| Some examples from written
Torah were given to emphasize the need for an oral law to explain
the commandment: 1) You should slaughter the animal “like
I commanded you” – This refers to ritual slaughter
(kashrut). However, nowhere in the written Torah is act of
slaughter defined and detailed. Only in the oral Torah do
we see the specifics with regard to ritual slaughter.
2) “Bind them as a sign upon your arm and let them
be tefillin between your eyes” – the commandment
for wearing tefillin is specified in the Shema found in the
written Torah (Devarim/Deuteronomy 6:5-9) – The written
Torah specifies that we must wear tefillin, but it says nothing
about what the tefillin look like, what material they’re
made out of, what is contained inside, how they should be
worn, when they should be worn, etc. All these specifics are
found only in the oral Torah.
History of Oral Law
Timeline -- Development of Oral Law
Sinai --> Moshe -->Mishna (200 BCE –
200 CE)
Gemara (200 CE – 500 CE) Geonim (800
CE)
Rishnomin (1000 CE – Rambam / Rashi)
Achronim (1500 CE – Shulchan Aruch
– Code of Jewish Law)
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