Disproofs - The Hebrew Vowels do not Originate on Sinai or in Oral Law.

I am producing  an article written by Ami Hertz, supplemented by some other comments:







From the Disproofs of the Oral Law series.

[claim]  2. R. Yehudah HaLevi [Kuzari, 3:35] states simply that it is impossible to read and understand the words of the bible without a tradition regarding the vowelization and punctuation of the words. A simple reading of the text requires an oral tradition [cf. R. Avraham Ibn Daud, Commentary to Torat Cohanim, Baraita DeRabbi Yishmael sv. R. Yishmael]. Since the only existing tradition regarding the text includes a tradition about the concepts and laws, one who accepts the vowelization and punctuation must also accept the oral law. It is inconsistent to accept the oral tradition only partially [cf. R. Shimon ben Tzemach Duran (Rashbatz), Magen Avot Hachelek Haphilosophi, 2:3 p. 30b; R. Shlomo ben Shimon Duran (Rashbash), Milchemet Mitzvah, First Introduction].

[Disproof] 1. It is impossible to read any text in Hebrew without knowing how to vowelize the words. Does it follow that every single Hebrew text needs an oral explanation along with it? No. We can know how to vowelize the words by analyzing the context in which they occur.
This problem is also present in other languages, such as English, though to a lesser extent. It's called homonyms. Does the word fluke mean a type of fish, a part of a whale, or a stroke of luck? It all depends on the context.
2. The accepted vowelization of the Tanakh was standardized by the Masoretes. Perhaps the greatest of all Masoretes was Aaron ben Moses ben Asher [local]. There is evidence that he, and his family for many generations, who were also Masoretes, were Karaites; that is, they rejected the Oral Law.

From documents found in the Cairo Geniza, it appears that this most famous masorete [ben Asher] (and, possibly, his family for generations) were also, incidentally, Karaites. It should not be surprising to discover that many masoretes, so involved in the Masorah, held Karaite beliefs. After all, it was the Karaites who placed such absolute reliance on the Torah text. It would be natural that they would devote their lives to studying every aspect of it.
The surprising element was that being a Karaite didn't disqualify Aaron ben Moses ben Asher in the eyes of Rabbinic Jews (like RaMBaM).
With one exception: It was known that Saadia Gaon had written against the Karaites. In his critiques, Saadia mentioned a "Ben Asher." Until recently, it never occurred to Jewish scholars to associate the "Ben Asher" of Saadia's diatribe with the famous Aaron ben Asher of Tiberius. After all, Aaron ben Asher was respected throughout the Jewish world. The Karaites were considered outsiders. It was unthinkable that traditional "normative" Jews would accept the work of a Karaite.
Recent research indicates, however, that it is probable that the subject of Saadia's attack was Aaron ben Moses ben Asher.
In his work Sefer Dikdukei ha Te'amim, Aaron ben Asher wrote, "The prophets... complete the Torah, are as the Torah, and we decide Law from them as we do from the Torah." That's pretty Karaitic. It also has forced scholars to re-evaluate the relationship between Jews and Karaites in the 10th century despite the writings of Saadia Gaon.

R. HaLevi accepts the vowelization of those who reject the Oral Law, and then turns around and says that it is impossible to accept the vowelization without also accepting the Oral Law. Isn't this position inconsistent?

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comments by Tirshata:

Tirshata • 

One more interesting point about the Karaites. For a moment, just drop the polemics. During their golden age, they were very significant, and had their Gedolim.
Contrary to what R' Yehuda hALevi claims in the Kuzari, the vowelisation "niqqud" we have in Hebrew was not given at Sinai.
The Massoretes invented these vowels, to make reading easier for us. There were a few systems, but the karaite ssytem is the one we have adopted.

The Massoretes in Tiberias were dominated by the Bnei Mikre - or the early karaites. The Massoretic text of the Torah we have today, was the version of ben Asher, who is widely believed to have been a karaite. Maimonides chose this nusach as the best Text in town,despite Ben Asher being a karaite. Saadia, who was the biggest opponent of the karaites, preferred the Ben Naftali Text, who was a Pharisee, or a rabbinic Jew. Saadia even blasts Ben ASher the Msorete. His father, wrote in the introduction to the text, that the entire TenaCh is equal in value for halachic decisions - which is a clearly karaitic belief.

Now some rabbis are trying to reclaim Ben Asher as having been a Rav, not a karaite - but this is not convincing.

So, whatever opposition Orthodoxy may have to them, they have preserved the text of the Torah, and we rely on their version, which was superior to Ben Naphtali's version.

Tirshata •

This is an essay by a Qaraite scholar on the 2 Ben Asher Codices

http://kjuonline.com/benasher_...

The Colophon - which is the Massoretic notes at the end - by Moshe ben Asher (father of Aharon) writes a dedication to the Synagogue of the Bnei Mikre (Qaraites) and prays that the Karaite Shul will be built and established! Are these the words of an Orthodox Rav, that you allege Ben Asher was?

If the Orthodox hate Qaraites so much, as A.D. clearly does, how on earth could one of your Gedolim pray for the Qaraite shul to be established forever?

It is clear that Moshe ben Asher was a Qarai, he does not cite any of the Sages of the Talmud, which is another smoking gun for his non Rabbinic beliefs. 



Regarding Hebrew, and other related languages such as Phoenician and Arabic, these all were originally without diacritical vowels (niqqud).  Even Arabic scholars say the same thing about Arabic, that their vowels were developed later on to assist in vocalisation. However, in Israel today, where Hebrew is the spoken language, books, newspapers, secular journals are all written without he vowels, and are understood fully on a daily basis by people who have no Yeshiva education. same goes for Arabic and Farsi scripts.

Thus the myth of Kuzari's blatant lies about niqqud should once and forever be smashed.




 A good source for the history of the Hebrew language is

In the Beginning: A Short History of the Hebrew Language

Joel M. Hoffman

http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/In_the_Beginning.html?id=momIk7nVNdkC&redir_esc=y