Q&A: Discussion/debate about the Oral Torah
Discussion/debate about the Oral Torah
Question
Hello Rabbi,
I hope the holiday is going pleasantly for you.
My name is N., and A. referred me to you. My father recently discussed the Oral Torah with him, mainly around the question of whether the source of the Oral Torah is divine or human. So A. referred us to you, claiming that you would be able to prove the divinity of the Oral Torah and prove that we are mistaken. Therefore, we wanted to check whether it would be possible to set up a meeting and discuss these matters. Zoom could also work, but an in-person meeting would be preferable.
I hope to hear from you soon.
Happy holiday and all the best.
Answer
I can’t prove such a thing. This is a matter of judgment, not proof.
Beyond that, in my opinion, the overwhelming majority of the Oral Torah was in fact created over the generations and was not handed down from Sinai. So there is nothing here to prove. I don’t really understand the question of whether it is divine or human. Do you mean that it was created by God? That’s nonsense. It is the work of human beings.
But of course, none of this means that it is not binding.