Why the Torah Is Forever: An Eternal Blueprint for Life

Gila asks: "Hello. One of the fundamental principles of our faith is to believe that the Torah will never change. This belief has persisted for generations, and I have no doubt about it. However, I'm curious—can it be proven? Thank you."

Hello Gila, and thank you for your question.

Indeed, the ninth principle in the 13 Principles of Faith in Judaism is to believe that "this Torah will not be changed, and there will not be another Torah from the Creator, blessed be His name."

There are many proofs that the Torah will not change, both by simple logic and from our scriptures.

As we know, the world's two largest religions have imitated the Torah, basing themselves on our holy texts. Christianity and Islam believe in the Bible but also hold a blind faith in false prophets who came to replace the Torah and abolish its commandments (Heaven forbid). The Gentiles did not wish to uphold the Torah and its commandments, so they chose a faith that "liberated" them from these obligations.

But your question is very relevant to the Jewish people today, as, unfortunately, there are millions of Jews who were not raised with their Jewish heritage and mistakenly live as if the commandments that once obligated us no longer apply in the modern age... This mistaken thought misses the purpose and aim of life, as it is said: "When a person departs this world, they are not accompanied by money or gold or precious stones and pearls, only by Torah and good deeds" (Pirkei Avot 6:9). What would be the purpose of our lives without the Torah?

1. The Torah cannot be 'temporary,' because it is the essence of all creation: "For it is your life" (Deuteronomy 32:47).

In this article, we will focus on the logical proof that the Torah will not change forever.

Logic dictates that the Creator, blessed be He, created the world for a purpose: "He did not create it a waste—He formed it to be inhabited" (Isaiah 45:18).

As long as the world does not change, its purpose does not change. For example, a clock is built to show the time; it is illogical to assume that the watchmaker would one day intend for his clock to be used as a can opener. As long as a clock has hands that indicate hours and minutes, its purpose will be to show time; as long as a car has wheels, its purpose will be to travel. Similarly, as long as we have a choice between good and evil, we are bound by clear manufacturer's instructions that guide us between good and evil, according to which we stand the test of our lives: "Fear Hashem and keep His commandments, for this is the whole of man. For Hashem will bring every deed into judgment—everything hidden—whether good or evil" (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

If parents bring children into the world, then certainly Hashem wants us to continue to uphold the fifth commandment of the Ten Commandments: "Honor your father and your mother so that your days may be prolonged," and if there is a seventh day each week, then Hashem wishes us to fulfill the fourth commandment: "Observe the Shabbat to keep it holy," as explained in the Torah: "Between Me and the Children of Israel—it is a sign forever—for in six days Hashem made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He ceased and rested" (Exodus 31:17). In other words, if Hashem does not create a new world with five or eight days of creation, certainly His commandment to keep Shabbat on the seventh day will not change!

As long as we eat, we are commanded to bless the act of eating and the Holy Land: "And you shall eat and be satisfied, and you shall bless Hashem your God for the good land which He gave you" (Deuteronomy 8:10). As long as we wear garments made of wool or linen, we must heed the prohibition of mixing species, as the Torah forbids. And so on with other commandments. Every spiritual commandment is linked to the natural world that Hashem created. And since the commandments are tied to nature, it is nature itself that testifies and cries out for their perpetual relevance.

Did you know why the deceased are called "niftarim"? Because they are exempt from the commandments, as: "The world to come is not like this world; there is no eating, no drinking, no marriage and procreation, no commerce, no envy, no hatred, no competition, but the righteous sit with their crowns on their heads enjoying the radiance of the Shechinah" (Berachot 17a).

Torah means instruction. Every commandment among the 613 has its root within the world, as the Torah precedes the world, making its laws the manufacturer's instructions given to us by the Creator of the world.

Those who believe that commandments have an expiration date and are unsuited for the "modern era" are similar to those who say that humans are not human...

I once heard Rabbi Neugroschel humorously ask: Could it be that in today's technological age, with airplanes and spacecraft, the modern man will continue the 'primitive practice' of his forefathers by visiting the bathroom and the bathhouse? Surely it is inappropriate for the advanced and educated man of the 21st century...

Similarly, beyond all differences, the Torah, given as a seasoning to curb and direct the evil inclination of man, certainly will not change because the evil inclination has not changed.

