Q&A: The Revelation at Mount Sinai and the Writing of the Torah by Human Hands
The Revelation at Mount Sinai and the Writing of the Torah by Human Hands
Question
Hello Rabbi,
Is it correct to say that there was an event of divine revelation to the people of Israel at Mount Sinai, but that the written Torah as we know it was written by human beings (biblical criticism, documents, and so on), yet this was done by direct command of God, who expressed His will through the free will of the people subject to His authority?
This would still obligate us to observe the commandments, but it would remove the connection people make that if the Torah was written by human beings according to all the research, that still does not contradict the fact that the Torah was given at Sinai and that we wrote God’s will, and from here our obligation to observe the commandments still remains.
Answer
I don’t know. The tradition says that the Torah was redacted by human beings. Who wrote it is a question that, in my opinion, has no answer.