The fifth weekly biblical portion in Deuteronomy is Shoftim, “Judges.” The rabbis who were descendants of the ancient Pharisees viewed this portion as supporting the Pharisees’ views, rather than those of the Sadducees. The ancient Sadducees ceased to exist after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, and were later followed by the Karaites.

The first Karaites began in Babylon. The founder was Anan ben David (740-795 CE). He and his followers rejected the authority of the rabbis and the Talmud. They claimed that the only source of religious law is the Bible’s literal wording. This is why they are called Karaits, derived from the Hebrew word kara, meaning “Scripture.” In contrast, mainstream Judaism considered the teachings of the rabbis to be the authoritative interpretations of the Torah. There may be as many as 50,000 Karaite Jews existing today—mostly in Israel—with only about 1500 in the US.[1]

The Karaites were preceded by the Sadducees, a religious and political group in Judea, active during the second century BCE to 70 CE, associated with the aristocracy and the Temple priesthood.

The origin of the name Sadducees is unknown. Some scholars believe the name was derived from the Hebrew name of the high priest Tzadok, who held this position during the reigns of King David and Solomon, centuries before the Sadducees were first mentioned. They say the later Sadducees saw themselves as the successors to this ancient priest and adopted his name, which means “righteous.”

I do not think this is true, and see no reason why—centuries after this ancient high priest lived—people would want to associate themselves with him simply because he held his position during a historical period. It is more likely that when Jews began to seek modern interpretations of the Torah texts, the elite temple priests reacted by calling them Pharisees, meaning “separatists” and “reformers.” They called themselves “Sadducees,” a term derived from the Hebrew word tzedek, meaning “righteous” and “correct,” because these priests continued the ancient tradition of a literal Torah and did not follow what the “newcomers” read into the text.[2]

While the Pharisees were often referred to as “separatists” and “reformers,” they did not see themselves in this light. They considered themselves fulfilling the Torah’s desire for its laws to grow rationally and humanely. The name-calling is similar to what happened during the much later Age of Enlightenment, when Jewish reformers called traditional Jews “Orthodox.” This was a name that stuck to them, as the pseudonym “Pharisee” stuck to the ancients. The word “orthodox” means “those who live a life according to beliefs,” while the traditionalists, instead, base their lives on the Torah as it dictates “acts.” The Torah requires proper acts, not beliefs. “Orthopractic” should have been the correct word.

The most striking distinction between the Sadducees and Pharisees was their different interpretations of Exodus 35:3, which states, “A fire must not burn in your dwellings on the Sabbath day.” The Sadducees understood the command prohibiting the existence of fire in homes on the Sabbath. They sat at home in the dark during the evening and night and in the cold in the fall and winter. Their Sabbath was dark and gloomy. The Pharisees understood that the command was not to ignite a fire, but if a fire had been lit before the Sabbath began, it could and should be enjoyed. The Jewish Shabbat home should be, as Isaac Luria, known as Ha’ari (1534-1572), wrote in his poem Yom zeh l’yisrael orah v’simcha, “This day is for Israel a day of light and joy.”

The custom of lighting candles before the Sabbath is not biblical, but was first mentioned in the Mishnah, which was composed around 200 CE. It was most likely innovated a couple of centuries earlier by the Pharisees. The practice spread among traditional Jews to ensure homes had a light during Shabbat, thereby imbuing the house with spiritual light and joy.

It is customary to light at least two candles before Shabbat begins. In all probability, two candles were used rather than just one to enhance the light and warmth. However, some people see the two as recalling the two Shabbat laws in the two versions of the Decalogue. One candle symbolizes the Sabbath mentioned in Exodus 20:8—” remember the Sabbath day”—and the other represents the Sabbath in Deuteronomy 5:12—” observe the Sabbath day.”

Basis of the Pharisaic view

The Pharisees found support for their view that the Torah required Jews to refine the Torah rules and make them more rational and humane. They saw multiple hints in the Torah advising them to do so. For example, stop slavery, sacrifices, warfare, give women the same respect given to men, treat non-Jews the same as Jews, and many other rules. These were meant to guide people without their going to the extreme of acting like fools who find proof for foolishness in every scriptural passage. One hint is found in the Torah portion of Shoftim, in Deuteronomy 17:8-11.

“When there is a judicial matter that is obscure to you where you live, whether regarding blood,[3] judicial decisions, plagues, or other controversies, you must get up and go to the place that the Lord your God has chosen and come to the priests, Levites, and judges that exist in those days and seek a solution. They will give you the judgment. You must do what they tell you.”

The Pharisees focused on the superfluous words “that exist in those days.” Surely, the questioner would not travel to judges who exist in the past or the future. They saw that the wording conveys a clear message: the judges were concerned with the needs of their day, a time when Torah learning was prime, and when the people were no longer primitive and had become more rational and humane.[4]

[1]              Lidman, Melanie (28 January 2016), “Karaite Jews unanimously re-elect chief rabbi,” The Times of Israel. Retrieved 4 November 2018.

[2]              Rashi defines the word tzedek in his commentary to 16:20: “You must follow tzedek: ‘You must obey the law.”

[3]              Rashi quotes the Talmud (Niddah 19), which explains that the issue is how to interpret whether a particular blood is considered clean or unclean according to the Torah. He also interprets the other items similarly, where the individual is seeking a modern ruling.

[4]              Maimonides points out in his Guide for the Perplexed 3:32 that the Torah could not require the primitive-minded Israelites to observe the humane commands, such as ceasing sacrifices and slavery because they would have thought the law was absurd and rejected it. Therefore, the Torah restricted sacrifices and slavery as much as possible, suggesting that humans must continually improve the treatment of animals and fellow humans.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)