Why Is There No Broken Telephone in Jewish Tradition?

How do we know that the Oral Torah has not undergone changes over the generations? Isn't it true that anything transmitted or told from one person to another inevitably changes without notice? I met someone who claims this is why she does not follow it.

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Hello and blessings,

The Creator, who knows all generations in advance. Anyone who truly believes that the Torah was given by the Creator already knows that the Torah has not been changed or forgotten over the generations, for Hashem promised in His Torah: "For it will not be forgotten from the mouth of his seed" (Deuteronomy 31:21).

The prophets also promised: "And as for Me, this is My covenant with them, says Hashem: My spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your seed, nor from the mouth of your seed's seed, says Hashem, from now and forever" (Isaiah 59:21).

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The fact that after 2000 years of exile, Jews returned from all corners of the world with the same tefillin, the same tzitzit, the same Shabbat, the same Passover seder, etc., etc., shows that neither the Written Torah nor the Oral Torah were, Heaven forbid, forgotten. Therefore, there is no debate in the Talmud about whether tefillin should be square or black, or similar questions; all disputes are only about minor details, like branches of a great and strong tree.

The concept of "broken telephone" does not exist in a reality where the message is passed through many people from generation to generation, because if in one room you put eleven people to transmit a message to another ten people, even if one makes a mistake, the nine will correct him. Hence, "broken telephone" does not exist in mass history transmitted by millions across generations.

I suggest you search on Google for a booklet I wrote called "A Fateful Conversation," where you will find discussion on this question and additional questions. It can also be recommended to the inquirer.

Blessings,

Daniel Balas