Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Step 1a summary and questions Megilla and Geula

Upon reflection I think I will use Yael's version with minor addition. I had missed the elegance of this approach.

In the times of the Mashiach, our Torah will consist only of the 5 books of Torah, the Oral Law and Megillat Esther. All tzarot harishonot will be forgotten and erased.
Notice that she has in fact caught the sense of relation between the two clauses. In Yaels the nullification of the Megilla is explained by the tzarot being forgotten. What this misses is the distinction between the Megilla and the days of Purim. I will therefore emend Yaels version to:
In the times of the Mashiach, our Torah will consist only of the 5 books of Torah, the Oral Law and Megillat Esther,the rest of Nach will be nullified. Though all memorializing of tzarot harishonot will be nullified, Yimei Purim will endure.
key terms - tzarot, tzarot harishonot, zichron.

Questions:
1. Why won't we need Neviim and Ketuvim anymore in days of Mashiach?
2. How will Torah and Megilla still be relevant at that time?
3. How are they different then the rest of Nach?
4. Why mention "Hilchot shel Torah SheBaal Peh" as opposed to limiting the discussion to Torah SheBichtav?
5. What are the "Zichron Tzaros"
6. Why will they no longer be relevant in days of Mashiach?
7. what is the relationship between the "Zichron Tzaros" and the days of Purim?
8. Why will the Days of Purim in fact be relevant in days of Mashiach?

2 comments:

Yaakov said...

1. Why are you learning the second clause as an explanation of the first instead of as two seperate phenomena which emerge from a shared principle? (or some other connection?)

2. Why did you translate "Zichron" as "memorializing" as opposed to "remembering" or "memories"?

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks said...

Yaakov

I was in a rush when I put it in it sounds a little confusing. What I am trying to say is that

1) I hadnt realized that Yael was pointing to an explanation.
2) Yaakov is correct in the distinction between the Nach/megilla clause vs Yimei Purim clause as the emended version hopefully shows.

"remembering" or "memories" I think would be Zechira-not Zichron which to me sounds like "preserved memory" which would be preserved through memorializing.

Feel free to post more on step 1. I might deal with the comments after step 2 however. Lets see what if any further comment arises.