I’m sorry, but it’s called Adding!

Deuteronomy Chapter 4

1 And now, O Israel, hearken unto the statutes and unto the ordinances, which I teach you, to do them; that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, giveth you.

2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

Deuteronomy Chapter 5

28 Ye shall observe to do therefore as the LORD your God hath commanded you; ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.

Deuteronomy Chapter 13

1 All this word which I command you, that shall ye observe to do; thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

Josh 23;6 Therefore be ye very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left;

There are many rabbinic apologetics which use chicanery and sleight of hand to argue that they are not transgressing this law. Their arguments so ludicrous that they do hardly  require serious attention.  One is reminded of the famous statement of Jesus of Nazareth who said he has come not to abrogate the Law, but to fulfill it.

http://www.askmoses.com/en/article/415,2093670/How-could-the-rabbis-add-laws-doesnt-the-Torah-forbid-adding-commandments.html

where Maimonides writes:

The Rabbinical Courts maintain the right to issue decrees and forbid that which is [biblically] permitted, and these prohibitions stand for perpetuity. They are also entitled to temporarily lift Torah prohibitions. So what is the meaning of the Torah's prohibition: "You shall neither add to it, nor subtract from it"?

[Rather, the intent of this prohibition is that we] not add on the words of the Torah nor subtract from them, and permanently establish [the addition or subtraction] as part of the Scriptures. This [prohibition] applies both to the Written Law as well as the Oral Tradition [transmitted to Moses on Mount Sinai].

The Rambam goes on and on with sophistry, claiming that adding is not really adding if you label it as rabbinic.   This is a simple nominal  fallacy.  By mis-labelling a product, it doesn’t change the product, eg serving the flesh of swine in a kosher restaurant, and labeling it as goose, does not make it any more kosher.  Rambam is dressing up the sin of the rabbis and claiming that describing it as “rabbinic law” solves the problem of adding.

He also contradicts himself in saying that permanent changes are called adding; but admits that rabbinic laws are permanent.

Rashi, the other great Rabbinic commentator, approaches this problem from a different angle. He says that adding is only concerning adding to a specific feature of a mitzvah in the Torah, e.g. 4 species of Sukkot, whereby adding would mean to add a fifth species.  Quite apart from the fact that Ezra and Nehemiah did not agree with the Rabbis on the 4 species,  this is an altogether silly argument. The Torah clearly states that adding is forbidden, and does not imply that this is only limited to adding of details.  So this is Rashi's first misrepresentation.  However, Rashi's argument does not even work with rabbinic law. Many rabbinic laws do add extra details to existing (or perceived) Torah laws. For example, adding a 2nd day to Yom HaTeruah (which they call Rosh Hashana).  By definition, many rabbinic "fences" are additions to allegedly  protect an existing law, by adding extra restrictions.  So Rashi, unintentionally  confirms that the rabbis have violated torah law, even as he uses sleight of hand to distract the reader from this violation.

I refer again to the prophetic verse in Deut 28: 58 If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and awful Name, the LORD thy God;

It was only when the Pharisees took control of the Temple, and changed the religion of Israel (by both adding and subtracting) that the Temple was destroyed.