Question
Hi, I understand we use Masoretic texts. From what I found Masoretic texts although been preserved as much as possible, before careful preservation began, there were already some differences from other older sources. It doesn’t change anything of Judaism for me. What it does change is Kabbalistic search analysis of words found in the texts. Those calculations might be not correct.
Please tell me your opinion.
Answer
The searches which you mentioned are relatively modern, and have just recently “taken off” with the advent of computer checks. By all means, they are not essential aspects of Jewish belief or philosophy, and not even of Kabbala. Most rabbis, including myself, do not deal with them at all. In addition, as far as I know, the very few differences which you are referring to, and which can be counted on 1 hand between the Yemenite scrolls and the unanimously and universally accepted ones, are not different regarding the number of letters (which might have “thrown off” the calculations), but for example, in Dvarim 23, 2, the silent aleph of “daka” has a silent heh in its place. If your’e really interested, you should really ask one of those few rabbis who do deal with such research (e.g. in Yeshivat Aish HaTorah in Jerusalem), for example if they count the letters of the "Kri u'ktivs". I imagine they would probably answer that they use the universally accepted text which has been unanimously accepted by Divine will and accurately reflects the exact Torah of Israel.
