Q&A: The Thirteen Principles by Which the Torah Is Interpreted
The Thirteen Principles by Which the Torah Is Interpreted
Question
Hello Rabbi, according to the view that the Thirteen Principles are a law given to Moses at Sinai. (Maybe Maimonides is uncertain, but Nachmanides, Maharitz Chayot as I recall, the Second Kuzari, and others hold this view.)
So how can it be that there is a dispute regarding the rule of general and particular according to Rabbi Ishmael, and inclusions and exclusions according to Rabbi Akiva? Likewise, they disagreed about many other things, such as whether the Torah speaks in human language or not. And there are practical implications for interpreting extra conjunctions, style of language, and so on. I would be happy if the Rabbi would answer according to the traditional approach:
1) How did such a dispute arise regarding the Thirteen Principles?
2) And how did such a dispute arise in the study halls?
Regarding the second part, one could perhaps say that this is part of the forty-nine facets of purity, etc. But I would still be glad for a broader answer on the matter.
Thank you in advance!
Answer
According to all views, the principles are a law given to Moses at Sinai. (Finkelstein, in the introduction to his edition of the Sifra, thought otherwise regarding Maimonides, but he was mistaken. His proofs reflect a misunderstanding.)
Maimonides held that there is no dispute concerning a law given to Moses at Sinai, but that is a very puzzling claim (see Havot Ya'ir, responsum 192, who discusses this at length), both on logical grounds and in light of the Talmudic evidence. Distortions and errors are possible. In addition, in the second book of the Talmudic Logic series, I showed that there are laws given to Moses at Sinai that undergo conceptualization and processing over the generations, and thus the principles were decoded differently by Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Ishmael.