Page 29 - HaMizrachi YmYm 2020 FLIPv3

Rabbi Dov Lipman

Why should I believe

that the Torah was given to the Jewish people at Sinai?

our children are thinking anyone else in the history of the world The Torah outlines a seemingly ridic-
about this question. I regularly create a similar one? If you were cre- ulous prophecy – which has come
Yasked my students to write ating your own religion, wouldn’t it true in our time! It relates that the
their questions about Judaism and be advantageous – and more realistic Jews will forsake G-d and will be
nearly all asked this. We cannot be and believable – to claim the Divine dispersed to the four corners of the
afraid to engage them in discussion Power appeared to more than one Earth where they will experience ter-
about this critical question and person? rible persecution. While they are gone
Shavuot is the perfect time to do so. from Israel, nothing will grow in the
So why is Judaism the only religion to Land. But then they will return to
And then, of course, the war began. even attempt to make the claim that their Land from all around the world
My Rabbi, Rabbi Yaakov Weinberg, the Divine Power spoke to more than and they will regrow and rebuild it.
zt”l, asked the question this way: “Can one person? Is it reasonable to sug- It’s an absurd prophecy. A small and
a reasonable person believe that G-d powerless nation will be dispersed
gave the Torah at Sinai?” He answered gest that the Jews were the only ones throughout the world without a
that there have been hundreds of reli- clever enough to recognize the bene- common spoken language, land or
gions in world history that claim to fits of such a claim? The only reason- culture, and will survive and return
have had a Divine revelation and that able conclusion is that it is impossi- to its homeland thousands of years
the only religion with a reasonable ble to make such a claim unless it is later? Yet, we have seen this “ridicu-
story even worth considering as truth true. If one attempts to falsely claim a lous” prophecy come true.
is Judaism. revelation occurred in front of many
people, it can easily be disproved or We sinned, were dispersed, were per-
Every religion other than Judaism contradicted. secuted terribly, the Land remained
relates that a god appeared to one desolate, and we have now returned
individual. That person then related Judaism not only claims that G-d to Israel from all four corners of the
the story to others. Judaism is the spoke to more than one person, but Earth and have built it into a flourish-
only religion that claims that G-d that He spoke to a few million people! ing, fully modernized and technologi-
revealed Himself to the entire nation: All it would have taken was one of cally advanced country.
“Behold I will come to you [Moshe] those millions of “eyewitnesses” to
in the thick of the cloud so that the come forward with the truth or to Is it conceivable that a human being
nation will hear when I speak to you, relate different details about the sup- wrote this thousands of years ago and
and in you, they will trust forever” posed revelation, and the foundation happened to get it right? This should
(Exodus 19:9). of the religion would collapse. This is strengthen our belief in the Divine
one strong reason to accept and cele- origin of the Torah and the Revelation
This uniqueness makes the Jewish at Sinai.
story one that a reasonable person brate the story of the Divine Revela-
can consider embracing. Why would tion at Sinai. These two points provide a strong
any thinking person accept someone There are many other differences and reasonable basis for us to accept
else’s claim that G-d appeared to him between Judaism and all other reli- and embrace the story of G-d giving
alone? In fact, this is why many faiths gions. For example, most religious the Jewish people the Torah at Sinai
resorted to violence to spread their texts include prophecies. However, all and so Shavuot is the perfect time to
doctrines. People just didn’t believe it! discuss them with our children.
of these predictions relate to events
But a story like ours, in which G-d which could likely occur through the
appeared to all the people, must be natural and normal course of history. Rabbi Dov Lipman is a former MK and the
taken seriously, because if a story Despite this, none of those prophecies author of seven books about Judaism and
like this can be made up, why didn’t have come true. Israel

| 29