Fenced Out
but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, “You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.” Genesis 3:3 NASB
Or touch it – OK, so who told the woman that the fruit of the Tree could not be touched? God told Adam not to eat it. Adam communicated this message to the woman. Do you suppose that she made up the additional requirement? Why would she? There is no logical reason for her to add this extra restriction. But there is every reason for someone else to add the extra bit. Adam. He could easily reason, “If I tell her that God says not to eat of the Tree, then maybe she might accidentally get too close and be overly tempted to eat of its fruit. So I’ll tell her that God said not to touch the fruit. That way there isn’t any possibility of her even thinking about eating it. The extra little bit will be good because it will ensure that the real issue won’t even come up.” This is called, “building a fence around Torah.” And as we all know, it completely backfired. The serpent simply used this extra piece as leverage to demonstrate that the entire commandment was false. He touched the fruit and nothing happened. Therefore, it seems as if nothing would happen by eating it either. Adam’s attempt to enlarge the actual commandment resulted in destroying the validity of the commandment.
Building fences is the real temptation, isn’t it? It’s all for noble purposes. It’s imagining the possibilities and then constructing artificial (non-Torah) barriers to prevent those possibilities. Amnon rapes Tamar. Absalom murders Ammon. The Torah is clear. Rape is wrong. Murder is wrong. So what fence do we erect in order to prevent anything like the Amnon and Absalom story from happening again? Well, there’s no use in underlining the prohibition against rape and murder. Those are clear enough. But we could prevent it all by simply declaring that no single man and single woman should ever be alone together. Solved. Ah, but wait! It’s not too difficult to suppose that the same sorry story of rape and murder could have occurred even if Tamar or Amnon were married. So we need a stronger fence. Men and women must never be together regardless of their married or unmarried status. In other words, we simply prevent men and women from any opportunity and that preserves the actual commandments. Right?
The answer, of course, is, “Yes.” If men and women can never be together, then there is no possibility of rape and potentially murder as revenge. But at what price? By removing the possibility, we have removed personal responsibility, community, ethical choice regarding the actual commandment and we have converted God’s clear instruction into legalism. We made a fence where none existed in order to protect people from some possible violation and in the process we reduced their ethical responsibility before the Lord. This is enforced holiness, not personal purity. And please don’t think that the rabbis are the only ones who ever did such a thing.
How many fences are needed in order to keep God’s instructions?
Topical Index: touch, fence, legalism, Genesis 3:3
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When I walked out of the church, I wrote a poem (well, it wasn’t a great one, by any means) about the man-made fences, and how they had ended up confusing me about what kept me ‘safe’, and from what. I concluded that what they had actually done was keep me from my neighbor, from my self, but most importantly, from God. I wrote about the baleful effects, all well-intentioned, of course: “Because I didn’t try to look for You, only put You in a box, labeled God likes this and God does this and God says this a lot; but I only found, when I was through, that I had put me in there, not You”.
In the process of trying to follow what man had said, I had only succeeded in developing fear of (idolization of) man, and that had had the effect of separating me from relationship with anyone. I found myself always afraid of What Others Would Think, and I was alone. The worst effects possible had occurred from those extra fences. Not only did they give others cover from having to have contact with uncleanliness (which ended up being ME!), it kept me from having a good relationship with myself, for it taught me that you could Make Up Rules for yourself, in order to make sure you followed all the other rules. I was taught to make of myself a god, and so I was afraid of myself.
I ended up schitzo-by-religion, and I almost died. Literally. It drove me to the edge of death, and my best friend did go over that edge. The only reason I did not was clearly providential: in that schitzophrenia, I believe God spoke to me, and told me to get out of the church I had just been baptized into; not because it was wrong, per se, but because if I stayed in there, I would die. I decided to obey, and in doing so, I was thrown back on my own resources, outside of all those man-made ways to avoid relationship, which had the net effect of removing the reasons for killing myself (I no longer was identifying with people who were NOT reaching out and touching me); I also was directly obeying the One I knew I should be. I also was handed back my own personal responsibility for myself, which I had somehow lost in all that practical self-hatred (well, there was no way I could keep up with all my own rules, so I punished myself by putting myself outside my own good graces, and so was separated from myself, too). No wonder I was schitzo! And I knew it!
That summer, my best friend ended up finding out something about her father, whom she adored, that sent her world, in which everyone had to be perfect, crashing, and she killed herself. A few months later, I found myself at the precipice of self- annihilation, too. There is only so much you can separate yourself from yourself, once you have been TAUGHT HOW, before you take that next step on that slippery slope you should have never started down in the first place. (No, folks, a little self-hatred is not a good thing!) I turned and walked away from death, and into the arms of my pain, as a choice, but it was only because I knew I was already outside the entire Fence. You see, the Fence that had taught me that killing was a sin had no power left to protect me from doing that once it had separated me from the effective relationship in all dimensions that was the REAL way that was intended to be my protection from death.
