The Jewish Publication Society of America, the editor-in-chief, H.*M. Orlinsky of Hebrew Union College Other translators have interpreted it [Nefesh] to mean soul, which is completely inaccurate. The Bible does not say we have a soul. Nefesh is the person himself, his need for food, the very blood in his veins, his being.The New York Times, October 12, 1962.
The New Catholic Encyclopedia says: Nepes [ne′phesh] is a term of far greater extension than our soul, signifying life (Ex 21.23; Dt 19.21) and its various vital manifestations: breathing (Gn 35.18; Jb 41.13[21]), blood [Gn 9.4; Dt 12.23; Ps 140(141).8], desire (2 Sm 3.21; Prv 23.2). The soul in the O[ld] T[estament] means not a part of man, but the whole manman as a living being. Similarly, in the N[ew] T[estament] it signifies human life: the life of an individual, conscious subject (Mt 2.20; 6.25; Lk 12.22-23; 14.26; Jn 10.11, 15,*17; 13.37).[/COLOR]1967, Vol. XIII, p. 467.
Its more then just breathing...its living as a person or animal...all breathing creatures are 'souls' because they are living and have the breath of life. Having breath means they are alive... if they have no breath, they die and are no longer a soul.
If "NeFeSH" meant "living" then "NeFeSH CHaYaH" is a redundancy. The root word here is breathing. The soul exists beyond the flesh, which is why a "living NeFeSH" is not a redundancy. When the soul enters the body it becomes alive. You can determine that a person is alive by his breath. If his "breathing" is cut off (Ex. 12:19 et al), he dies. Similarly, Ex. 31:17, "and on the seventh day He ceased VaYi
NaFaSH (and He respired)." Gen 7:15, "which had in it the spirit (lit. wind) of life." Again, the soul is compared to the air we breathe.
why is there no record in the written law that an oral law was given to moses
That is a problem with your perception of the purpose of Scriptures. But we don't need a record of it, we already know we have it.
But let's be honest here.
You rely on our Oral Law too.
This is how you spell "milk" in Hebrew: חלב.
This is how you spell animal fat in Hebrew: חלב.
Deuteronomy 14:21 says, "do not cook a goat in the חלב of its mother."
So now, bearing in mind that the vowel-point system was not invented until much, much later- what does G-d not want me to cook a goat in?
According to Exodus 34:27 it says that Moses wrote down all the words of Jehovah...it doesnt say anything about an additional oral law. And Deut 4:2 says 'you must not add to these words i am commanding you' which begs the question, should there ever have been an oral law in the first place?
Maybe you have it backwards and the main thing was the Oral Law, and G-d dictated a Written Law as a reminder of what we were taught.
I think the verse you meant was Deut. 31:9.
It is impossible to follow almost any of the Laws that are written in it, with just the information given. Scriptures is the reference notes:
- Remember to wear my fringe garment
- Remember to slaughter my animals before eating
- Remember to sit in a booth
- Remember to take the four species
- Remember not to work on Sabbath
- Remember to circumcise my sons
- Remember to use a bill of divorce if necessary
But it doesn't give you the information needed to fulfill the commandments:
- How many string constitutes "fringes"? How do I need to attach them? What is this "blue" that I need to use on them? How much of the thread needs to be this "blue"?
- How do I slaughter my animal? With what? Where?
- What is a booth made out of? Dimensions? Can I build it in my living room?
- What type of plants are those four species supposed to be? What am I to do with them? Is it enough to stick them in my hat and call them macaroni because that makes me rejoice?
- What type of work is not permitted? What is the difference between the two words used to describe prohibited work and how does that apply to me?
- Which part of my sons flesh needs to be circumcised? If I circumcised his ear lobe flap thing will G-d be happy with me? How about if I cut off one of his lips? If I do open heart surgery and slice off a small piece of my sons heart muscle, will I have fulfilled the requirement to circumcise the foreskin of my sons flesh? How much do I need to cut off anyway?
- Bill of Divorce... How did I even get married??? What separates that marriage from living with a steady woman my whole life? What's a bill of divorce? What does it need to say in it to render it effective? If my shrewish wife doesn't have hands am I stuck for life?
As for Deut. 4:2. Every Christian asks this and the answer is simple. Nothing was added or subtracted to the words of Scriptures. There is a strong delineation between Biblical Commandments and Rabbinical Decrees. No different than building a fence around a tree. The fence is not an addition to the tree.
that may be true, but its also true that the oral law has been the focal point for judaism since the destruction of the temple and priesthood in 70ce... so how would you know if the oral law is correct seeing it has not been taught by the divinely instituted priesthood?
The Oral Law has always been the focal point of Jewish life. The first Mishnaic personality, Simon the Righteous, lived at least 300 years before the destruction of the Temple. And the Mishnah traces from him teacher to student, every name until Rabbi Judah the Prince, the redactor of the Mishnah.
Deut. 17:9 "...and the judge...". Not that I understood what you mean by "it was not taught by the divinely instituted priesthood. Where does it say that the priests are the only ones who teach the Law?
'beginning' is the first word of the hebrew scriptures
Close. But the literal translation is "בראשית", "In [the] beginning of". The next two words are "do/make" in the perfective third person singular and "El-him" meaning G-d. These three words do not form a grammatically correct sentence: In [the] beginning of, G-d made. The appropriate word "בראשון" which would have rendered it: In [the] beginning, G-d created" is not used here. So what do you do with that?