Moses and Ezra
"On the east bank of the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses began to elucidate [be'er] this Torah." (Deuteronomy 1:5)
The fifth book of the Torah is different from the first four books. Deuteronomy is not a verbatim transmission of God's word, but a prophetic work, similar to the writings of other prophets. The final book of the Torah is called "Mishne Torah", for it is Moses' review and elucidation of the Torah.
We find another great surge of Torah exegesis took place in the time of Ezra. "They read in the book of God's Torah, clarified [meforash]; and they gave the sense, and caused [the people] to understand the reading." (Nehemiah 8:8) Both Moses and Ezra explained and elucidated the Torah. Yet, their methods of interpretation differed. Moses' elucidation was described as a "biur", while Ezra's was called a perush. How were they different?
Two Methods of Elucidation
From the time of Moses until Ezra, explication of the Torah was through the method of biur. This word comes from the root be'er, meaning a well of water. Like a well, the creative flow of learning was "like an overflowing spring and a river that never dries up." (Avot 6:1) This form of analysis begins by deducing the underlying principles. Then, all of the details may be derived from these principles, the great hidden foundations of the Torah.
Ezra, however, recognized that the innovative biur, with its delicate methods of induction and deduction, was not suitable for all periods. In a time of exile, this approach could prove to be dangerous. When fear and instability diminish the quality of scholarship and peace of mind, weakening the nation's spiritual and intellectual capabilities, the method of biur could be misused, leading to the subversion of the Torah?s true aims.
Therefore, Ezra promoted the approach of perush. This is an empirical method that examines each matter in reference to its details. Each detail is compared to the next, without attempting to determine the underlying principles and rationales. The word perush comes from the root paras, 'to spread forth' (see Isaiah 25:11). This form of analysis is less risky, since it is limited to the subject at hand and those aspects that are already included within it.
Letterforms for the Times
The sages taught that Ezra was worthy enough that the Torah would be given to Israel through him. While this did not occur - Moses came first - Ezra nonetheless made a highly significant change in the Torah. He switched the writing in the Torah from the ancient Hebrew script to the square Assyrian script (Sanhedrin 21b). Why did Ezra make this change in the letterforms?
The different scripts reflect different needs of the nation. During the First Temple period, there was little interaction with other nations. The Torah did not have an obvious impact on the world. The Jewish people dwelled in their own land, and the Cohanim and Levites were available to inspect the text of the Torah scrolls and guard them from any mistakes. When Moses gave the Torah to the Jewish people, a clear script not given to mistakes in transmission was not of paramount importance. The problem of similar-looking letterforms in the ancient Hebrew script was not an issue during the stable era of the First Temple period.
Ezra lived at the beginning of the Second Temple period. This era was essentially a time for the Jewish people to prepare themselves for the long and difficult exile that would follow. Retaining the difficult ancient letterforms would have made it impossible to guard over the accuracy of the Torah's text. In the centuries of exile and wanderings from country to country, the original Hebrew script would have lead to many mistakes and uncertainties. The sages of the beginning of the Second Temple period, aware of the long exile to come, worked to fortify the spiritual state of the people, despite the loss of the nation's central unifying institutions, such as the Temple, the Sanhedrin and the priesthood. Ezra thus chose to switch the script to the clear Assyrian script, whose unambiguous letters would prevent confusing similar letters in the text of the Torah.
A Fence for the Torah
The sages of that era made other preparations for the future exile, establishing protective decrees to guard the Torah's laws. "Make a fence for the Torah," was the adage of the Great Assembly (Avot 1:1)
Even though these changes came about due to the needs of the hour, the Jewish people recognized the value and benefits of these decrees. As the nation adopted these wonderful holy paths, pure deeds and worthy customs, a net of eternal love spread over them; and they acquired a permanent place in the spiritual life of the nation.