I found that the letter of the law, if it is separated out from life, and elevated to a god-status of its own (able to spawn rules about itself) then had no power left but fear for the enforcement of itself. The Spirit of God is the power behind the Law, and the Law is only a mirror in which we can see Him Whom we must have that relationship with, and that obedience, to. I was making the mistake of obeying a letter, when I should have been obeying the Letter-Giver. He had to speak to me in my madness, by the methods of that madness (I heard an audible Voice in my ear – definitely schitzo!), and give me a direction that saved me.
That Voice, which spoke to me while I was praying, told me to “get out”. In a week of trying to argue, I decided to dialogue, and asked WHY I should, and heard “Sodom and Gomorrah”. Getting bolder, I asked why that? and heard “death and destruction”: as in the real stuff. I could see no way why going to church would end up destroying me, but I had to make a decision, which I had not thought of before, as to whether I wanted to live. None of this made any sense to me, but I decided that I did not want to die, and walked out of the church. That decision would save my life. In my obedience to what I had been told, I ended up also breaking the rules (I was away at boarding school at the time) about skipping church (which had been presented to me as being THE SAME AS breaking the Fourth Commandment), but I managed it for an entire spring without being caught! Instead, I would slip out and climb the mountain behind me (feeling like a sinner the whole time, of course); but up there, in a place that I did trust and feel safe and loved in, I had my first religious experiences (I connected with God, and myself), and wrote my poem. And when my friend died, I lived.
I think everyone of us who read your (almost daily) postings here are so glad you heard that Voice and obeyed, Laurita! As someone who can write with the depth of soul about your life experiences, although somewhat painful at times, brings us to a celebration of what obeying the Father means; know we can all come to that level of celebration in our lives. Live on, write on and help us hear the Voice you seem to continue to hear. It is the best choice you ever made! And as you would end; Hallelu-Yah!
One of my best friends now was in a “holiness church” in the early 80s. He wandered in looking for help and guidance after he did something that ate daily at this soul. He was taught by a charismatic leader who offered “God’s Law” as the remedy. Interestingly, this preacher also taught the King James Version was the only “authorized” version, and if it was “good enough for Moses,” it was good enough for him. Not only did this preacher build fences around the Torah, he also taught the congregation how to correct the sins you had committed in the past. This man’s hot button was divorce and remarriage. He taught that if you were divorced and remarried you had have violated God’s prohibition against adultery. The only remedy was to separate yourself from your “new wife (or husband) (and kids). By the time my friend was taught this he had befriended a couple of guys in the congregation. One of them was divorced and remarried with 2 young kids. Pastor Righteous convinced this man his only remedy was to leave his new wife and kids. So he did. And my friend, and the man who left his new wife, spent months sitting outside in a park across from this man wife’s house, crying uncontrollably. Eventually this man left the “church” and moved away, and my friend lost track of him. By the time I met my friend he was out of that “church” and completely “freaked out” about anything to do with God. Any mention of Torah or God’s law would send him walking away with a glazed look in his eye. Over the years he gradually regained his faith, but the damage to his “trust” was profound and long lasting. No, the rabbis are certainly not the only ones that build fences around Torah.
Amazing post Laurita!
My schitzo church was myself. I was the master of my manipulations and I practiced manipulating others in bad ways to get what I wanted. I was married and had a small child for part of this time. I ended up deciding to pull my car in front of a semi-truck with my child to end the craziness.
I felt a voice telling me that this was not the way to do things. My life was not done yet and my usefulness was not finished.
I did not pull out in front of that truck but instead found my way to an Al-Anon group (my husband came from a very alcoholic/dysfunctional family) and found some support. For me, my higher power was always God because somehow even thru my shitzo days I still believed in God (sure did not honor Him though).
But the story of crazy days wasn’t over. I still did not commit to living a God honoring life. I still wanted to honor me! This went on for several years and ended up costing a marriage that was doomed to fail from the start anyways. These times took me down some dangerous roads but God was not done with me.
I gradually became more involved in church and began to leave behind some very familiar, evil pathways for much cleaner ones. I ended up finding my current husband and we found (together) and very cult-like Ind Baptist Church. We lived there for several years until God truly began to open our eyes to some stuff that was really off base. We started asking questions and turning over some rocks and found some strange things! The preacher there ended up admitting to my husband and myself (privately in our home) that even with all of his schooling and degrees that he did not know how to “love” people! How very sad to hear this man admit to that. So many were looking to him for guidance and he could only use law to rule them. No love was evident. So very many fences that only added immeasurable burden to the people there.
