The artist’s contribution to religion
must in the nature of things
be heretical.
Karl Shapiro
I have heard it said that I teach heresy, since I am no longer an orthodox rabbi. This is, of course, all hearsay. The only doctrine of Judaism is that there are no orthodoxy’s. When our greatest sage since Moses, Maiminodes, suggested 13 Principles his rabbinic peers rightly respond; “Says who?” Moreover, Maiminodes never taught 13 principles of faith, as we see in his original text. Our greatest Rabbi did want us to focus on the basics of Torah but even this approach is not orthodox in traditional Judaism. Living the teachings via the Mitzvahs is the Jewish path. The biblical calendar and the primacy of Sabbath observance is the closest we have to a catechism.
I do understand that to the orthodox of our time I am a heresiarch. I hear this said again and again. I am an innovator who rewrote the Torah so I will acknowledge this rumor. See my Final Testment.
On the other hand my innovations may be guided by the final mitzvah of the Torah. My Five Books of Laurence are simply a commentary and continuation.
Moses’ final instruction in his five books?
“Now write down this song/poem and teach it to the Israelites. Make them memorize it so this testament will be a witness for the Israelites…it will never be forgotten by their descendants.”( Deut 31:19, 21)
This is why, also according to our great Maiminodes, it is a Positive Commandment for everyone to write a Sefer Torah, in our own hand, as if it is received from Sinai. Literalists commission a scribe to write all but one letter and believe this is the mitzvah. I think the intent of the Mitzvah is to continue the song and poetry of the original.
Talmud Torah is not forming letters like one learning the alephbet. Talmud Torah is Midrash and commentary and a continuation of the Oral Tradition. My heresy is all hearsay.
