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Arguments for the "Torah from Sinai" principle

ResponseCategory: FaithArguments for the "Torah from Sinai" principle
Asks asked 9 years ago

Hello Rabbi Michael,
 
I wanted to consult with you about some foundations I have noted for myself for the "Torah from Sinai" principle:
 
General comment: I accept the existence of God as an axiom (which also has explanations, but that interests me less)

  1. The very existence of a moral system that God has instilled in humans (and only in them), requires that God also guide them on how to act in accordance with it.
  2. The argument from the miracle (mass revelation at Mount Sinai + the Exodus + the miracles of the desert), all of this combined with the continuity and strength of tradition.
  3. The very existence of serious critical thinking in Torah thought (mainly in the Gemara) that strives to reach the truth is an indication of the Torah from Sinai, for if the Torah were not from Sinai, it is reasonable to assume that critical thinking would have "dismantled" belief in the Torah from Sinai.
  4. The uniqueness of the people of Israel, its survival, the gathering of its exiles, its wisdom, its influence on human thought, the hatred of the nations for it ("a mountain upon which hatred descended for the nations of the world"), etc., all testify that this people is indeed the chosen people.
  5. Relying on the judgment of "experts" whose method of examining faith I value (objectivity, openness to other religions and opinions, use of primarily rational arguments, etc.). I see their judgment as a significant indication of truth (just as we rely on the judgment of doctors or investment managers).
  6. The absence of strong evidence that contradicts the principle of the Torah from Sinai.
  7. The absence of a credible alternative to another Torah from heaven (according to the text of the verse: For ask now of the former days that were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth, and of the end of the heavens and to the end of the heavens, whether this great thing has been or has been heard to be)
  8. Occam's Razor (the explanation that the Torah is indeed from heaven is simpler than it being one big conspiracy)
  9. The depth of wisdom found in the Talmud
  10. Partial fulfillment of prophecies (prophecy of the eternity of the people of Israel, prophecy of the gathering of the exiles, prophecy of the destruction of Babylon, prophecy of the survival of the Western Wall, etc.).
  11. The existence of verifiable biblical statements (in the conspiracy, one tries not to create verifiable points) – for example: the threefold increase in grain in the sixth year of the Shabbat, and the verse “And no one shall covet your land with your burnt offerings, to appear before the Lord your God three times in the year.”
  12. Half of the threshold of probability required for Pascal's wager (a wager that the Torah is indeed from heaven is more "payable" than that it is not, starting from a non-negligible probability, say 20 or 30 percent, I think)
  13. It is not necessary that the entire Torah (written or oral) is from heaven, but it is enough that there is a core there to rely on for the entire system.
  14. A change in the Torah requires an event at least as great as the event at Mount Sinai, and such an event has not yet occurred.

I wanted to consult with you if you have any comments/enlightenment regarding these arguments, and if you have any additional arguments, I would also be happy to hear them.
 
Best regards,

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1 Answer
Michi Staff answered 9 years ago

In general, it seems reasonable to me.

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