Will the judge of all the earth not do justice?
Genesis 18:25
Deep theological moments blow up in the Torah Portion Vayera. While Vayera tiptoes on an ultimate question of Why do bad things happen to good people?, the portion formidably speaks to the value of community.
In Vayera, an exceptionable Torah passage peers into the Divine’s mindset. God’s deep thoughts, contemplations and methodologies are revealed as he- in real time- measures his relationship with Abraham.
As a result, a 3-D chess match ensues with respect to the practicalities of fixing humanity. His opponent Abraham’s challenge yields a determination; humanity’s problems can be solved by fostering virtuous communities.
The Tale
God, determined to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah due to “heavy sin.” Genesis 18:20, is hesitant. He fears that this action will jeopardize his budding partnership with Abraham. Genesis 18:17. Thus, he wrestles with disclosing his plan of annihilation to Abraham.
Within this particular passage, God reveals his thoughts which include the purpose behind Abraham’s involvement. Of Abraham’s “purpose,” Vayera indicates: “For I’ve [God] known him for the purpose that he’ll command his children and his house after him, and they observe the Lord’s way, to do virtue and judgment…” Genesis 18:19. [Note: how will Abraham command (or educate) his children and house? He cannot use scripture- the Torah and Ten Commandments- as they will be later received by Moses.]
Matching Moral Wits
God’s eventual disclosure to Abraham sparks controversy. Abraham challenges the planned destruction. Abraham accuses God. “Far be it from you [God] to do a thing like this, to kill virtuous with wicked- and it will be the same for the virtuous and the wicked- far be it from you.” Genesis 18:23.
An epic negotiation between God and Abraham ensues over concern of the cities’ virtuous residents. An accord is finally reached; God would not destroy Sodom and Gommorah “for the sake of ten.” Genesis 18:32.
From this passage, it can be extrapolated that the existence of ten virtuous individuals protects cities from mass destruction. Perhaps, it suggests the impact of a virtuous population has upon a city’s health or decline.
The Passage’s Impact
While not yet arithmomania, the Hebrew Bible’s attachment to particular numbers is evident throughout. 12, 40, & 120 are all numbers evoking scriptural significance. Likewise, the number 10 carries much relevance. Vayera’s employment of ten has been employed to connote community. This community concept is also central to the Decalogue, another ten.
Talmudic Amplification
The Torah’s associations with the number Ten shaped Rabbinic thought. In the Talmud, Rabbis addressed the need for quorums for public prayer. In doing so, they incentivized the number ten. In Megillah 23b, ten people are required for a Minyan- a quorum for public prayer. [Note: Without a Minyan, Torah reading in public is not permitted.]
In creating the Minyan, the Rabbis created a dynamic to produce and maintain groups of virtuous individuals. The number requirement not only encouraged participation, but it also fostered concern of its members’ welfare. Further, it encouraged recruitment in order to maintain a healthy number of participants.
Conclusion
The Portion Vayera inspires the concept of community as a solution to solve civilization’s ills. Community, it is asserted, is also central aspect of the Ten Commandments. With the Decalogue, rules of conduct are imposed upon the community.
Vayera addresses the stark reality of civilization. In cities, the good mix with the bad. To address this reality, a solution was fashioned. The imposition of the Minyan created a community of virtuous people who would both organize and recruit.
The downside to a quorum is that it breeds arithmomaniacs. People arriving at synagogue services early often start OCD counting. Fortunately, they can are allowed to stop at ten!
Be well!!
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The Ten Commandments Project 
Continuing with our study of the Gemara of Kiddushin. משנה תורה, קידושין אב משנה, סוגיה ב’. ואשה בפחות מש”פ, לא מקניא נפשה
Our Av Mishna in this mesechta – restricts. Just as שוה פרוטה restricts so too and how much more so age and maturity of the child restricts. Scholarship in Talmudic common law does not read words printed on a page and react like as does statute law and reactionary newspaper intellectuals. Torah common law requires of any talmid in any generation or Era to make the critical סדור דיוקים – logical inferences. The term סידור refers specifically to the Jewish prayer book and generally relates to the order of logical order of tefillot according to פרדס logic or reasoning. מערות דיוקים – another way of expressing logical inference deductions. For example: in three Av ברכות an one תולדה blessing of this זימן גרמא מצוה the key term פרנסה established in each of the 4 blessings.
