Why Books Are the WORST Way to Preserve the Torah, Says the Talmud

Welcome to Ethics of the Fathers: Why did God give us the Torah by word of mouth instead of just handing Moses a book? And why does the Talmud say the fastest way to lose your wealth is to hoard it?

This class continues Rabbi Akiva’s teaching on the “fences” — the protective safeguards a person needs in life. Rabbi Heschel Greenberg unpacks two of them: masoret (tradition) as a fence around the Torah, and ma’asros (tithing) as a fence around wealth. Delivered on Rosh Chodesh Av — the day Aaron the High Priest passed away, and the start of the month associated with Rabbi Akiva, “the sage of consolation” — the class opens with the Talmud’s story of Rabbi Akiva laughing at the ruins of the Temple.

On tradition: Rabbi Greenberg traces two readings of “masoret” — the meticulous, letter-by-letter transmission of the Torah scroll (where one flawed letter invalidates the whole scroll, just as every Jewish soul is indispensable), and the deeper claim that it was the Oral Torah that actually preserved the Written Torah’s true meaning. Without vowels and context passed down by word of mouth, a text can be twisted into something its author never meant — the class points to how the Shema, Judaism’s core statement of monotheism, has been misread by others into the doctrine of the Trinity.

On wealth: tithing is framed as the way to protect what you have by giving some of it away, illustrated through wordplay on “aser ta’aser” (tithe, and you will become wealthy) and the Arizal’s teaching that the physical act of giving tzedakah recreates the letters of God’s own name. A story about the Lubavitcher Rebbe matching one father’s charity gift tenfold — with the exact dollar figure showing up in his income that year — leads into a discussion of communal obligation: when someone loses their wealth, the community must restore them to their former standard of living, not just keep them alive.

🔎 In this video we explore:

Why Rabbi Akiva laughed instead of cried at the ruins of the Temple The Talmud’s case for why the Oral Torah had to stay oral How a text without vowels can be twisted beyond recognition The kabbalistic reading of tzedakah that spells out God’s own name A firsthand story of the Rebbe’s tenfold match on a father’s charity check What a community actually owes someone who’s lost their fortune Giving tzedakah for “the wrong reasons” — does it still count?

❓ FAQ: Q: Why doesn’t Judaism recite a blessing before giving tzedakah, the way it does before most mitzvot? A: Because the poor person could refuse the help (making the blessing said in vain), and because tzedakah asks you to focus on the person in need, not your own spiritual bookkeeping.

Q: Is it wrong to take a tax deduction for charitable giving? A: No — Rabbi Greenberg says there’s nothing wrong with a legitimate deduction; if it troubles you, simply give the saved amount to charity as well.

Q: Does a community have to make a formerly wealthy person rich again? A: No — the obligation is to restore them to the standard of living they’re used to, not to enrich them beyond that.

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📚 Sources discussed: Ethics of the Fathers (Pirkei Avot) 3:13, Talmud (Makkot, Shabbat), Rambam’s 13 Principles of Faith, the Arizal, the Alter Rebbe (Tanya), Midrash

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