Revelation, resistance, and doctrinal distortion
The Torah occupies a unique place in the history of Western civilization. It is not simply a religious text or an ancient legal code. It is a normative revelation that introduces a way of life, a framework of meaning, and a transcendent authority that does not depend on political power or cultural consensus.
Precisely for this reason, the rabbinic tradition maintains a thesis that is as unsettling as it is revealing: when the Torah was given at Mount Sinai, hatred also descended. This is not a poetic metaphor or a later interpretation, but an explicit assertion of classical rabbinic thought that serves as a key to understanding the reaction of the ancient—and modern—world to the Torah.
This study analyzes the phenomenon at three levels:
- the hatred of the Torah in the ancient Western world;
- its transformation into doctrinal hatred within Christianity;
- And finally, the fundamental question: what is the Torah really?
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I. Sinai and the origin of "hatred" according to rabbinic tradition
The Babylonian Talmud, in Shabbat 89a, poses a seemingly simple question: “Why is it called Sinai?” The answer is striking: “Because from there hatred (sinah) descended upon the nations.”
The passage establishes a deliberate etymological play on words between Sinai and sinah (hatred). The sages do not claim that the Torah generates hatred as a moral value, but rather that the revelation of an absolute truth provokes structural resistance in those who do not accept it.
The Midrash Rabbah, in Shemot Rabbah, develops this idea: the giving of the Torah produces an ontological rupture. From Mount Sinai onward, the world ceases to be neutral. The Torah introduces a spiritual separation that does not depend on ethnicity or geography, but on one's relationship with the revealed truth.
Commenting on this passage, Rashi is unequivocal: “Hatred descended upon the nations of the world.” This is not about individual psychological hatred, but rather a structural hostility towards the Torah and what it represents.
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II. The hatred of the Torah in the ancient Western world
1. Greece: nomos versus revelation
The Greek world introduced a conception of nomos (law) linked to the polis (city-state), human reason, and civic education (paideia). The Torah, on the other hand, is presented as revealed law, non-negotiable and not derived from consensus. This clash generated a permanent tension: as long as there was cultural tolerance, coexistence was possible; when Hellenism sought uniformity, the Torah became an obstacle.
2. Hanukkah: a war against the Torah, not just against the Temple.
The story of Hanukkah clearly shows that the conflict was not merely political. The Hellenistic decrees aimed to make people forget the Torah, prohibiting key practices such as Shabbat, circumcision, and Torah study. The strategy was precise: not to destroy the people, but to deactivate their spiritual foundation. Therefore, Hanukkah is remembered as a war for the Torah, not just for sovereignty.
3. Rome: from pragmatic tolerance to legal annulment
Rome was pragmatic during certain periods, but when loyalty to the Torah conflicted with imperial loyalty, tolerance broke down. Roman authors described the Jews as “separatists” or misanthropoi, categories that paved the way for coercive measures. Under Hadrian, the conflict reached its critical point: restrictions on central practices and the symbolic reconfiguration of Jerusalem to replace one normative order with another.
III. Doctrinal hatred of the Torah in Christianity
1. From the Jewish movement to the Gentile system
Christianity originated within Judaism, but developed primarily in Greek and Roman contexts. In this process, the Torah began to be perceived as a theological problem. This rejection was not initially expressed as open hatred, but rather as doctrinal abolition, theological degradation, and identity replacement.
2. Jesus and the Torah: continuity affirmed
In Matthew 5:17–19, Jesus explicitly declares that he did not come to abolish the Torah and warns against anyone who would relax its commandments. The text affirms continuity and normative authority “until heaven and earth pass away.” Interpretations that transform “fulfill” into “abolish” do not stem from the text itself, but from later doctrinal frameworks.
3. Paul and the Torah: a misinterpreted tension
Paul unequivocally affirms that “the law is holy, righteous, and good” (Romans 7:12) and that “the law is good if one uses it properly” (1 Timothy 1:8). His conflict is not against the Torah, but against the imposition of Jewish identity markers on Gentiles as a condition of belonging. When this distinction is lost, Paul is mistakenly portrayed as an enemy of the Torah.
4. From Marcion to supersessionism
Marcion represents the radical break: separating the God of the Torah from the God of the Gospel. Although he was declared a heretic, his impulse—to oppose Law and grace—permeated Christian history. Supersessionism institutionalized the idea that the Church replaces Israel, which implies the devaluation of the Torah as something "outdated," fueling a doctrinal anti-Judaism with serious historical consequences.
IV. What is the Torah really?
1. The error of translating "Torah" as "law"
Translating Torah as nomos or lex introduces categories alien to biblical thought. The Torah is not a coercive state code. To understand it, it is necessary to distinguish its internal components.
2. Fundamental terms
- Jok / Jukim: decrees inscribed in the divine order, not rationally deducible.
- Mishpatim: understandable rules of justice.
- Mitzvot: commandments as relational assignments.
- Halakha: the "way of walking," the living application of the Torah.
- Gezerot: preventive rabbinic decrees.
- Takanot: corrective regulations for new realities.
This diversity shows that the Torah is not monolithic, but rather a comprehensive architecture of life.
3. Etymology of Torah: to hit the target
Torah comes from the root yarah: to point, to direct, to hit the mark. The Torah is guiding instruction, not mere legal imposition. Sin (chet) is “missing the mark”; the Torah exists to align life with its proper purpose.
Conclusion
The journey reveals a profound coherence:
- In Sinai, the Torah introduces revealed truth and, with it, resistance.
- In the ancient world, Western empires attempted to neutralize each other.
- In Christianity, rejection becomes doctrinal.
- Ultimately, it is understood that much of the hatred stems from not understanding what the Torah is.
The Torah is not simply "law."
It is instruction.
It is a path.
It is guidance towards the right goal.
And that is why, from Mount Sinai to the present day, it leaves no one indifferent.