Av time-oriented commandments sanctify מלאכה rather than simply עבודה. The latter verb defines the תולדות מצוות שלא צריך כוונה. Therefore the repeated reference to פרנסה functions as a רמז (words within words) pun upon מלאכה as פרנסה. A father has a Torah obligation to teach his children a trade. Professionals in a “trade union” earn higher wages than simple common minimum wage workers. Herein defines the “mussar rebuke” of the k’vanna of ברכת המזון as a time-oriented מלאכה מצוה.
Every time a scholar elevates a תולדה מצוה שלא צריך כוונה to a Av tohor time-oriented commandment, herein defines the meaning of חידושי תורה. Torah scholarship, like expressed through statute law assimilated Karaism Judaism, denies the existence of זימן גרמא חידושי תורה. This idea: “זימן גרמא חידושי תורה” refers to instances that provoke intellectual engagement in the study of Torah, emphasizing the depth and complexity of mitzvot that require skill and thought, rather than simple or rote actions.
The post Rambam Civil War projects to this day the karaite philosophy of doing mitzvot by rote. Its this basic must fundamental יסודי סוד which permanently separates Jewish common law פרדס Judaism from Karaim Orthodox Judaism both in the days of the Tzeddukim – who like the later Karaim rejected the Oral Torah פרדס judicial common law legalism. They all sought to substitute an “orthodox Jewish religion” to replace Sanhedrin courtroom authority. The Tzeddukim Cohonim heretics, no different from the korban offered by Cain – a barbeque dedicated unto Heaven מצוה עבודת השם שלא לשמה. “Post the Rambam Civil War” the Tzeddukim and Karaim preceded the rote “tradition” of Greek\Roman statue law substitute for Jewish common law through Yad, Tur, Shulkan Aruch alien Goyim-like halachic codes.
The tefillah דאורייתא of ברכת המזון rote reading printed words in the bencher utterly fails to distinguish and separate מלאכה from עבודה. Absolutely no different from Yeshiva students who study Talmud for years, and yet can not distinguish judicial common law from Roman statute law. Based upon the mitzva of Shabbat, this mitzva serves as the Av model of all time-oriented commandments. Just as both קידוש והבדלה separate and distinguish between מלאכה מן עבודה, all other Torah Av time-oriented commandments require a Havel k’vanna which remembers the Avot brit oaths as מלאכת עיקר or מלאכה יסודי.
Roman statute law, by definition, has no “family genetic” “DNA” connections with the wisdom of מלאכה; just as race does not define the chosen Cohen people, but rather Jews who keep and follow the culture and customs practiced by the Cohen people as determined through T’NaCH, Talmud, Midrashim, & Siddur – herein the precise precondition placed upon all Gere Tzeddik. The Rambam, Karaim, Tzeddukim. Samaritans who converted to Judaism, typically referred to as “כנעניים” (Ken’anim), like as expressed in a Mishna in Baba Kama. Whereas mesechta Sanhedrin refers to Gere Toshav, temporary Goyim residents, by the term: bnai Noach. Specifically expressed through the 7 mitzvot “bnai Noach”.
This learning today relies extensively upon the Oral Torah middah רב חסד which means מאי נפקא מינא או תמיד מעשה בראשית. The latter metaphor, twice repeated in the opening blessing prior to ק”ש שחרית, refers to the vision of מלאכה as the wisdom which for ever “creates” the Chosen Cohen bnai brit people from nothing in all generations throughout time. The av tuma avoda zara abomination of “virgin birth” negates the Torah sanctification of Av tohor time oriented commandments.
ולרב הונא דאמר חופה קונה מק”ו למיוטי מאי? למעוטי חליפין.(Tzedduki, Canaani, Karaite, Rambam, Tur, Shulkan Aruch, substitute statute halachic religious law.) ס”ד אמינא הואיל (דתנן: האשה נקנית) וגמר קיחה קיחה משדה עפרון, מה שדה מקניא בחליפין אף אשה נמי מקניא בחליפין קמ”ל – למעוטי חליפין (The halachot of statute halachic religious Orthodox Judaism religious law – null and void.)
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