Q&A: The Nature of the Uniqueness of the Revelation at Mount Sinai
The Nature of the Uniqueness of the Revelation at Mount Sinai
Question
Does the Rabbi hold that one cannot define an intellectual uniqueness, on the level of scientific truth, for the historical reality of the appearance of divine providence at the revelation at Mount Sinai?
And in essence, is there here testimony that the world has a Torah that answers a basic human thirst = the appearance of the soul.
The argument is made up of two layers:
- That there is a nationally defined entity in itself that claims to have had a collective revelatory experience, not that the revelation defines the national existence.
- The very claim that emerges from the receiving of the Torah, with emphasis on the appearance of the Oral Torah in the life story of the Jewish people — namely, the possibility of creating holiness within this world — is so implausible in human language that its being stated by an entire national entity compels its truth.
What does the Rabbi think?
Answer
The opening part seems to me to be written in another language (not Hebrew).
As for the two options that follow: 1. The concept of a national entity is not sufficiently defined. There was a group there, and apparently it had some kind of national consciousness. Now you define for yourself whether that is a national entity or not. By the way, even nowadays, when I claim that Judaism is a religion and not a nation, I do not mean to argue with those who feel otherwise. There is a Jewish national consciousness even among secular people. I only claim that this is just a consciousness without any basis, and certainly it has no value whatsoever (if you belong, then you belong. That is a fact, not a value).
2. I did not understand what connection this collection of words has (which I did not understand, and what I did understand seems absurd to me) to the discussion.
In short, I hope you understood what the discussion is about. I did not.