We left that church and found a home church for a little while but even that ended up being a small and cozy modern church. Talk about returning to what is familiar!!
Anyways, all that to say that it is an on-going journey and He is not finished with me yet although my life sure looks a lot different today! I seem to have a sense to see those “fences” today, maybe not all of them but enough to make me very suspicious of any modern church. I think these fences have taken the joy out of life for many and as Laurita implied, only separate us from the One who gives us life. We forget that too, that without Him there would be no life in us. Kinda makes a person rethink things when that is remembered.
Seems like remembering is a skill to be honed and used throughout life’s journey.
How do we reflect on the change of the deep places in our character, heart at this spiritual time of the 9th of Av 5775, is a reflection on the past to change the future first our own tikkun remorse and Teshuvah our spiritual return and face Adonai, then man to man for sins against man and man . are we sorry for what we have done in baseless hatred, pride, avoidance, anger, control, are we maturing being more accountable ,can we move from our mothers milk and become adults and a community of leaders . our children when everything that is given to them for no real purpose I think hinders the goal to achieved our purpose in the journey.
May we be the example and be different and live it not just teach love be his arms, legs, eyes, voice, heart, compassion, empathy like your Galatians 5:23 , may be others will respond . what would that be like actually do it help change all forms of hate, pride, indifference, show respect, listen have patience eye contact in person to someone who thinks not as you not by force or assumptions ..
Rabbi Levi.
Not only do we reflect on our Nation’s history from 2000 years ago, but more importantly we aim to focus on how to build our future as a nation by correcting past mistakes.
Our Sages teach us that the Temple was destroyed because of baseless hatred, so now we must come together and rectify this with unconditional love…
When all Jewish people from across the globe, various communities, and all walks of life join together on this one mission of sharing unconditional love for each other…
…only then we will merit our true redemption.
In Matt.5, Yeshua fenced in the Torah quite rigorously:
20 And I tell you,
unless your righteousness exceeds…
22 But I tell you,
that whoever shall be enraged against his brother, …
28 But I tell you,
that whoever sees a woman and covets her, …
32 But I tell you,
that whoever shall put away his wife, …
34 But I tell you,
you shall not swear by a confirming word …
39 But I tell you,
that you not withstand evil …
44 But I tell you,
Love your enemies…
Be careful. Some of his comments are not directed to Torah but to common assumptions of the time. Some are explanations not fences. And some are responses to attempts to fence him in with associations to one of the rabbinic schools of the day.
To synchronise definitions: I understand the Hebrew-ism, “to fence in the Torah”, to mean that you are instructed in the Way to walk (the Torah), additional stricter instructions is then given, as a fence or hedge which is meant to hinder you from even venturing on the “grass” alongside the “road”.
In this regard,
Matt.5: 20 fences in “Geburah” [Deut. 4:2; 12:32]
Matt.5: 22 fences in the 6th Statement (Word / Commandment) of YHWH [Ex 20:13; Deut 5:17].
Matt.5: 28 / 32 fences in the 10th and 7th Statement of YHWH [Ex 20:14; Deut. 5:18] [Deut. 5:21].
Matt.5: 34 fences in the 3th and 9th Statement of YHWH; as well as Lev 19:12; Num. 30:2; Deut. 23:21.
Matt.5: 39 fences in the 8th Statement of YHWH as well as Ex. 21:24; Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21.
Matt.5: 43 to 6:4 fences in all the 10 Statements of YHWH as well as specifically Lev. 19:18.
However, the mystery for me is why did Yeshua do this; why are the churches ignoring this clear instructions to be exceptionally righteous to (the advantage of) our brothers; and what is the link / interpretation of the First Adam’s conduct?
Can explanations / responses in regards to the Torah and the Rabbinic interpretations not also been seen as the “Fences” of Yeshua replacing those of the “fathers”?
His statements challenge us to look beyond the letter of the law to the spirit. He is tearing down the fence of self righteousness. ‘Who shall cast the first stone?’ He is tearing down the fence of self idolatry. Its not about me and my rights but about community.
Yes, he is building a fence, just one, and its called the Kingdom of God. A kingdom of grace, of love and of mercy. A kingdom where the imperfect is restored into perfection.
Hi Christopher,
I think you are using a different understanding for “fence” than the idiom in the scriptures…
To “make a fence about the Torah” is explained by Rambam like this:
“Make a hedge about the Torah”, refers to the decrees and enactments of the Sages-these keep a man far from transgression, as the Blessed One said, ‘Therefore shall ye keep what I have given you to keep (Lev. 18:30),’ which the Talmud (Yebamot 21a) interprets to mean; add protection to what I have already given you as protection.” (Maimonides on Avot 1:1)
A good example of such a fence can be found in the very first Mishnah of the Talmud:
1:1 From what time may they recite the Shema in the evening?
