The Kollel replies:
Thank
you for your essential question. You are asking about a very complex
Gemara, and there are many different opinions how to understand the
Gemara.
The
Gemara you cited is the opinion of Rebbi Yosi. There are Tana'im who
disagree with Rebbi Yosi's opinion. Rebbi says the Torah was given in
Ashuris, and later, because of Bnei Yisrael's sins, it was changed and
the Torah was written in Ksav Ivri. Ezra changed the Ksav back to
Ashuris. Rebbi Eliezer's opinion is that the Ksav never changed and was
always Ksav Ashuris. So we can begin with your second question, with a
technical answer. It could be possible that the Gemara in Menachos is
according to these other Tana'im.
I will try to summarize the different ways the Rishonim understand Rebbi Yosi.
a)
It seems from Rashi that he understands that Ksav Ashuris is a Ksav
that came to the world in the times of Daniel. By the way, in Teshuvos
Rav Sherira Gaon (Teshuvos ha'Geonim (Harkavi) 358), he pretty much says
what Rashi says. See also Talmud Yerushalmi Megilah 1:9. It seems
there, too, that Ksav Ashuris is a new font that was brought from the
Galus, or somehow made its way into the Jewish world at some point.
b)
The Ran adds something that sheds some light on Rashi's opinion. The
Gemara cites the verse "Mishneh Torah" and expounds that the Ksav can
change. Rashi says that Moshe "hinted" here that the font can change.
The Ran says clearly that Rebbi Yosi learns his opinion from this
Derashah. The Torah is called "Mishneh Torah," and the word "Mishneh"
can also be read and understood as a "change." The Torah was given in a
way that to some extent (we must be careful with this point!) it has
options of built-in changes. Ezra understood that one of these changes
can be the font of the letters. According to the Ran, this change is
part of the Torah and was allowed only because of a Derashah found in
the Torah itself. Maybe this is enough to say "v'Zos ha'Torah." We
should add that some say that Rav Sherira agrees with what the Ran says
explicitly. Rav Sherira seems to say that we can learn from "Mishneh
Torah" that since Hashem knew that Bnei Yisrael will be exiled in
drawn-out Galuyos, they are allowed to write or use the Ksav that they
know or remember during those difficult times. This is sort of a Heter
to write the Torah in a different font.
c)
Rav Yosef Albo, in his Sefer ha'Ikarim (chapter 3), brings another
reason for why Ezra changed the Ksav. He explains that he wanted us to
remember the redemption from the Galus Bavel, so he used the Assyrian
font so we should never forget the miracle of the Ge'ulah.
d)
There are those who sharply disagree and write very strongly against
the reasoning of the Sefer ha'Ikarim, mainly because there is no hint
anywhere in Chazal supporting this new reason. See Teshuvah of Maharam
El'Shaker #74.
e)
Some cite a Teshuvah of the Rambam that there is no doubt that the
Luchos and the first Sefer Torah were written in Ksav Ashuris, but it
was also permitted to use Ksav Ivri, and from Ezra and on it was fixed
that one cannot use Ksav Ivri anymore but only Ksav Ashuris. According
to this opinion, Ezra merely minimized the options, but did not
establish anything new. The opinion of the Mei'ri and the Ritva is also
along these lines, although it is not clear in the Ritva if he means
that Ksav Ashuris was used only on the Luchos, but not to write the
first Sefer Torah (as found in the Derashos of Ri ibn Shu'ib (a Talmid
of the Rashba) on Parshas Shelach, and in the Radvaz 3:442), or that the
Sefer Torah was also written using Ksav Ashuris. The Ritva actually
brings a proof from your second question and any other places Chazal
mention the Tagim and all the details that are found only in Ksav
Ashuris. See also the Maharal in Sefer Tiferes Yisrael #64.
f)
The Brisker Rav (in his Sefer on the Chumash) brings a Rishon called
"Sefer ha'Tagin" who has an outstanding Perush on the Gemara in Menachos
you mentioned, and an extremely original opinion regarding the view of
Rebbi Yosi. He says that when Moshe when up to Shamayim, he saw Hashem
tying Tagim to the letters. He says that Hashem tied these Tagim so that
later on, when Ezra would write them in the Torah, Rebbi Akiva would be
able to make Derashas and learn "Tilei Tilim Shel Halachos" from them.
Moshe wanted to know, why is it that Hashem does not want to give the
Torah now in Ksav Ashuris. Hashem answered, "Shtok" -- keep silent, and
He did not explain. Moshe, who saw how to write the Tagim, used Ksav
Ashuris to write the Torah on the stones, as we see in Parshas Vayelech,
and, later, Daniel knew the Ksav, and Ezra copied the Tagim from the
stones. This opinion answers at least your second question.
These
are the main opinions in the Gemaras you are seeking to understand. I
tried to cite them as is, since these are "Ikarei ha'Yahadus" and I do
not want to dilute the information with my interpertations.
I hope this helps!
Kol Tuv,
Aharon Steiner
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