There is so much talk in among Christians about the Israelites not being able keep the law. We are criticized for disobedience and we are also criticized for enforcing the law. Which is it?
Christians say they are free from the law. But they also are not free to go on sinning by breaking God’s laws. Which is it?
There is so much talk in the Christian community about "the law." By the same token, I wonder if there shouldn't be more appreciation for the value of the laws in the Torah. There are a lot of very sound principles that make sense even 3500 years after they were passed down through Moses.
Hopefully everyone is familiar with the 10 Commandment. Are there any debates about those?
Here are some others:
- The prohibition against unequally yoking animals in the Tenach (Old Testament) is found in Deuteronomy 22 which states: "Do not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together". This law prevents placing animals of different sizes, strengths, or species under one yoke, which would cause pain and inefficiency. There are laws against cruelty or causing pain to animals. There's even law to feed them.
I'm sure most people would agree with how the Torah commands us to treats animals.
There are civil and criminal mitzvot in the Torah which form a tightly connected system around property, harm, money, labor, and judicial process, aimed at preserving life, dignity, and social order. Some examples include:
- The law explicitly condemns encroaching on another’s boundary marker, reflecting the integrity of private space and the protection of family holdings.
- If a person harms another, he must make monetary restitution rather than face incarceration, covering direct damage, pain, medical expenses, loss of income, and humiliation. Damage to property—by an ox, pit, fire, or negligence—likewise requires compensation, with distinctions between foreseeable and unforeseeable harm and between full and half damages.
- Deuteronomy 23 has laws about taking a pledge (collateral) protect the debtor’s basic tools or clothing, forbidding a creditor from seizing items essential to survival or dignity.
Doesn't this sound reasonable?
Torah law explicitly commands timely, fair payment of workers and prohibits oppression of hired laborers, especially the poor and resident alien. Verses such as “On that very day shall you pay him his wages” and “Do not allow the wages to rest overnight with you” are treated as both a positive command and a negative prohibition.
Torah's “personal” laws center on marriage, forbidden unions, sexual ethics, and family status, treating the household as a covenantal unit rather than just a private arrangement. Halakhah treats marital intimacy as a mitzvah and grounds it in a framework of consent, modesty, and mutual obligation.
It is true that there are a LOT of mitzvot, commandments, in the Torah. They do get complicated which is why they often require interpretation and clarity when applying them. That's were the Priests, Rabbis and Judges came into play.
Of the 613 Commandments, about half are things Jews are supposed to do, like honor your parents and the other half are things we are not supposed to do, like steal.
There are literally tens of thousands of laws
Christians are right though. It is rare indeed for anyone to be able to keep all the laws. Impossible even. We can get weary trying to keep the law. Most people give up trying. All people fall short of perfection. We all need to make atonement. We all need redemption.
There is a greater message. But it is much better delivered by Johnny Z. Here's a link. His sermon starts about 40 minutes into the video.
