My first book review for The Jewish Press is of the thought-provoking Talmud Reclaimed by Rabbi Shmuli Phillips. You can read the review here: https://www.jewishpress.com/sections/books/book-reviews/where-does-the-oral-torah-come-from-and-can-it-change/2024/10/02/?fbclid=IwY2xjawFw9itleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHRWrNFVkvTxVSMpG6O-FdJmKKMi4f0fU3KsiHndzg5O6dXUabhhV23PzxQ_aem_pH7NSDTsGMPBeO0kMCj_kw
Looks like an interesting book. I’m not sure his approach is so controversial – I think it’s very close to what I’ve gathered from well respected sources. I do think there is somewhat of a basis to assume that more was taught at har sinai than what you described as his opinion in your review. And there was also the 40 years in the desert where Torah was studied and developed with Moshe Rabeinu in conversation with Hashem, so much of the specifics of Halachah was probably brought out during that time. There’s also midrashim about groups of halachos that were forgotten and restored through derashos so it seems they were already there. I do think that my personal belief on this is more liberal than your average chareidi/yeshivish mentality but again I think there’s solid basis for his approach.
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Thank you for reading! I don’t think I said anything in the review about the author’s position on how much was given at Sinai, or at least I didn’t mean to. I was instead trying to elucidate his understanding of the Rambam and the mechanism for derashos, which leads to the possibility that much could change once Mashiach comes. I agree that it’s not really all that controversial, it just seems controversial, because people don’t often talk about halacha changing, even in Messianic times (although it may very well happen!) I suppose I was most surprised by the way he described halacha as being imperfect in exile.
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