The Oral Torah Explained: How Jewish Law Was Passed Down from Moshe to the Sages

In the previous article, we learned about the Oral Torah, which serves as the detailed explanation and interpretation of the 613 commandments that Moshe received at Mount Sinai and taught to the people of Israel. As the Torah says: “And I will speak to you all the commandments, statutes, and judgments, which you shall teach them” (Devarim 5:28).

Evidence of the Oral Torah in the Generation of the Wilderness

We find early proof of the existence of the Oral Torah in the generation of the desert. For example, when the Israelites saw a man gathering wood on Shabbat (Bamidbar 15:32), they knew that he had violated one of the 39 forbidden categories of labor — even though nowhere in the written Torah are these labors listed.

This indicates that they had learned the details directly from Moshe as part of the Oral Law received at Sinai. Without such instruction, how would they have known that collecting sticks from the ground constitutes “work”?

In the Talmud (Shabbat 96b), three opinions are given regarding what exactly the “gatherer” did: whether he carried in the public domain, uprooted, or bundled. These are among the 39 forms of labor — knowledge that could only have been transmitted orally.

For instance, the act of “me’amer” (bundling) means gathering scattered produce into a bundle in the field, which is not obvious from the text alone. This illlustrates that the Israelites had an oral tradition explaining the commandments in detail.

Consulting God for Clarity

When the people brought the violator to Moshe, they did not execute him immediately. Instead, Moshe asked God directly which form of death should be applied. This again shows that the people did not act on assumption or personal interpretation, but they sought divine clarification and practical instruction for every law.

The Prophet Yirmiyahu and the Laws of Shabbat

Another example appears in Yirmiyahu 17:22, where the prophet rebukes the people for neglecting the laws of Shabbat: “Thus says the Lord: Guard your souls and do not carry a burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring it through the gates of Jerusalem.”

Nowhere in the Five Books of Moshe is there a written prohibition against carrying objects from one domain to another. Yet Yirmiyahu treats it as an established law — indicating that this too was part of the Oral Torah received from Moshe.

In verse 24, he further distinguishes carrying from other forms of work, implying a developed halachic system: “If you will heed Me… not bringing a burden through the gates on the Sabbath day, and sanctify the Sabbath, not doing any work…”

This demonstrates that the Oral Law was well known to the prophets and the people, defining specific actions forbidden on Shabbat beyond what was written in the Torah.

How the Torah Was Originally Studied

At the time of the Revelation at Sinai, there was no distinction between the Written and the Oral Torah — they were taught together as one unified system.

A father reading with his children the verse, “You shall slaughter… as I have commanded you” (Devarim 12:21), would explain verbally all the laws of ritual slaughter (shechitah) passed down from Moshe..

When studying, “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house” (Devarim 11:20), he would teach the detailed laws of mezuzah.

When learning, “The seventh day is a Sabbath… you shall do no work” (Shemot 20:9), he would explain the 39 forbidden labors.

And when reading, “He shall write her a bill of divorce”  (Devarim 24:1), he would clarify the laws of divorce (Gittin).

The Oral Torah functioned as the living explanation of how to fulfill each commandment. The written verses served as a concise index, while the oral teachings provided practical application.

The Command to Study and Teach

Scripture commands: “This Book of the Torah shall not depart from your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night” (Yehoshua 1:8). To “meditate” (lehagah) means to study deeply and articulate, and not merely to read words mechanically.

Likewise, “You shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them” (Devarim 6:7) — the Torah demands not only memorization but discussion and explanation.

Thus, study of the Torah was always intended to include both written text and oral interpretation.

Why It Was Transmitted Orally

The Oral Torah was originally preserved through direct teacher-to-student transmission, ensuring clarity and accurate understanding in every generation.

This personal, verbal method prevented linguistic confusion, cultural misinterpretation, and loss of nuance as language evolved over time. It also ensured that the authority to interpret remained with the sages and teachers — preventing individuals from distorting divine law according to personal opinion or convenience.

Why It Was Eventually Written Down

Both the Written and Oral Torah were given over 3,300 years ago. The Oral Torah was faithfully transmitted by memory and teaching until the destruction of the Second Temple (approximately 2,000 years ago).

After the Roman persecution and the decline in spiritual stature of the people, there arose a fear that the Oral Torah would be forgotten. Therefore, Rabbi Judah the Prince (Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi) compiled it into writing — the Six Orders of the Mishnah, based on the verse: “It is time to act for the Lord; they have broken Your Torah” (Tehillim 119:126).

As Maimonides (Rambam) explains in his introduction to the Mishneh Torah: “Why did Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi do this? Because he saw that students were diminishing, calamities increasing, and Rome spreading its dominion. Israel was being scattered to the ends of the earth. Therefore he composed a work that could be held by all, to be studied quickly and not forgotten.”

The Continuation Through the Talmud

The Tannaim and Amoraim — the sages who lived before and after the Temple’s destruction, further analyzed and expanded upon the Mishnah’s teachings. Their discussions and rulings were compiled in the Jerusalem Talmud and the Babylonian Talmud (the Gemara).

The Babylonian Talmud, completed about 1,500 years ago by Ravina and Rav Ashi, became the authoritative source from which all Jewish law is derived today.

The Eternal Role of the Sages

From Moshe onward, rabbinic leadership has been an inseparable part of the Torah. In the desert, Moshe established the first council of seventy elders — the original Sanhedrin, as God commanded: “Gather for Me seventy men of the elders of Israel… and I will place of your spirit upon them” (Bamidbar 11:16–17).

Later, the Torah instructs: “If a matter is hidden from you… you shall go to the priests and the judges… and you shall do according to the Torah which they teach you; you shall not turn aside from the word they tell you, right or left” (Devarim 17:8–11). This establishes that when any law or doubt arises, the decision rests with the sages — a principle still binding today.

The Oral Torah was designed to preserve the living relationship between teacher and student, ensuring that divine wisdom remains accurate, relevant, and protected from distortion.

When danger threatened its survival, it was mercifully written down — yet its true spirit remains oral, dynamic, and alive, passed from heart to heart, generation to generation, from Moshe at Sinai to the scholars of today.