Top Document: soc.culture.jewish FAQ: Jewish Thought (6/12) Previous Document: Question 12.27: What does Judaism say about the punishments in the Torah? Next Document: Question 12.29: Why does the Torah talk about Other Gods? See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge Answer: What the Torah calls a "Toevah" (tav vav ayin bet hey. from the root "taav"-tav ayin bet) is usually translated as "abomination". The term is typically used in the Torah proper (the first five Books of the Bible) to refer to extremely serious offenses which completely undermine the basis of any conceivably sound religious or moral society from G-d's standpoint. Among the offenses are male homosexual acts, idolatry, and child sacrifice. Idolatry and child sacrifice are particularly identified with the Canaanites, and are cited as grounds for their being dispossessed by the People of Israel in the Land of Israel after the Exodus from Egypt. In the Prophets, the meaning is extended to include moral depavity (such as murder and oppression of the poor and weak, and sexual offenses such as infidelity and promiscuity) on the part of those meticulous in their ritual observance (particularly in terms of bringing Offerings to the Temple). It must be stressed that the Prophets are not in the least opposed to meticulous ritual observance. They simply feel that those who are so careful in these matters should be equally careful in terms of interpersonal mitzvot ("commandments"), which are also mandated by the Torah. User Contributions:Top Document: soc.culture.jewish FAQ: Jewish Thought (6/12) Previous Document: Question 12.27: What does Judaism say about the punishments in the Torah? Next Document: Question 12.29: Why does the Torah talk about Other Gods? Single Page [ Usenet FAQs | Web FAQs | Documents | RFC Index ] Send corrections/additions to the FAQ Maintainer: SCJ FAQ Maintainer <maintainer@scjfaq.org>
Last Update March 27 2014 @ 02:11 PM
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