Jews who have distanced themselves and mistakenly think the Torah was just an ancient 'temporary instruction' probably have never sat down to read the Torah. Otherwise, they would see how the Creator of the world describes His Torah to the nation of Israel: "For man does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of Hashem" (Deuteronomy 8:3), "For it is not an empty thing for you, for it is your life" (Deuteronomy 32:47), "It is a tree of life for those who grasp it, and those who uphold it are blessed" (Proverbs 3:18).

Anyone who examines the Bible will find countless such verses, and can no longer doubt that Hashem, blessed be He, has given His people a Torah of life—the essence of our existence on earth:

"And now, Israel, what does Hashem your God ask of you, but to fear Hashem your God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve Hashem your God with all your heart and with all your soul, to keep the commandments of Hashem and His statutes which I command you today for your good" (Deuteronomy 10:12).

"And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up" (Deuteronomy 6:7), "This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; but you shall meditate on it day and night" (Joshua 1:8).

To reveal to us His will, Hashem, blessed be He, appeared before millions of Israelites at Mount Sinai and delivered the 613 commandments publicly. Not in secret, but openly.

Even history proves that the Torah is the purpose of the world. The Torah has become the most printed, famous, and influential book on earth, and despite our small numbers, the Jewish people are known worldwide, and all nations speak of us to this day. History itself attests to the focus of the world on the chosen nation.

2. The Torah alone reveals to us the manufacturer's instructions for the world:

Note that the very word "Torah" means "instruction". Without the mitzvot of the Torah, how would we know how to marry or divorce? What are the forbidden marriages? Which animals are permissible or forbidden to eat? What is the permitted method of slaughter? What is the punishment for a thief, robber, murderer, etc., in various cases? The Torah teaches us laws of testimony, marriage contracts, matrimonial relations, interpersonal commandments, and reveals to us the laws of Hashem in all our ways: "To listen to His voice and to cleave unto Him, for He is your life and the length of your days" (Deuteronomy 30:19).

Christians and Muslims who thought to "replace" the Torah ultimately could not invent other commandments in its place, leaving all these vital questions to their changing imagination without clear answers concerning what is permitted and forbidden. Even when the Gentiles offer general guidance, they lack "commandments from the Torah" to rely on. The truth is revealed in the details. For instance: while the Torah teaches us all "laws of navigation and road safety," other religions merely tell their followers "drive carefully," thereby missing the point.

I wish to convey, not only is it impossible to replace the Torah, no religion has ever attempted to "compete" with the sacred laws of our Torah. Christianity and Islam are meaningless compared to the Torah, as they have no manufacturer's instructions to offer. They are not "Torah," because Torah means instruction.

Religions seeking to replace the Torah are akin to those who would exchange pure gold for dust. They have missed the essence.

The following verse cries out today as it did 3,300 years ago: "And what great nation is there that has statutes and righteous laws as this entire Torah which I set before you today?" (Deuteronomy 4:8).

We have learned that there is no other Torah in the world apart from the Torah of Israel! And indeed, no religion truly "competes" with it. From any practical perspective on the subject, "this Torah will not be replaced."

To conclude, I will quote the golden words of Rambam in "Laws of the Foundations of the Torah" (Chapter 9):

"A. It is a clear thing, explicitly stated in the Torah, that it is an everlasting commandment, standing forever and ever; it is not to be changed nor diminished nor added to, as it is said 'All that I command you, be careful to do it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it' (Deuteronomy 13:1); and it is said 'The revealed matters are for us and our children forever, to fulfill all the words of this Torah' (Deuteronomy 29:28). Thus, you learn that all the words of the Torah are a commandment #for us to do forever; and so it says 'An everlasting statute for your generations' (Leviticus 3:17 and in seven other places), and it is said 'It is not in the heavens' (Deuteronomy 30:12). Thus, you learn that no prophet can innovate something new from now on."

B. Therefore, if a person will stand, whether from the Children of Israel or from the Nations, and he shall perform a sign or a wonder and say that Hashem sent him to add a commandment, or to diminish a commandment, or to interpret a commandment among the commandments with an interpretation which we have not heard from Moses, or he says that those commandments which were commanded to Israel are not forever and for all generations but were commandments for a particular season—he is a false prophet, because he has come to oppose the prophecy of Moses. His death is by strangulation, for he has deliberately spoken in the name of Hashem which He did not command, as He, blessed be His name, has commanded Moses that this commandment 'is for us and for our children forever' (Deuteronomy 29:28), and 'God is not a man, that He should lie' (Numbers 23:19)."