Anon asked Staff ago I was amazed at the ignorance in your essay on codes (On Letter Skips in the Torah). Doron Witztum’s research primarily focused on interrelated words and not the finding of random words. He explicitly states, in both his books and his lectures, that the phenomenon of finding significant words proves nothing. Similarly, the author ignores the findings of the experiment which paired the dates associated with great rabbis and the reactions of distinguished professors like Diaconis. I can’t decide if this shows ignorance or a deliberate distortion of the facts. I also don’t fully understand you. Anyone who reads Witztum’s book will see that you selectively present information. What do you gain from that?
Similarly, on the issue of “killing the secular” you have ignored that 1500 years ago the Talmud noted that captured children are held to a different standard and that this is not an invention of the later generations in the face of increasing numbers of secular people. Isn’t this a deliberate distortion!? Be wise and think about what will happen when these and similar things are publicized and the public learns of your distortions and interests. You accuse the outreach professionals of distortion, but your distortions are much greater (even according to your own claims).
Similarly, why do you only publish replies favorable to your position?! Is there no end to distortions and misrepresentations?!
David
jsadmin Staff answered 22 years ago
Dear David,
The skips method in all its permutations, be it the finding of simple words as Neugroshel does or the skips of the mathematicians, fall by the wayside for one simple reason: the text of the Torah has undergone many changes.
We brought the opinion of mathematicians like Brendan McKay and Barry Simon contradicting Witztum’s complex statistical claims, but stayed out of the actual computations. To see the nonsense spouted by the skippers, read the book “Bible Codes II” by Michael Drosnin. To save you unneeded expense, you can read my review of this delusional book in the
Haaretz literary supplement of February 10, 2003.
As to the permission to kill the secular, I can see from your words that you have not read the Talmud well, nor our essay The Secular Jew’s Place in Halacha, and therefore you allow yourself to attack without restraint, as is the way of the religious when defending their faith. They get emotional and know no bounds.
If you think we erred, please send us sources to back your claim.
Sincerely,
Daat Emet
jsadmin Staff answered 22 years ago
Hello.
I am happy you agree with the claim that if there are problems with the text of the Torah the whole issue of skips falls.
Therefore you should read our essay The Variety of Torah Texts, where you will find 21 differences in the book of Genesis alone, based on a comparison of texts from the 11th century on. From there you can draw conclusions about how many changes have been introduced into a more ancient text.
You should also read our answer to The text of the Torah scroll has undergone many changes, where you will learn that there is no point in dealing with mathematical formulas which are only meant to push away ordinary people who are not privy to the secrets of math and statistics. But if you still wish to read about Witztum and Rips’ nonsense, see Brendan McKay’s site.
Sincerely,
Daat Emet