From the hour that the priests enter [their homes] to eat their heave offering.
“until the end of the first watch” the words of Rabbi Eliezer.
But the sages say, “Until midnight.”
Rabban Gamliel says, “Until the rise of dawn.”
M’SH’SH: His [Gamliel’s] sons returned from a banquet hall [after midnight].
They said to him, “We did not [yet] recite the Shema.”
He said to them, “If the dawn has not yet risen, you are obligated to recite [the Shema].
And [this applies] not only [in] this [case]. Rather, [as regards] all [commandments] which sages said [may be performed] ‘Until midnight,” the obligation [to perform them persists] until the rise of dawn.”
[For example,] the offering of the fats and entrails—their obligation [persists] until the rise of dawn [see Lev. 1:9, 3:3-5].
And all [sacrifices] which must be eaten within one day, the obligation [to eat them persists] until the rise of dawn.
If so why did sages say [that these actions may be performed only] until midnight?
In order to protect man from sin.
(m.Berakhot 1:1)
Interesting topic …, and i love the insight on the Genesis account Skip. Well done as usual.
I study Jewish Law for my personal reasons. No .., I am not Jewish. Could maybe what i assert here be a strong case for Oral Law?
” If instructions are passed from Rebbe to student, from father to son. If so, then how do you actually read the written Torah, which has no “vowels” or punctuation niqqud or nikkud Hebrew: נִקּוּד, Modern nikud ? Haven’t we in effect leaned on the combined efforts of the Masoretic scribes? How about if we were to abandon the Mishnah, the Gemara, the Midrash , we could end up boiling a calf in its mother’s milk . “Rabbi Kelemen explains here … it is a short video … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWRQIV04l80
Where does it say that you are supposed to be wearing tefillin ?
” And it shall be for a sign upon your hand, and as [[[ totafot ]]] between your eyes; for with a mighty hand did the Lord bring us forth out of Egypt.
—Exodus 13:16 – ** There are no textual details regarding what tefillin are , how they are made , or how they are to be worn in all the accounts where it occurs in Torah.
The same could be said about a Mezuzah upon your doorposts and gates. Where in Duet. does it tell us what is to be written or how it is to be affixed?
Deu 17:8 “When any matter arises which is too hard for you to judge, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, or between stroke and stroke – matters of strife within your gates – then you shall rise and go up to the place which יהוה your Elohim chooses,
Deu 17:9 and shall come to the priests, the Lĕwites, and to the judge who is in those days, and shall inquire. And they shall declare to you the word of right-ruling,
Deu 17:10 and you shall do according to the word which they declare to you from that place which יהוה chooses. And you shall guard to do according to all that they instruct you.
*Deu 17:11 “Do according to the Torah in which they teach you, according to the right-ruling which they say to you. you do not turn to the right or to the left from the word which they declare to you.
Does Yeshua not observe some of the elements of Oral Tradition / general pattern of the seder when blessing the bread and cups
I guess in closing rather than debating whether or not it was divinely appointed , I would ask is can we find value for us to study it ?
A tentative conclusion is that we not lose our WAY. It should be clear that a distinction should be made between 1] reasoning from the written Torah and reaching consensus within the community, 2 ] and the notion that YHVH Himself gave the Oral Torah at Mt. Sinai as an explanation to Moses .
These are two very different things , and how we decide upon this will affect the relative importance we give to the idea of the Oral Torah.
Well said! At the same time, these fences are not just to prevent us from sinning but they are also built for those who look at us and suspect evil even where none exists. A man and woman who are not married can even be suspected of and/or accused of evil even if they were intentionally together in a public place as opposed to being behind closed doors in order to avoid being suspected of doing evil!
A timely word, a word in season.
For the past few weeks, I have been counseling on this topic on how far a man and woman should touch/in close proximity with, be alone with in a room, kiss, or hug each other. Also, would it be godly to give a full body hug?
“By removing the possibility, we have removed personal responsibility..” Absolutely.
No choice then, to lay guidelines/boundaries, if such folks choose to be undisciplined, are in denial of their actions, and/or are seemingly ignorant of their mis-behaviour, the fence would be a -‘better safe than sorry’, ‘prevention is better than cure’ measure?
“This is enforced holiness, not personal purity” but guidelines for them to make the right choice/s.
“How many fences are needed in order to keep God’s instructions?” Exasperating, for sure, reveals how desperately we need the experience of His Presence in our lives.