Question:

Why is there such a lapse in activity regarding Torah Shebaal Peh from Sinai until Purim and the Anshei Knesset HaGedolah? What was the Oral Law like during this time period (I know that David and Shlomo Hamelech both made a couple decrees mentioned in the Gemara)? How is it possible that the transmission could have such a long gap?

Rabbi Tabasky's answer:

The main reason, I believe, was that with the presense of the prophets, the need for such activity was diminished. What was once accomplished by the exhortations of the prophets to keep the commandments, was later accomplished with Rabbinic decrees. Another factor is that nothing was written down of Torah she'ba'al peh until much later, so the oral traditions of the first temple period were not recorded. The transmission was going on but possibly with less widespread study and legislative activity as developed later. (See Netziv's explanatioin of Megilat Esther)

The Hebraic Faith/Messianic Response:

"The presence of the prophets"? The prophets were REJECTED by Ancient Israel, so this explanation is not valid!

The truth is, there is NO "oral law". The prophets state that ALL law that was given to Moshe was WRITTEN down and was to be READ to all of the people on Yom T'ruah (which is mistakingly called "Rosh Hashanah" - the new year begins in spring at Passover). Yes, the land Shabbats were started in fall because, as any farmer knows, that is the end of the land cycle and is the most logical time to leave it alone....

G-d did not give us an "oral law" because He knows that people have a tendency to twist, forget, and to change things. The Bible tells us that G-d had Moshe WRITE everything down in order for it to not get confused and changed:

Exodus 24:3-7: "Moshe came and told the people everything Adonai had said, including all the rulings. The people answered with one voice: 'We will obey every word Adonai has spoken.' Moshe wrote down all the words of Adonai... Then he took the book of the covenant and read it aloud, so that the people could hear; and they responded, 'Everything that Adonai has spoken, we will do and obey.'"

Even today, contracts and legal matters are put in writing because people are forgetful or remember things differently. If there was an actual "oral law", there would have been no reason to have a written law, and people would be able to claim that G-d had said all kinds of things!

Rabbi Tabasky's train of thought is flawed in that traditional Jews have no BIBLICAL reason for the talmud/oral law; it is entirely man-made. Furthermore, the kabbalah says that the world was created on Yom T'ruah (Feast of Trumpets) and that it is the earth's birthday. That, and the fact that the land Sabbath (year of rest) begins in the fall. Any farmer knows if you are going to leave the land unplanted, it begins in the fall (if you know anything about farming, it is the only logical time to start the land Sabbath).

God said the beginning of the year was on Nisan 1 and Passover is on Nisan 14th. Nisan (March/April timeframe), is the first month of the Jewish religious calendar. It's the beginning of the barley harvest (Nehemiah 2:1; Esther 3:7; 2 Maccabees 11:30, 33)

Leviticus 23:5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at nightfall, is the Lord's Passover; 6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread; for seven days let your food be unleavened bread.

For some reason, the rabbis changed the new year to the fall on Yom T'ruah (Feast of Trumpets) saying it was "Rosh Hashanah" - the new year. Could this be because the rabbis KNEW that Yom T'ruah is Messianic and points to Yeshua - just like they changed the name of "First Fruits" in the spring? Fact is, there are NOT two new years! Did the rabbis decide this in order to cover up the fact that Yom T'ruah points to the Messiah - and they are afraid people will see that it is pointing to Yeshua?

Rabbis have been insisting that Daniel 9:24-26 is about an "anointed king of Ancient Israel" when in fact the word for "anointed" in both places in the passage is Mashiach in Hebrew - THE MESSIAH!

The truth is, Yeshua is the Messiah of Israel the JEWISH Messiah! Many rabbis seem to be intentionally keeping their people away from their Messiah by claiming it is an unforgivable sin to read the Bri't Hadashah. They know if Jews were to read it, they would see for themselves that Yeshua HaMashiach and all of His early followers were JEWISH, and that He and His followers were Torah observant. But, the bottom line is: the Bri't Hadashah is a continuation of the Tanach; it is NOT anti-Semitic and it is NOT an unforgivable sin for Jews to read it! The Bri't Hadashah was written by Jews, for Jews, and about Jews....