EE & R, 3_6: Between the Torah and the Prophets: Prophetic Antinomianism
(For the previous installment of "Exodus, Exile and Redemption," click here. For ToC, click here.)
The prophetic doctrine elevates Knowledge as the singular and ultimate attainment of man. Thus, the divine knowers explicitly rejected worshiping Hashem through sacrifice – an act symbolic of the negation of all knowledge – and replaced it with the emulation of Hashem’s good ways, which He made known to mankind.
But it is not sacrificial worship alone that stands in conflict with the message of perfect knowledge. The entire framework of the Law is undermined by the prophets’ insistence that Hashem demands from us nothing “but for doing justice and loving kindness and walking humbly with your God” (Michah 6:8). We must take the prophet’s literal word seriously – Hashem demands nothing else. Indeed, the prophets rarely, if ever, call for strict adherence to the various laws of the Torah. The prophetic doctrine stands in tension with the entire Law.1
This is because the Law, as such, is a set of rules for those who know not what to do, whereas he who knows all simply has no need for law. He who would, of his own volition, perform the action required by a particular dictate of the Law does not need that command: There is no need to command someone to do what he knows is right. The Law, then, is designed for those who don’t know what is right, therefore not championed by those who do. Knowledge is antinomian, and law is agnostic. The Law serves as a guide for the ignorant, while the enlightened have transcended its need.
In essence, the Law itself is toil, as previously defined: doing what you must rather than what you desire. It compels a person to act contrary to their free reason, creating a tension between obligation and will. The prophets reject this form of toil, revealing instead the repose and tranquility that belong to those who, knowing the good, naturally desire it, achieving a perfect harmony between their actions and their inner will.
Two exceptions to the prophets’ apparent disregard for the specific laws of the Torah, both found in the book of Jeremiah, prove the rule we have established. These two mitzvahs – Shabbos observance and the freeing of slaves – are deeply tied to the prophetic message of rest and liberation, which lies at the heart of their teachings.
The prophet exhorted the people of Jerusalem to properly observe the Shabbos:
Thus said Hashem: “Take heed for the sake of your lives, and do not carry a burden on the Shabbos day and bring it through the gates of Jerusalem. And do not carry a burden out of your houses on the Shabbos or do any work, but keep the Shabbos day holy, as I commanded your fathers” (Jeremiah 17:21-22)
Jeremiah also condemned the people for neglecting the mitzvah to set slaves free after six years of servitude:
Thus said Hashem, God of Israel: “I made a covenant with your forefathers on the day I took them out from the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, saying, ‘At the end of seven years, each of you must set free the fellow Hebrew who has been sold to you and has served you six years; you must set him free from your service.’ But your fathers did not listen to Me or incline their ears…” (ibid, 34:13-14)
The Exodus animated the prophets who taught liberation through knowledge,2 hence their focus on the specific mitzvahs that embody its ideal: freeing slaves and refraining from work on the Shabbos. In advocating for these exceptions, the prophets revealed that their true concern was not with strict adherence to the letter of the Law but with the spirit of rest and release from all bondage.
The prophetic stance, with its emphasis on knowledge as the ultimate human attainment and its antinomian leanings, presents a challenge to the framework established by the Torah. While the prophets advocate for a life guided by direct knowledge of Hashem, where the Law becomes unnecessary for those who truly understand, the Torah insists on a detailed legal code meant to guide every aspect of human life.
The prophetic doctrine raises fundamental questions on the Torah’s approach: Why does the Torah not advocate knowledge as the highest ideal? Why does it emphasize the Law, with all its rules and regulations, instead of leading humanity directly to divine understanding? These issues will be the subject of our coming chapters, where we will explore whether the Torah’s emphasis on legal adherence represents a recognition of human limitations or a more profound path toward divine understanding.
(For the next installment of "Exodus, Exile and Redemption," click here.)
I once again beseech you to bear in mind that we are currently exploring the prophetic message in its fullest expression – even where it appears to contradict the Torah – in an effort to understand it thoroughly. Only later will we return to bringing it into its necessary and perfect congruence with the entirety of the Torah's teachings.