ABSTRACT
This chapter continues the examination of rabbinic scriptural commentary concerning Moses begun in the previous chapter, and attempts to support this thesis further.
We attempt to show that (1) Palestinian rabbis argue against the notion that the Torah is of human rather than divine origin, while Babylonian rabbis do not, and (2) Palestinian rabbis emphasize Moses’ role in the salvation of Israel and deemphasize his role as Israel’s prosecutor, while Babylonian rabbis do not. These differences, we argue, are explicable as reflections of the selfisolation of Babylonian rabbis and the greater involvement of Palestinian sages with non-rabbinic Jews: Palestinian rabbis are sensitive to the possibility that non-rabbinic Jews might fall prey to heretical ideas; Babylonian rabbis, aloof from non-rabbis, tend to be oblivious to such concerns.
