Hakdama of Rambam #3

Hakdama of Rambam #3

Yehoshua continues the chain

And when he died, peace be upon him – since he bequeathed to Yehoshua that which was imbued to him of the explanation – Yehoshua and the people of his generation applied their wisdom and their thought to [the received Torah]. And everything that Moshe received – he or any of the elders – there is nothing to say about it; and no disagreement arose about it. 

And whoever did not hear an explanation from the mouth of the prophet, peace be upon him, about matters that derive from them, extrapolated laws by propositions from the thirteen principles through which the Torah is expounded, which were given at Mount Sinai.

Multiple Choice

How did the Jews figure out laws that Moshe had not taught them?

• Ruach Hakodesh of Yehoushua

• Through the 13 principles of Torah interpretation

• By reviewing the Torah scroll Moshe wrote

Multiple Choice

About what was there never any argument?

• Information that was received from Moshe

• Information learned through 13 rules of interpretation

• The Aseres Hadibros

Information derived through the 13 rules

  And among those laws that they derived, there are some things wherein no disagreement arose, but [rather] they agreed about them. And there were among them [those] wherein disagreements between two opinions did arise – this one says like this, and that one says like that; this one reasons according to his reasoning and becomes more sure of his opinion, and that one reasons according to his reasoning and becomes more sure of his opinion; as principles of analysis that are by way of argumentation will result in such a result. 

Multiple Choice

What 2 categories are there in the laws that are derived from the 13 principles?

• 1. laws that everyone agrees with
  2. laws that there are arguments about
• 1. laws that are Biblical
  2. laws that are Rabbinic

And when a disagreement would arise, they would go according to the majority, as it states (Exodus 23:2), "you will incline after the majority."

Multiple Choice

How would Halacha be decided when being derived from the 13 principles and an argument arose?

• majority opinion

• oldest sage's opinion

• Ruach Hakodesh