Timeless Torah

A question I often get: “Is there any rational proof that than more thirty three hundred years ago a heavenly voice announced, ‘I am the only G-d around here, so you better not have any others. Also don’t let me catch any of you lying, stealing, killing, coveting or being disrespectful to your Mom and Dad!’”
I am sure that all of you are familiar with conspiracy theories. No man ever landed on the moon, it was filmed in Arizona, or, Bill Clinton is a communist agent. Perhaps, the theory goes, Jews invented the Sinai saga. Conspiracies are very popular because…

they provide simple explanations for a complex world. Let us examine two types of stories that are part of any national heritage. The first kind is legends, like George Washington’s admission to chopping down the cherry tree, along with his statement, “I cannot tell a lie.” The second is history, like Washington was the first president of the United States. What is the difference?
By their nature legends are unverifiable because they have very few eyewitnesses. This does not mean that the legend is false, only that it cannot be proven. History, however, is comprised of events we know actually happened because they can be checked out via a number of ways. One of these is a large numbers of witnesses.
Our history states that on the sixth day of the third month of the year 2448 from Creation, an entire nation full of dissidents and skeptics gathered at the foot of a mountain and witnessed G-d speaking.
But perhaps the revelation at Sinai was a brilliant hoax? Perhaps Moses duped millions of people into believing that God spoke to them? Assuming Moses made it up, how would the people respond?
“Moses! What are you talking about? We may have believed you if you claimed that G-d appeared only to you. But you blew it! We know you’re lying, G-d did not speak to us!” Surely you agree that Moses could not have gotten away with such a claim.
But perhaps this hoax was attempted at a later period, not at Sinai, but 1,000 years later with Mordechai (from the story of Purim)? Maybe he introduced a book and claimed it had been written by G-d and given a long time ago. Could he get away with it?
For example, would you believe the following: “I want to let you in on a very little-known fact. In 1394, when just the Indian tribes lived in America, it sank under the sea. During that time all animal, plant and human life managed to adapt to this bizarre condition.”
Would you believe me? Imagine Mordechai showing up one day holding a scroll no one had ever seen, trying to convince his contemporaries, “This amazing book is filled with laws and history, and was given to three million of our ancestors thousands of years ago, who by the way, survived for years in the desert with no supplies.”
How would the people respond? “Wait a second. Something is fishy here. Why haven’t we ever heard of this before? You’re describing one of the most momentous events in history that happened to my ancestors - and we, and they never heard about it?”
Sinai was always accepted as history, not legend, simply because it fits all the criteria for valid history. So why do the Bible critics deny what is clear to you and me?
In the 18th century, astronomers did not believe in meteorites. Museums threw out their precious meteorite specimens as humiliating reminders of superstitious mythology. Why? Because, as Antoine Lavoisier, father of modern chemistry declared, “Stones don’t fall from the sky. There are no stones in the sky!” End of discussion. Similarly, since science cannot imagine an infinite G-d speaking to finite men, ergo it did not happen.
The human mind, when faced with a choice between the absurd and the impossible, will invariably choose the absurd. It’s far less frightening and easier to live with. To accept the impossible would undermine the very basis of the rational, scientific world we must live in.
Throughout history, countless religions have been started by individuals, attempting to convince people that God spoke to them personally. Maybe He did. Then again, maybe He didn’t. One can never know. Personal revelation is an extremely weak basis for a religion. Our heritage, however, is not based on the testimony of Moses or any other charismatic leader. Indeed Moses stuttered. It is based upon the Word of G-d which we heard directly.
Twice in history, G-d spoke to the world. The first was at Creation, the second at Sinai. These two Speeches define two versions of reality. At Genesis, He fashioned an earth which itself is the greatest hoax, in that it hides its Creator and ultimate purpose. At Sinai, He ripped away the facade fashioning our souls, as well as the barren desert, into a place for the Infinite to dwell. You choose which world you wish to live in.