Rel-107 Week 5 Discussion What Is The Purpose Of T

REL-107Week 5 DiscussionWhat is the purpose of this chain? What rabbis want to tell us by starting the tractate with it? What claims do they make? Also, what does the text mean by “Torah”? What does Torah include? Is it just the Torah of Moses or also something else?The purpose of the chain which is also referred to as the “chapters of our fathers” is to teach the Jews the most important things in life: justice, truth, and peace. In the text, the “Fathers” referred to the teachers of the Torah. These three things have been elaborated as the Torah was passed down from one priest to the other since the time of Moses. By starting the tractate with it, the Rabbis want to tell us that the views of the Torah have not changed since Moses received them from God at Mt. Sinai. Regarding truth, the Pirqei Avot 1:1-18 refers to the judicial truth. For instance, Shimon ben Shetach speaks of how to qualify a witness, saying that, “Examine the witnesses diligently and be cautious in your words lest through them they learn to falsify” Pirqei Avot 1:1-9. The laws on Torah on the other hand emphasize on how