Episode 51: Dr. Malka Simkovich "The Lost Era Between Prophets & Rabbis"

Dr. Malka Simkovich joined us to discuss her educational background in Second Temple Judaism. She pointed out the dissonance between her TaNaKh studies from her Orthodox Jewish education and Bible studies from academia. In previous episodes (with Rabbi Dr. Joshua Berman, Rabbi Jeremy Weider, and Rabbi David Fohrman), we made our case for the authenticity of our Mesorah, defending it from attacks of Biblical Source Critics. However, in this conversation, Dr. Simkovich takes a different approach. She argues that even if some redaction took place, it should not affect one's commitment to Torah observance. Dr. Simkovich is intrigued by the gap between the eras of the Prophets and the Rabbis. She explains when the name "Judaism" first appeared, and the Judean or Jewish crisis of identity that played out during the Persian era. The question that all diaspora Jews were faced with was, "Has Judaism ended?" By deciding not to return to Israel, the Jews in exile were faced with the troubling reality of choosing to remain with that status. She explains how the rabbis, with their brilliant foresight, rescued Judaism from potentially being lost via the modality of the Torah along with the oral tradition, even after the loss of the Temple and the land of Israel. It is incredible how dynamic, adaptable, portable, and relevant the Torah remains. For those who claim the rabbis invented the oral tradition with the codification of the Mishnah, Dr. Simkovich cites evidence to the contrary from the writings of Josephus, in which he proclaimed that the oral tradition has always existed. She emphasizes that the survival of the Jewish people is nothing short of miraculous, including the impact and success of the rabbis. She insists that learning history shouldn't threaten anyone's faith but rather it should strengthen it (check out her interview on Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin's 18Forty podcast for more on this topic). Dr. Simkovich ends the interview by sharing her experience working with the Catholic Church and the challenges presented by the damaging blood libels that occurred over centuries, which the church is now working to correct.