Unshakeable Beliefs: The Story Behind Faith

Hello and thank you for your question.

The Torah states (Deuteronomy 4:39): "Know therefore this day, and consider it in your heart, that Hashem is God." It's necessary to know this intellectually and not just feel it emotionally. The Jewish faith is considered the strongest because it combines intellectual understanding from historical and scientific evidence ("know") with experiential knowledge through prayer and personal connection with the Creator ("consider it in your heart").

You ask: anyone can write whatever they want in a book. Even King Solomon taught us (Proverbs 14:15): "The simple believe every word," so we do not believe false prophets and sects around the world. Our sages (Chazal), as known, were extremely critical, scrutinizing every letter of the Torah. Anyone who has studied the Talmud knows this. Scholars delve deeply into their knowledge, uncompromising on truth. So, how can one "believe" in the Torah?

You've heard the famous joke about the Jew who answers every question with another question, so let us pose a few to you:

If anyone can claim that millions witnessed a significant event, why haven't other religions made such claims? And this question carries even more weight considering the strange fact that billions of Christians and Muslims—who historically have not shown love towards Jews—built their great religions on the teachings of the Jews. Is it because they "love" us so much?

Let's think together: if a divine revelation to an entire nation could really be fabricated, why didn't Christians claim a collective revelation by Jesus? Why did Muhammad have to recount that an angel appeared to him alone in a dark cave, unseen by others? And why did Buddha speak of a "spiritual awakening" under a single tree instead of sharing a divine spectacle with millions?

How is it that the Torah is the only religion in the world, throughout human history, that describes a divine revelation to an entire nation? Not just revelation, but grand miracles unheard of in any other religion: the Ten Plagues of Egypt, demonstrating Hashem's power over history, the parting of the Red Sea, the pillars of fire and cloud, forty years of miracles in the desert, supernatural victories in wars, the Earth swallowing Korah and his followers, and more.

Remember the last words in the Torah? In the final verses, it says (Deuteronomy 11:11): "...to all the signs and wonders that Hashem sent him to perform in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, all his servants, and all his land; and in all the mighty power and in all the great terror which Moses enacted in the sight of all Israel."

These are the last words in the Torah: "in the sight of all Israel"! Why haven't other religions claimed such a public revelation? For thousands of years, only the Torah maintains (Exodus 20:18): "You have seen that I have spoken to you from heaven!" If that weren't enough, the Torah even challenges all other religions with a prophecy for generations (Deuteronomy 4:32): "Inquire now the days past which were before you... has there been such a great thing or has anything like it been heard? Has any people heard the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and lived?"

History shows that one cannot invent history; otherwise, everyone would do it. Christianity and Islam were built on the Torah not because they love Judaism, but because they couldn't invent a divine revelation to an entire nation, so they relied on the biggest tree around.

You are correct that anyone can write anything in a book, but for millions to pass it down as national history and follow hundreds of practical commandments to commemorate historical events from that book—what is written must have indeed happened with millions of witnesses passing down the book.

In conclusion, we don't blindly believe in the Torah "just because it's written," but because if these things hadn't occurred, no one would have "bought" a book that lies and claims "you all witnessed these miracles" when they did not. If they "bought" into it, committed so deeply to it, and passed it to their children, it's because they indeed saw the miracles, as everyone else did. Mount Sinai is proof of historical fact, provable through logic and reason, not blind faith like other religions. This is why Judaism doesn't fear questions; rather, it invites them because it is confident that the truth lies with it, and eventually, you will come to it.

The Torah is the sacred tradition passed through millions of our ancestors and rabbis, faithfully handed down from generation to generation. Thanks to the written Torah, the divine history of the Jewish people has been preserved precisely without error. This accurate preservation is why, after thousands of years, Jews have returned to the Land of Israel, as foretold in the Torah, coming from all corners of the earth with the same Torah and commandments. This is the power of the written Torah and the oral Torah passed down by millions through generations.