On Ezra's Alleged Authorship of the Torah

Some assert that Ezra wrote the Torah, or at least compiled it.   While I might be able to understand such a theory in some sense, it is a rather problematic one when considering the text of the Torah.  Ezra and Nehemiah, according to the TNK, were working with reestablishing a temple.  It would thus be perplexing for a supposedly newly written Torah, which they were supposedly intending to enforce, to contain so many self-indicting commands, especially in the case of rituals.  For what reason would "Ezra" write that the rituals are supposed to be done at the Tent of Appointment/Tabernacle, or that the giving of the Tabernacle would be a blessing for Israel's obedience (Lev 26:11), if he intended no such observance whatsoever?  If one is creating a new theological authority, then for what reason would one not write it to support one's intentions?

There are few secondary gains to Ezra writing that the commanded rituals be done at the Tent, only for him to enforce that they be done at a temple.  It seems very likely that the rituals were being interpreted by Ezra to be applying to a temple structure rather than the Tent, despite the wording of the commandments, just as many of us had done in the past as well.

I can certainly understand someone misreading the rituals of the Torah or otherwise reading and misinterpreting them.  However, it makes little sense to supposedly be writing new rituals only to do them in a way other than the way they are written.  Therefore, in the light of certain components of my current understanding, I think the Ezra authorship argument is very flawed.

Spiritual Feelings and Unconscious Inclinations

I've heard people state in the past that they don't "feel convicted" about a certain belief or a certain behavior. That is, they don't "feel" like God wants them to do or to not do something. For example, I've heard claims of this sort in regard to male homosexuality, not wearing tzitzit, etc. This is regardless of whether the thing is explicitly prohibited or required by the commandments of the God that they profess.

I'm sure many can recognize when we've encountered another who seemed to have different personal feelings from us in regard to a theological issue. Whether it be a minor issue or a major issue, many have strong personal feelings. Obviously, the endless number of denominations and different belief systems should be evidence of this. We can encounter people who believe something very different from us, and these people can feel extremely uncomfortable with hearing what we have to say. Many of these people also believe that the "spirit" leads them, and believe that it makes them feel that certain way. These feelings can potentially be some sort of spiritual guidance, but they could also be personal feelings based upon a person's experiences. In turning toward ourselves, for what reason should we assume that our personal feelings are the only ones that are valid, or the only ones that are truly from God?

In my personal experience, I know that I have felt discomfort in regard to doing certain things that I now realize are not prohibited by the commands. In studying the text and reassessing my beliefs, I know that at various points in my journey my feelings on certain behaviors or beliefs have changed. I might have thought something was wrongdoing based upon adhering to a false teaching for a time (such as rabbinic doctrine), then initially had lingering feelings of discomfort in allowing that behavior, even after recognizing it was acceptable by the standard of the actual commandments. On the other hand, I might have thought and also felt something was acceptable, and then later changed my understanding of that command.

It seems that many have assumed that certain feelings are inherently messages from God. While I certainly do believe that some feelings can be something of that sort, in many cases, what has been interpreted as such a message is simply a message from our subconscious mind that is based upon our personal experiences and beliefs. Many out there have been effectively taught to rely on these feelings to know what God wants, and have been told or otherwise arrived at the conclusion that they have strong spiritual senses. Despite this, many of these people with allegedly strong senses can have strong disagreements on theology when talking with each other. If it was all certainly to be from God and to be accurate, then for what reason would such a disagreement occur?

Feelings of any sort can be useful. However, if we believe the text of the commandments to be valid, then we should ensure that our personal feelings do not blind us to what the text says. Yes, this can go on with each of us, not just other people. We personally need to be careful in what we assume from a feeling we might feel.