Hakdama Rambam 6

Hakdama Rambam 6

Question about הלכה למשה מסיני

But [I will do this] after [writing about] a fundamental principle which I saw fit to mention. And that is that a person could say, if the explanation is, like we have established it, received from the mouth of Moshe – as we have said from their words, the whole Torah, its general principles, its details and its inferences were said from Sinai – if so, what are these specific laws about it is said that they are 'laws of Moshe from Sinai?'

Multiple Choice

What is the question people have about הלכה למשה מסיני?

• Isn't everything from Moshe at Sinai? So why do say about certain laws "הלכה למשה מסיני"?

• Why does it say "to Moshe" and not "from Moshe"?

• Why is it important to also mention "מסיני"?

Answer:

And [about] this fundamental principle, you must understand its secret. And that is that the explanations that were transmitted from the mouth of Moshe have no disagreement about them in any way. As behold, from then until now, we have not found a disagreement occur among the sages at any time, from the days of Moshe and until Rav Ashi, such that one say, "They take out the eye of one who has taken out the eye of his fellow, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 19:21), 'an eye for an eye'"; and the second one say that it is only money that he has to pay.

Multiple Choice

Is there any disagreement about laws handed down from Moshe?

• Yes

• No

• In certain cases

Multiple Choice

What has been handed down from Moshe about the meaning of "you shall cut off her hand"?

• Only if she did it deliberately

• It really means she must pay money

More examples of laws handed down from Moshe

And we have also not found a disagreement in that which the verse states (Leviticus 23:40), "the fruit of a beautiful tree," such that one would say it is a citron (etrog), and the other say it is quinces or pomegranates or other [fruit] beside it. And we have also not found a disagreement about a "leafy tree" that it is [anything but] a myrtle. And we have not found a disagreement about the statement of the verse (Deuteronomy 25:12), "And you shall cut off her hand," that it is [anything but] payment. And not about that which the verse stated (Leviticus 21:9), "When the daughter of a priest defiles herself through harlotry, etc. she shall be put to the fire," that, nonetheless, we only make this decree when she is married.

Multiple Select

Which examples does the Rambam bring of laws handed down from Moshe which have no disagreement?

Choose 3 answers

• Esrog

• Hadas

• Punishment of immoral Kohen daughter

• Lulav

And similar to this, in the general category of [the Torah's] commandments, there is no disagreement about them, since the explanations of all of them are received from the mouth of Moshe. And about them and about what is similar to them, they said, "The whole Torah was said – its general principles, its details and its inferences – from Sinai."

But even though they are transmitted and there is no disagreement about them, we can – with the wisdom of the Torah that is given to us – extrapolate these explanations [from the Torah] by one of the ways of reasonings, or [from] the associations, proofs or hints found in Scripture.

Multiple Choice

Even though the laws were handed down from Moshe, we can still . . .

• argue with them

• derive them from the Pesukim

• explain how they don't apply nowadays