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Meat in milk and the four species

שו”תCategory: faithMeat in milk and the four species
asked 1 year ago

Hello Rabbi!
Today, according to research, it is speculated that the prohibition ‘You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk’ stems from the ancient Canaanite custom of practicing idolatry by boiling a kid in its mother’s milk. Therefore, the most likely thing is that this is what the Torah prohibited, and nothing more (meat in milk alone).
Regarding the four species – today it is known from archaeological research that the etrog arrived in Israel and in general in the entire Mediterranean basin only in the fifth century BC, when its original origin is from China. By the way, it is the pioneer to reach our region of all kinds of citrus fruits (orange, lemon, etc.). A link is attached. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vA6s9CqjEeA&t=147s
Following these data, four questions arise:

  1. Is there any reason at all to continue to observe these commandments as we have received them in tradition, when we know that they are wrong, and that this is not what the poet intended? If so, what is it?
  2. What does this even say about the ability of our tradition to convey a message? The realization that such a basic interpretation of certain verses is an error undermines our ability to convey a message from such an ancient time.
  3. What does this say about the necessity of the Oral Torah? In almost every conversation I have with people about the Oral Torah, they bring up the example of the ‘fruit of the citrus tree’, and that without the Oral Torah it is impossible to understand this verse. But it turns out that it is indeed impossible to understand this verse, because in truth the interpretation of the Oral Torah is a mistake, and indeed sometimes the Torah writes things that are not understood, and after all, the Torah is not needed?
  4. And in continuation of the previous question – what does this say about the written Torah, that it commands us with unclear and unintended commandments? With the people I talk to, they explain to me that the written Torah was given from heaven, and it is impossible for a Torah from heaven given by a perfect God to write things that are imperfect, and therefore everything that seems incomprehensible must have an interpretation from Him, blessed be He. But if they really do not have an interpretation, that means it is not perfect, which means it is probably not from heaven. Isn’t that right? why?

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0 Answers
מיכי Staff answered 2 months ago
I do not engage in biblical criticism because I do not have much confidence in its method and conclusions. If this bothers you, you should turn to those who do. You can try the website ‘Knowing to Believe’.

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אריאל בר תקוה replied 1 year ago

Why don't you trust it?
What should I rely on more - blindly following the tradition passed down on a broken phone for thousands of years, or trying to sort the chaff from the straw by the data that comes to us every day?

מיכי Staff replied 1 year ago

Obviously, if there is a tradition that has been passed down over a broken phone and there are facts and figures that are more recent, that is preferable. But that is not the case here.

שמעון replied 1 year ago

Maimonides in Mora Nevuchim also explains the reason for the prohibition of "You shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk" just like the scholars you cite, and yet he was strict about the prohibition of meat in milk as the Torah Shevap states.
Regarding the etrog, see here: https://mikyab.net/%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%AA/%D7%90%D7%AA%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%92-%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%A6%D7%90%D7%94-%D7%97%D7%96%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%AA-%D7%9E%D7%90%D7%95%D7%97%D7%A8%D7%AA/

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