[Adapted from the Introduction to Ein Aya vol. I, pp. 14-17]
"On the east bank of the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses began to elucidate [be'er] this Torah." (Deuteronomy 1:5)
The fifth book of the Torah is different from the first four books. Deuteronomy is not a verbatim transmission of God's word, but a prophetic work, similar to the writings of other prophets. The final book of the Torah is called "Mishne Torah", for it is Moses' review and elucidation of the Torah.
We find another great surge of Torah exegesis took place in the time of Ezra. "They read in the book of God's Torah, clarified [meforash]; and they gave the sense, and caused [the people] to understand the reading." (Nehemiah 8:8) Both Moses and Ezra explained and elucidated the Torah. Yet, their methods of interpretation differed. Moses' elucidation was described as a "biur", while Ezra's was called a perush. How were they different?
Two Methods of Elucidation
From the time of Moses until Ezra, explication of the Torah was through the method of biur. This word comes from the root be'er, meaning a well of water. Like a well, the creative flow of learning was "like an overflowing spring and a river that never dries up." (Avot 6:1) This form of analysis begins by deducing the underlying principles. Then, all of the details may be derived from these principles, the great hidden foundations of the Torah.
Ezra, however, recognized that the innovative biur, with its delicate methods of induction and deduction, was not suitable for all periods. In a time of exile, this approach could prove to be dangerous. When fear and instability diminish the quality of scholarship and peace of mind, weakening the nation's spiritual and intellectual capabilities, the method of biur could be misused, leading to the subversion of the Torah?s true aims.
Therefore, Ezra promoted the approach of perush. This is an empirical method that examines each matter in reference to its details. Each detail is compared to the next, without attempting to determine the underlying principles and rationales. The word perush comes from the root paras, 'to spread forth' (see Isaiah 25:11). This form of analysis is less risky, since it is limited to the subject at hand and those aspects that are already included within it.
Letterforms for the Times
The sages taught that Ezra was worthy enough that the Torah would be given to Israel through him. While this did not occur - Moses came first - Ezra nonetheless made a highly significant change in the Torah. He switched the writing in the Torah from the ancient Hebrew script to the square Assyrian script (Sanhedrin 21b). Why did Ezra make this change in the letterforms?
The different scripts reflect different needs of the nation. During the First Temple period, there was little interaction with other nations. The Torah did not have an obvious impact on the world. The Jewish people dwelled in their own land, and the Cohanim and Levites were available to inspect the text of the Torah scrolls and guard them from any mistakes. When Moses gave the Torah to the Jewish people, a clear script not given to mistakes in transmission was not of paramount importance. The problem of similar-looking letterforms in the ancient Hebrew script was not an issue during the stable era of the First Temple period.
Ezra lived at the beginning of the Second Temple period. This era was essentially a time for the Jewish people to prepare themselves for the long and difficult exile that would follow. Retaining the difficult ancient letterforms would have made it impossible to guard over the accuracy of the Torah's text. In the centuries of exile and wanderings from country to country, the original Hebrew script would have lead to many mistakes and uncertainties. The sages of the beginning of the Second Temple period, aware of the long exile to come, worked to fortify the spiritual state of the people, despite the loss of the nation's central unifying institutions, such as the Temple, the Sanhedrin and the priesthood. Ezra thus chose to switch the script to the clear Assyrian script, whose unambiguous letters would prevent confusing similar letters in the text of the Torah.
A Fence for the Torah
The sages of that era made other preparations for the future exile, establishing protective decrees to guard the Torah's laws. "Make a fence for the Torah," was the adage of the Great Assembly (Avot 1:1)
Even though these changes came about due to the needs of the hour, the Jewish people recognized the value and benefits of these decrees. As the nation adopted these wonderful holy paths, pure deeds and worthy customs, a net of eternal love spread over them; and they acquired a permanent place in the spiritual life of the nation.
[Adapted from the Introduction to Ein Aya vol. I, pp. 14-17]