Overview: Debunking the Karaite view, here we bring internal evidence to combat the notion that Torah is up for “free interpretation,” that each man observe the Mitzvos based on their own personal understanding of them.
To properly understand this article, please read the previous article “An Oral Law from Sinai?” of which this is a continuation of.
The Karaites[1] believe that the interpretations and details of the Mitzvos are to be filled in by each individual on their own based on their own understanding of the Law. They call it “free-interpretation” where everyone’s personal opinions become their specific custom-made Mitzvah for them.
There are several refutes to the claim of free-interpretation:
(1) Face-on it seems very weird that God would want each person to have their own religion, each with their own interpretation of the Law.
(2) What means should a person use to interpret, say, “inflicting pain” on Yom Kippur, if all interpretations are equally valid? It would seem very unfitting that God gave a religion with no standards for interpretation.
(3) The religious duties were placed upon the High Court to give Capital Punishment to specific transgressors, e.g. a violator of “inflicting pain” on Yom Kippur. However, perhaps the transgressor had a different interpretation of the Law than did the High Court, so how can he justifiably be killed?
(4) Dozens of Mitzvos aren’t individual responsibilities but contain two or more parties. For example, the portions given to the Kohanim, all civil law, and slavery. If so, how can there be open-interpretation for each individual if more than one person is involved in the Mitzvah?
(5) How dare Prophet Nehemiah protest when the nation “transgressed” the Shabbat[i] if, perhaps, they had their own “free-interpretation” of the definition of work on Shabbat? Similarly, we can ask regarding the “Wood Gatherer” mentioned in Numbers Ch. 15.[ii]
(6) Are we to “decide” for ourselves why we are celebrating Rosh Hashanah being that the Written Torah doesn’t mention why? That seems rather ridiculous.
Remember the evidence as well from the details the Torah alluded to expecting us to already be familiar with them, the Mitzvah recorded in Ezra regarding abandoning the children from the Jewish community—a Mitzvah nowhere found in the Written Torah, and the lack of clarity or any insights on some fundamental concepts—all the evidence we discussed earlier at length.
[1] Karaites are a tiny sect within Judaism that is composed of a few thousand Jews who categorically deny the Oral Law. They were a much larger sect in the 8th century A.C.E. in Persia.
[i] Nehemiah 13:17.
[ii] V. 24.
