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"Would you say that Jews have never responded to outside influences?"

When we were told to convert, die or leave Spain we left Spain. But I know that's not what you mean.
What you are about to grasp is the difference between a man made religion and one that was designed and presented by G-d.

Man's religion changes. Outside influences, inside influences, no influences, because the "followers" say so....
G-d's religion doesn't.
[Ergo the fight between "Orthodox Judaism" vs. whatever else. By the way, "Orthodox Jew" was a label first ever applied by the founders of Reformism, because "orthodox" means "pertaining to, or conforming to the approved form" and they had no intention of conforming themselves to Judaism but reforming Judaism to satisfy themselves. Beyond their own testimony of "Orthodox Judaism's" authenticity, what else need be said?]

Before throwing back Rabbi Gershom we need to remember that there are contexts and also that nothing happens in a vacuum.

G-d's Torah defines the parameters for Judaism. There clearly are unanswered questions from the text, itself. It turns out that even BEFORE Moses wrote the Torah he spent 40 years teaching it to Israel. So when Israel finally received the written text, they didn't receive it asking, "What does this mean?" They received it asking, "Where will I find what we learned for 40 years in the text?" And, indeed, some is spelled out. Some is learned from comparative analysis. Some is understood from words. Some is drawn from nuances in the grammer. Some is alluded to in the cantillation notes, which don't even appear in the text. Some is learned out only when words are metaphores for other concepts. And on and on.

So when the text repeatedly speaks about straying from G-d's way and getting thrown out of the land and scattered amongst the peoples, simple common sense [and knowing G-d isn't a sadist] dictates that should/when that time come/s G-d has long since laid out what we were to do and not having left us with a "Gee now what?! Let's make something up."

[Although digressing, compare that to a religion which was started anywhere from 60 to 150 years AFTER the supposed lifetime of the main character! You don't know if the author even met the guy. It's better that that, the author HIMSELF is a mystery! Who were the gospels? Who knows! And 300 years later a few guys get together and dig through piles of centuries old manuscripts and THEN they decide what defines their religion and which documents they'll decide t call holy from that point forward. Can you change this religion? Heck, why stick to it!?]

So yes, as you put it:
"it is quite acceptable, even normal, for Rabbis to make such edicts based on the current (Internal) state of play."

Again, not any Rabbi! Rabbis none-the-less. Even with the aforementioned, and remembering the TEXTS- listen to the leaders, do not change right nor left, go to the priest in your day- I'll give you another angle. We have no prophets today. Not for close to 2500 years. It could be claimed that it is not in human hands to do this or that but with the fact that prophecy ended almost half of human history ago, simple reason, common sense dictates that G-d would have set up a system where the Torah and Judaism was put into in our hands and we have the responsibility to guard it and preserve it even as we march through any "changes" of circumstance, place and time.

Let me clarify, at this point, that I am offering YOU these simple, rational arguments. WE already KNOW all this to be true. Ever since Sinai. But so as not to give you the argument that our Oral Tradition proves our Oral Tradition, I offer you these arguments outside the Oral Tradition, using simple logic to illustrate that- as I put it- a sadistic G-d would reward and punish without telling us what the rules are while a G-d of love, kindness and mercy would certainly give us the system, the people with the wisdom and the authority they need to spread the wealth to all who are willing to listen.


"in lands that permit having more than 1 wife it was Ok and in lands that did not, it was not."

If Jews in those 'poly' lands had contact with the 'mono' lands and heard about Rabbi Gershom and said, "We're not following it because it's OK here," then you would have a point. But we know the reality is they were cut off from contact for centuries. And when they came to the land of Israel
the immediately agreed to conform and abide with Rabbi Gershom's ruling for the sake of unity.

"about the 10... that caught my eye... the so called 10 lost tribes."
Same number but no connection.

"ProfBenTziyyons comments... that these 10 men will speak the languages of (the) other nations. The previous verses already mention peoples..."

The professor accurately quoted a renown commentary who is saying that when G-d mentioned 10 of other languages He meant of *every* other language.
And using what you said, BECAUSE the previous verses just mentioned the other nations, why repeat it again here? Why say "other languages" and not "they," "non-Jews," or just "nations?" That question could be what draws the answer that G-d means of every other nation.
2800:1.

I'll let you in on an obvious secret. G-d knows what He's talking about. He's G-d. In Messianic times when the prophecies WILL be fulfilled and G-d's name will be ONE and on every man's heart, and those men come running to the Jews to learn... well then the BIGGER this number is, the more of you there are who have survived Gog and Magog and are around to learn!

So let it stand at just 4 corners and just 10 men each and who cares if a few billion of you are gone and forgotten.
G-d cares.
We care.

2800:1