Let’s take a quick look at the seat of Moses in Matthew 23.
This idea came about during a discussion on whether or not the Talmud should be considered a valid source for teaching and establishing doctrine.
I for one do not utilize the Talmud, nor do I allow it to be used as a source in my Torah fellowship. Yes, someone tried to present Talmudic information last Shabbat, which gives rise to this mini-article…
Why do I reject the Talmud?
Deuteronomy 4:2
You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.
Deuteronomy 12:32
“Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.
Proverbs 30:5-6
5 Every word of God is purified.
He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.
6 Do not add to His words,
or else He will rebuke You and prove you a liar.
What is the Talmud?
Tal·mud
ˈtälˌmo͝od,ˈtalməd/ noun
1. the body of Jewish civil and ceremonial law and legend comprising the Mishnah and the Gemara. There are two versions of the Talmud: the Babylonian Talmud (which dates from the 5th century AD but includes earlier material) and the earlier Palestinian or Jerusalem Talmud.
The entire Talmud consists of 63 tractates, and in standard print is over 6,200 pages long. It is written in Tannaitic Hebrew and Jewish Babylonian Aramaic and contains the teachings and opinions of thousands of rabbis (dating from before the Common Era through the fifth century CE) on a variety of subjects, including Halakha (law), Jewish ethics, philosophy, customs, history, lore and many other topics. The Talmud is the basis for all codes of Jewish law, and is widely quoted in rabbinic literature.
There are many resources and many words written to describe what the Talmud is if you’d like to seek out more information. Have fun studying…
But here is the gist of it:
Scripture says not to add to nor take away from the Word given in the Torah. The Talmud is 6200 pages of the ideas, thoughts, and teachings of men. And unfortunately, this book is often used as the main source of teaching instead of scripture itself, especially in Rabbinic Judaism.
An exerpt from an article about the Talmud:
The other Holy Book for the Jewish religion is the Talmud which includes the Mishnah, which means “repetition” or “study” and the Gemara, which means “addition” or “completion.”
As society changed, the Jews found that the Torah needed to be updated from its original agricultural emphasis. Those changes became part of the Mishnah. The Mishnah also includes a description of Jewish life was during the period of the Second Temple. The Mishnah is divided into six sections (sedarim):
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The sedarim are divided into 63 treatises. Also included in the Mishnah are a collection of wise sayings called the Pirke Avot (Chapters of the Fathers).
After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 A.D., the Talmud defines the Jews’ religious life more than the Torah. Jewish tradition says Moses received two Torahs on Mount Sinai. The first is the written Torah above and the second is an oral Torah passed down from generation to generation. The oral Toral finally was written down at the end of the second century. Biblical scholars and scribes in Babylon edited the written “oral Torah” between 200 and 600 A.D. and that is now known as the Gemara, which means “completion” in Aramaic.
Although there is only one Mishna, there are two Gemaras. The first Gemara called the Yerushalmi was created in Israel and the second called the Bavli was created in Babylon. The Gemara is always printed with the Mishnah. The Gemara adds to the Mishna and are a source of history and legend.
Did you catch that?
This article states that the Talmud is a Holy Book associated with the Jewish religion. This is a RED FLAG all by itself.
If you are wondering why this might be a problem, refer back to the quotes from Deuteronomy and Proverbs again…
Is there evidence in scripture that the Talmud should not be utilized?
Yes, there is, believe it or not.
In Matthew 23, Yeshua says this:
Then Yeshua spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, 2 saying, “The Torah scholars and Pharisees sit on the seat of Moses. 3 So whatever they tell you, do and observe. But don’t do what they do; for what they say, they do not do.
So let’s take a closer look at this.
Yeshua Messiah says to do and observe what the Pharisees say from the seat of Moses. He then says to NOT do what they do.
The rest of Matthew 23 is an absolutely scathing rebuke of the Pharisees.
Yeshua calls them hypocrites. He says they are not welcome in heaven, and that they prevent others from getting to heaven.
He calls them blind guides.
He calls them whitewashed tombs.
He says they are full of lawlessness.
He calls them murderers.
He calls them snakes and a pit of vipers.
He asks how they might escape Gehenna (Hell).
We can easily see that Yeshua Messiah does not respect the Pharisees or their teachings.
He condemns them and their teachings.
He says their teachings keep others from heaven.
I think we can say without any doubt what-so-ever that Yeshua despises the Pharisees and their ways.
So why would he say to do as they say when in the Moses seat, but not do what they actually do?
It is because the Torah is read word for word without commentary from the seat of Moses. Messiah says to do and observe what they read directly from Torah.
But then Messiah says to not follow their examples in life. Do not do what they do.
And what is it that they do?
They live out the teachings of men. They live out the made up traditions of men, instead of living out the teachings in Torah.
These made up traditions of men are what is recorded in the Talmud.
The writings of many generations of Rabbis…
Whether these writings are well intentioned or not, they are not acceptable to Yeshua.
Messiah Himself rejects the teachings and doctrine of the religious leaders of His day. Those teachings and doctrines, among other writings, make up the Talmud.
Again, why do I reject the Talmud, the teachings of men, the words added to Torah?
Because our Messiah rejects these teachings and ideas.
And because scripture tells us to not add to the word — which is exactly what the Talmud is — added words by men.
There are many who will disagree with me on this.
There are many who will continue to value the teachings found in Talmud.
There are many who will continue to say the Talmud has valuable information.
So be it.
But Messiah says otherwise…
We are all men and women of free will.
Each of us must choose what we will and won’t believe.
Each of us must choose what we will or won’t do.
As for me, I will obey scripture and obey our Messiah.
Listen to Torah taught from the seat of Moses.
Do not do the teachings of men.