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The Book (or Books) of Enoch is a collection of works purportedly made by Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noach, before the flood. I read that they are not part of the Tanach, even though they contain deep Jewish concepts. How is the book of Enoch viewed in Orthodox Judaism?

Harel13
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Gabriel12
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    Most Jews are ignorant of it. It has little influence on Judaism as a whole on day to day life. Nobody cares about it. Basically, if you talk about it, you're placing yourself on the fringe. – Aaron Feb 03 '16 at 21:06
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    @Aaron But why? – Gabriel12 Feb 03 '16 at 21:11
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    Because it never became part of mainstream Judaism after the destruction of the Temple. Neither did the wisdom of Ben Sirach, or the books of Maccabees. So studying those texts in hopes of talking with your fellow Jews will probably be a huge let down. But the books themselves are very important and could be useful for your walk with God – Aaron Feb 03 '16 at 21:13
  • @Aaron But do we believe this are true writings of the great grandfather of noach? – Gabriel12 Feb 03 '16 at 21:14
  • i don't know any Jews who do. Nor any scholars that do. i would put it in the same category as the kabbalah. The zohar claims to be the words of Bar Yochai, but the only real evidence it has is the fact that it itself says its origin. Much like the book of Enoch. – Aaron Feb 03 '16 at 21:24
  • @Aaron FWIW, the Book of Maccabees seems to get some importance in Judaism as it provides some insight to the Chanukah story and its miracle. Apparently, Phillip Birnbaum thought enough of it to include it into some of his Siddurim. – DanF Feb 03 '16 at 21:25
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    But the Zohar is though to be true by the majority of orthodox jews (to my knowledge). – Gabriel12 Feb 03 '16 at 21:27
  • Yes it is Gabe. It made its way into Mainstream Judaism, but the book of Enoch did not. And DanF, i definitely recommend people read the book of Maccabees, but there is no real reason to do so, even though we do some other odd things like read Ruth during Shavuot. And i went to a Davar Torah this year before Shabbat and heard the Rabbi say that the books of Maccabees were from the Christian Bible – Aaron Feb 03 '16 at 21:29
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    Note that the Anshei Knesses Hagedolah determined what was and what was not part of the Tanach before the book of Maccabees was written. However, if the book of Enosh had been written before, then they deliberately did not include it. This would seem to imply that it is not to be studied. However, I do not have a source for this idea. – sabbahillel Feb 03 '16 at 21:58
  • Jewish Encyclopedia mentions it but do not connect it to Judaism – sabbahillel Feb 03 '16 at 22:03
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    @sabbahillel What?? Why would you think Anshei Knesses Hagedolah's only reason for selecting books to be canonized is that they may be studied? Certainly they had loftier reasons than that. The fact that something was excluded does not mean it is not to be studied. Tanakh was not just the largest set of books which could be studied. – Double AA Feb 03 '16 at 22:44
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    @Double I'm not sure if you're right about that. See the sugya debating the inclusion of Ben Sira and the subsequent labeling of it as sfarim chitzonim. (Of course Chazzal themselves quote it. As mikra?!) But Sabba may be correct. – user6591 Feb 04 '16 at 17:39
  • @user6591 He may or may not be correct that it shouldn't be studied, but he can't prove that from it's exclusion from Tanakh. So his argument is invalid, even if all the premises and conclusions are correct. – Double AA Feb 04 '16 at 18:04
  • @Double I have seen a pshat, don't recall where, that they went out of their way to push Ben Sira out for fear of comparing the similarities to the holy books. Similar to philosophy (if that is on the list) Other works which are not similar to kisvey kodesh are not 'zocheh' to this term. – user6591 Feb 04 '16 at 18:24
  • Is anyone here able to comment on the status of Enoch in the Ethiopian Community? – הראל Jul 28 '16 at 04:55

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3 Enoch is known in Jewish tradition under the name Sefer Hekhaloth. It is part of a wider body of texts known as Hekhaloth literature. This book is now considered one of the primary texts of kabbalah though it is technically, like Sefer Yesirah, pre-kabbalah and subject to interpretations that don't necessitate a kabbalistic metaphysic. At the time it was written, reception to hekhaloth literature in general was mixed. For example, Shiur Qomah, a related text, was first accepted by the Rambam, but then rejected as a Byzantine invention. As for the other two Enochs, there is no evidence they were known or accepted in Judaism, were probably not written in Hebrew, and do not exist in Hebrew translation.

Yoel Fievel Ben Avram
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