Only Observing the Ten Commandments?

Ortal asks: "Hello. I work in a place with colleagues from the general public, and naturally we engage in discussions about Judaism.

A. My friend doesn't understand why rabbis are needed to understand the Torah and says she only observes the Ten Commandments. What can I tell her?

B. My friend also asked me where does it say in the Torah that we need to repent? And what is 'repentance'?

C. Where can I find high-level information to increase my knowledge in Judaism? Thank you very much!"

* * *

Hello and blessings Ortal, and kudos to you for your good intentions.

A. I've heard of people who weren't raised in a Judaic environment, and without much thought claim they don't need rabbis to understand the Torah, and say they wish to "keep the Ten Commandments". However, if they only read the Ten Commandments in the Torah, they would discover, to their surprise, that the fourth commandment commands keeping the Shabbat: "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as Hashem, your God, has commanded you" (Deuteronomy 5:12). Regarding its severity, it is said: "Whoever does work on that day shall be cut off from among his people" (Exodus 31:14). Do they know how to properly keep the Shabbat according to halacha?

The Torah states that no work shall be done on Shabbat, yet it does not specify what constitutes work: is a guard sitting on a chair performing work? Is a merchant buying and selling on Shabbat committing work? What about chopping a salad on Shabbat or moving heavy furniture? How can we define work, which is so strictly prohibited?

The Torah also commanded: "You shall kindle no fire in any of your dwellings on Shabbat" (Exodus 35:3) - but it does not explain whether it's permissible to leave a fire burning from before Shabbat, and whether one may warm or cook food on Shabbat with existing fire. What about electricity? Or a Shabbat clock?

We were also commanded in the Torah: "Let no man go out of his place on the seventh day" (Exodus 16:29), which refers to the prohibition of traveling beyond certain limits on Shabbat, but the Torah does not define what "place" refers to. Is a person forbidden from leaving their home on Shabbat? Or perhaps they may not leave the street, the neighborhood, or the city?

It is necessary to have a detailed list of all the primary forms of work prohibited on Shabbat, as well as explanations of terms related to Shabbat. We indeed received all these in the Oral Torah passed down to us by our sages. The Oral Torah has been transmitted from generation to generation since Mount Sinai, providing detailed explanations for all the commandments in the Torah.

In truth, no commandment is fully explained in the Torah. Here is an example from the commandment of shechita (ritual slaughter): "And you shall slaughter... as I have commanded you" (Deuteronomy 12:21) - at no point does the Torah mention how to slaughter an animal. All the rules of shechita were given exclusively in the Oral Torah.

The same applies to the commandment of mezuzah: "And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates" (Deuteronomy 11:20) - the Torah does not explain what a mezuzah is, nor what is written inside it. These laws were also delivered to us only through the Oral Torah. The Torah also commanded us to put on tefillin, but there is no explanation in the Torah of what tefillin are, or how they are made. The Torah does not explain how to perform a wedding or a divorce. Even the process of circumcision is not detailed in the Torah, and it cannot be done without the rules of halacha. Thus, it is seen that all explanations were given in the oral tradition handed down from Sinai along with the written Torah. This means that without tradition, we cannot fulfill the Torah!

The Torah indeed tells us about the existence of the Oral Torah:
1. It is explicitly stated in the Torah: "And Hashem said to Moses: Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, and the Torah, and the commandment, which I have written, to teach them" (Exodus 24:12). 'Commandment' refers to oral instructions on how to observe the commandments. This is a clear testimony to the existence of an Oral Torah that was given along with the written Torah. At Sinai, the Israelites received all 613 commandments along with all the practical oral instructions, teaching them exactly how to fulfill each commandment written in the Torah.

2. It is also stated in the Torah: "And Hashem commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might do them" (Deuteronomy 4:14) - Hashem commanded Moses "at that time" (meaning at Sinai) to teach the Israelites precisely how to observe the commandments practically, explaining to them how to do it, and not just handing them written laws without explanation. This is another testimony to the existence of an Oral Torah.
3. To complete the proof, we must note an important historical fact: the teaching of the commandments preceded their written form. At the end of the Torah it says: "When Moses finished writing the words of this Torah in a book, to the very end" (Deuteronomy 31:24) - the entire Torah was handed over in its entirety to the Israelites only upon Moses' death. This means that the 613 commandments were initially conveyed orally; the Israelites first received the commandments orally and learned how to observe them practically, and only then received them in writing. Therefore, the Oral Torah preceded the written Torah! Since the teaching of the commandments preceded their being written down, there is clear evidence of the existence of the Oral Torah.

Having established clear evidence for the existence of the Oral Torah, it is now important to emphasize that all the instructions given by the Jewish sages were based on the authority granted to them by the holy Torah. Hashem commanded us in His Torah to heed the sages: "And you shall observe to do according to all that they instruct you; according to the Torah which they teach you... you shall not turn aside from the matter that they tell you, to the right or the left" (Deuteronomy 17:11).

The Torah reports how Moses established the first Sanhedrin in history by divine mandate, and the sages continued to ordain subsequent sages, generation after generation, who instructed the Israelites according to the rules passed down from Sinai.

Without the sages, we would not know today if it is permissible or prohibited to turn on a light on Shabbat, drive a car on the Shabbat, and countless other laws that require discernment and extensive knowledge of Torah sources. Therefore, Hashem commanded us to listen to the great rabbis of Israel in every generation who determine halacha for us.

It is also important to emphasize to your friend that the sages do not "invent" laws, heaven forbid, but rather determine rules and boundaries for existing laws. This is why in Judaism there are commandments known as "rabbinic commandments" (i.e., decrees established by the sages for safeguarding the Torah) and commandments known as "Torah commandments" (i.e., commandments given to us in the Torah at Mount Sinai). Hashem requires us to obey the sages and their instructions, similar to a king who requires his subjects to heed the ministers he appoints to guide the people. For this purpose, Hashem gave the sages the fundamental principles of halacha and legal rules, enabling us to know how to observe the commandments in every generation and situation. Without the sages, the Torah would not be eternal because we would not know how to apply it in our times.

B. Regarding your second question, the term "repentance" does not mean finding an answer to some mysterious question, but rather returning to Hashem. Repentance—meaning return, or getting back to the core of Judaism. We can find numerous verses in the Bible requiring every person to repent and uphold the Torah and its commandments.

The Torah states that Israel will repent at the end of days to merit the complete redemption (Deuteronomy 4:30): "When all these things befall you (that is, all the dangers and suffering) in the latter days, you will return to Hashem your God, and obey His voice".

It is also stated in the Bible (Ezekiel 33:10-11): "Speak to the house of Israel: Thus you have spoken, saying: 'Our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we are wasting away because of them; how then can we live?' Say to them: 'As I live,' says the God, Hashem, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?' And you, son of man, say to your people, 'The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression, nor shall the wickedness of the wicked cause him to stumble in the day that he turns from his wickedness'". And it is also said: "Return, O Israel, to Hashem your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity" (Hosea 14:2).

Returning in repentance means doing what is already incumbent upon us as Jews, descendants of Abraham our Father, to fulfill the commandments that Hashem has commanded our nation in His Torah. Through the observance of the commandments, we will merit the complete redemption soon, with the help of Hashem.

C. In my opinion, regular viewing of lectures on the Hidabroot platform will provide you with all the knowledge you need to become wiser in Judaism. I recommend the lectures of Rabbi Zamir Cohen, may he live long, and the lectures of Rabbi Yosef Ben Porat, may he live long. With the help of Hashem, you will be strengthened and will also strengthen your friends. You can inquire about lectures and seminars by calling Hidabroot: 03-6166614

Good luck!