Statement

The Written Torah was insufficient on its own: a commandment such as keeping the Sabbath is too vague to practice without supplements. The Oral Torah filled the gaps and let the rabbis create an ongoing revelation. Conservative, because it revered the biblical inheritance, and creative, because it valued innovation, rabbinic culture resolved the tension by understanding its creativity as part of the tradition.

References

1. p. 150

   supports · main text · ch. 5

   Efron, Lehmann and Weitzman. The Jews: A History. 3rd edition. New York and Abingdon: Routledge, 2019.

   Section: The Impact of the Rabbis on Jewish Culture

   Verification anchor recorded · checked against the page text

2. p. 150

   supports · main text · ch. 5

   Efron, Lehmann and Weitzman. The Jews: A History. 3rd edition. New York and Abingdon: Routledge, 2019.

   Section: The Impact of the Rabbis on Jewish Culture

   Verification anchor recorded · checked against the page text