second rainy season, ultimately, the crops of the entire world were blighted and his crops were not blighted.” (Berakhot 18b)
They say that during the Flood which covered the whole earth, Noah did take with him also evil and demonic spirits, having the difference of male and female. “And of every living being, of all flesh, two…” – Rabbi Hoshaya said: Even [malevolent] disembodied spirits entered the ark with Noah, as it is stated: “…of every living being” – of those for whom souls were created, but bodies were not created for them. (Bereshit Rabbah, 31:13), and this is affirmed also by Rashi in his exposition.
When it is said by Pharaoh to Moses, “look to it, for evil [רעָ֖ה] is before you.” (Exodus 10:10); the rabbis take this word רעָ֖ה and twist its meaning beyond reason to refer to a certain Egyptian astrological sign of a star with the color of blood; “I have heard a Midrashic explanation: There is a certain star the name of which is רעה ‘Evil’. Pharaoh said to them, ‘By my astrological art I see that star rising towards you in the wilderness whither you wish to proceed. It is an emblem of blood and slaughter.’ Consequently, when Israel sinned by worshipping the calf and the Holy One, blessed be He, intended to slay them, Moses said in his prayer, (Exodus 32:12) ‘Wherefore should the Egyptians speak and say, He brought them forth together with רעה (i. e. under the influence of the star רעה); this is, indeed, what he (Pharaoh) has already said, ‘See, the ‘רעה’ is before you’. At once, ‘the Lord bethought Himself concerning ‘רעה’, and He changed the blood of which this star was an emblem to the blood of the circumcision because indeed Joshua had them circumcised.” (Rashi). This same interpretation is also taught by Ibn Ezra in his commentary upon Ex. 32:12.
Concerning the creation of man at the beginning, they say that Adam was initially created as a “double person”, i.e. a hermaphrodite that was both male and female simultaneously. “Rabbi Yirmeya ben Elazar said: When the Holy One blessed be He created Adam the first man, He created him androgynous. That is what is written: “He created them male and female” [Gen. 5:2]. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: When the Holy One blessed be He created Adam the first man, He created him with two faces, and [subsequently] He sawed him in two and made [for] him two backs, a back here and a back there.” (Bereshit Rabbah, 8:1); And so also in the Gemara, “Similarly, it is written: ‘And the tzela, which the Lord, God, had taken from the man, He made a woman, and brought her unto the man.’ (Genesis 2:22). Rav and Shmuel disagree over the meaning of the word tzela: One said: It means a female face, from which God created Eve; and one said: Adam was created with a tail [zanav], which God removed from him and from which He created Eve….However, according to the one who said that Eve was created from a tail, what is the meaning of the verse: “Male and female, He created them”? The Gemara answers: It can be explained in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Abbahu, as Rabbi Abbahu raised a contradiction between the verses: On the one hand it is written: “Male and female, He created them,” in the plural, and on the other hand it is written: “So God created man in His own image, for in the image of God He created him” (Gen. 1:27), in the singular. At first, the thought entered God’s mind to create two, and ultimately, only one was actually created.” (Eruvin 18a)
Concerning the mark that was placed on Cain after he murdered Abel (Gen. 4:15), the Jews dispute amongst themselves as to what it was, with many bizarre speculations. Rashi claims it was a letter of the Tetragrammaton which was imprinted upon his forehead; and a similar view is endorsed by Rabbi Eliezer: “Cain said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Now will a certain righteous one arise on the earth and mention Thy great Name against me and slay me. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He took one letter from the twenty-two letters, and put (it) upon Cain's arm that he should not be killed.” (Pirkei deRabbi Eliezer, 21:10). There are other rabbinists who say that it was some sort of sign of the sun or a dog which walked before him guiding which way to walk and travel.
They say that Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt because she once refused to give salt to a group of strangers that came near her house in Sodom (Rashi, on Gen. 19:26).
Concerning the prophet Samuel and the witch of Endor, they say that Samuel was afraid, thinking it to be the final Day of Judgment, and entreated Moses to help him; — “Two angels, Moshe and Shmuel, for Shmuel feared, 'Perhaps I am being summoned for judgement,' and he therefore brought Moshe up with him, as it is stated in [Maseches] Chagigah and Ta'anis.” (Rashi).
The Talmud reports the following strange myth concerning the relationship which existed between Joshua ben Hananiah and the emperor of Rome: — “The Roman emperor said to Rabbi Yehoshua ben Ḥananya: Your God is compared to a lion, as it is written: “The lion has roared, who will not fear” (Amos 3:8). But if so, what is His greatness? A cavalryman can kill a lion. Rabbi Yehoshua said to him: God is not compared to that lion which a cavalryman can kill. Rather, God is compared to the lion of Bei Ila’ei. The emperor said to him: I ask that you show it to me. Rabbi Yehoshua said to him: You cannot see it. The emperor said to him: Truly, I wish to see it. Rabbi Yehoshua prayed for mercy, and the lion of Bei Ila’ei set off from its place of origin toward Rome. When it was four hundred parasangs away from Rome, it roared once, and all the pregnant women miscarried, and the wall of Rome fell. When it was three hundred parasangs away, it roared another time, and all the men’s front and back teeth fell out from fear. And even he, the emperor, fell from his throne to the ground. The emperor said to Rabbi Yehoshua: I beg you, pray for mercy with regard to it, that it should go back to the place from which it came.” (Chullin 59b)
Concerning the changing of the names of Abram and Sarai to Abraham and Sarah, the rabbis have cunningly devised a tale concerning the letter י in the original name of Sarai: “Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai said: The yod that the Holy One blessed be He took from Sarai soared and flew up before the throne of the Holy One blessed be He. It said before Him: ‘Master of the universe: Because I am the smallest of the letters, You have removed me from the righteous Sarah?’ The Holy One blessed be He said to it: ‘In the past, you were part of the name of a female and at the end of the letters; now I shall place you into the name of a male and at the beginning of the letters, as it is stated: ‘Moses called Hoshea son of Nun, Joshua [Yehoshua]’ (Numbers 13:16).” (Bereshit Rabbah, 47:1). And this same aggadah is also taught in Sanhedrin 107a, and not only in this midrash.
The rabbis teach that the angel Gabriel acts as a mediator for the Jewish people, and is able to debate with God Himself! “The Gemara asks: But does the angel Gabriel have so much authority that he can reprove God in such a manner? The Gemara answers: Yes, as Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, says: He, the angel Gabriel, has three names: Piskon, Itmon, and Sigron. He is called Piskon because he splits words and argues with God on High. He is called Itmon because he conceals the sins of the Jewish people. And he is called Sigron because once he closes his arguments on behalf of the Jewish people, no one reopens the discussion.” (Sanhedrin 44b)
According to Chullin 60b, the Lord originally created the sun and the moon with equal displays of light and brightness. But then the moon complained of this and said to God “Master of the Universe, is it possible for two kings to serve with one crown?” God then punished the moon by diminishing it, and having it go through its various phases.
And many other fables and legends besides these are found throughout the Talmud, and the kabbalistic texts, and the expositions of Rashi, Ibn Ezra, and the various midrashic texts which have been composed by the Jews throughout the centuries. To contain a full book of all of the strange things which they have invented would take up the entire remainder of this present treatise, and therefore I desire to end with these 15. However, the force of the same truth will also appear in the chapter on the Kabbalah, and the teachings of the Jewish mystics. Behold how they pervert the Scriptures to their destruction and insanity! Truly, I have seen more rational things contained in Aesop’s fables than in the Talmud and Kabbalah.
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