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84 Is Judaism the Religion of Moses?

THE LAW OF GOD. His commandments in themselves were not earth-shaking violations, but
they were only the beginning of a new trend.

His first law permitted the Jews to eat an insect related to the locust family which all Jews
previously had considered unclean! Also, he permitted the Jews to eat of the liquids of the slaugh-
tering place (apparently blood, etc.). This, of course, was contrary to many Scriptures (Lev. 3:17,
etc.). His last commandment concerned the touching of a dead body. He permitted persons to be
ritualistically clean even if they were in constant contact with individuals who had become unclean
by touching a dead body (Lev. 11:27, 31, etc.). For making all these new laws, which permitted
people to do what had been previously forbidden in the Law of God, he was named by his contem-
poraries "Joseph the Permitter."

Joseph is called 'the Permitter,' evidently because in all three decisions he permits things
that were formerly considered forbidden" (Lauterbach, Rabbinic Essays, p. 219).

These three new commandments were not the only ones to be enacted by the Pharisees. The
action of Joseph the Permitter was the setting of a precedent! His commandments were a little re-
luctantly received at first, but the reluctance did not last long. From that time forward a FLOOD OF
NEW COMMANDMENTS began to come forth from the Pharisees.

These new laws, which Jesus called the commandments of men (Mark 7:7), the Pharisees
called by the Hebrew name "Halachah." This Hebrew word in English means "rule" or "decision."
It denoted a new rule of decision of the Pharisees. The term "Halachah" (or sometimes the plural
"Halakot") will be used in succeeding parts of this thesis series to denote the human commandments
of the Pharisees.]

Now notice what Herford says concerning these three new commandments ("Halachah") of
Joseph the Permitter. "The Mishnah [a part of the Talmud] records three halachahs which were de-
clared by him ... but which evidently met with some objection and gave occasion to his colleagues
to call him 'Joseph the Permitter.' This was because ... he was able to declare THAT to be allowable
WHICH TILL THEN HAD NOT BEEN ALLOWABLE, SINCE NO INTERPRETATION OF
THE WRITTEN TEXT [the word of God] HAD BEEN FOUND WHICH WOULD JUSTIFY HIS
CONCLUSION" (Talmud and Apocrypha, p. 67).

These new Halachah of Joseph the Permitter were not customs or habits that had been inher-
ited from the days of the religious anarchy. Or, to put it another way, these were not laws which the
Pharisees claimed to be part of the traditional laws from Moses. These NEW LAWS were nothing
more than commandments originating in the mind of Joseph himself. Notice what Lauterbach says:

It is therefore evident that these Halakot ... were not older traditional laws transmitted by
Joseph as a mere witness, BUT JOSEPH'S OWN TEACHINGS. HE WAS THE ONE
WHO 'PERMITTED' AND HE DESERVED THE NAME [the Permitter]" (Rabbinic Es-
says, p. 218).

The Berean Voice November-December 2002