The Rabbis' Epistle to the Hebrews

The Epistle to the Hebrews is a New Testament letter that the Christians sent to the Jews to accept the New Testament.  The Sadducees and Pharisees opposed Christianity, and the Pharisees hated Jesus and his followers. So why have I suggested that the Rabbis also had an Epistle to the Hebrews?
Let's start by looking at what the New Testament Epistle says:


Hebrews Ch. 8

"Old and New Covenants.^* 

7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, no place would have been sought for a second one.  

8  But he finds fault with them and says:^*

“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord,^g

when I will conclude a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah."

http://www.usccb.org/bible/hebrews/8

This is from the New Testament, calling on the Hebrews to accept the New Revelation.

But the Rabbis, inspired by this methodology, also proposed the same thing, and in the Babylonian Talmud, several hundred years later,  make a very similar "Epistle"  to the Jews to accept the New Covenant (which they created).

Eirubin 21b: "Raba made the following exposition: The Scriptural text:The mandrakes give forth fragrance is an allusion to the young men of Israel who never felt the taste of sin; and at our doors are all manner of precious fruits is an allusion to the daughters of Israel who tell their husbands about their doors. Another reading: Who close their doors for their husbands.

New and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved; the congregation of Israel said to the Holy One, blessed be He, ‘Lord of the universe: I have imposed upon myself more restrictions than Thou hast imposed upon me, and I have observed them.’

R. Hisda asked one of the young Rabbis who was reciting aggadoth in his presence in a certain order: ‘Did you hear what [was the purport of the expression,] ‘New and old’? — ‘The former’ the other replied: ‘are the minor, and the latter are the major commandments’. ‘Was then the Torah,’ the former asked: ‘given on two different occasions? But the latter [are those derived]

from the words of the Torah while the former are those derived from the words of the Scribes."

http://halakhah.com/pdf/moed/Eiruvin.pdf

Here, the rabbis are talking of an "Old Testament" ,  i.e. the TeNaKh, like the Christians do, and a "New Testament", ie.. the rabbinical additions - namely the Mishnah and Talmud.  They continue to spell out their new scheme:


" Raba made the following exposition: What is the purport of the Scriptural text: And, furthermore my son, be admonished: Of making many books etc.? My son, be more careful in [the observance of] the words of the Scribes than in the words of the Torah, for in the laws of the Torah there are positive and negative precepts; but, as to the laws of the Scribes, whoever transgresses

any of the enactments of the Scribes incurs the penalty of death. In case you should object: If they are of real value why were they not recorded [in the Torah]? Scripture stated: ‘Of making many books there is no end’. And much study is a weariness of flesh.R. Papa son of R. Aha b. Adda stated in the name of R. Aha b. Ulla: This teaches that he who scoffs at the words of the Sages will be condemned to boiling excrements. Raba demurred: Is it written: ‘scoffing’? The expression is ‘study’! Rather this is the exposition: He who studies them feels the taste of meat."

 

Here, the Rabbis make the astounding claim that their "New Testament" is more important than the "Old Testament",  a.k.a.   the Torah SheBiKhtav. They claim that whereas the Torah only contains positive and negative commandments, in their supreme arrogance, the rabbinic laws carry the death penalty! This penalty is not incurred by transgressing most Torah laws, e.g. Theft, wearing wool and linen, etc.    

This claim, of course is a complete violation of the Torah, which tells us quite the opposite. In  Deuteronomy 30: 9-10 we are promised that we will be beloved of God by simply keeping what is written in the Torah itself, as were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 

"9 And the LORD thy God will make thee over-abundant in all the work of thy hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good; for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as He rejoiced over thy fathers;  

10 if thou shalt hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law; if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul."