Is There Proof That the Sinai Revelation Really Happened?

There are numerous proofs that the Torah is a divine book that could not have been written by a human. In this column, we will focus on the logical proof of the existence of the Sinai Revelation, as evidenced by the Torah's verses.

All world religions based on claims of divine revelation began with an individual asserting that God revealed Himself to them, such as Christianity with Jesus or Islam with Muhammad. Judaism is the only religion that claims a divine revelation in front of an entire nation, around three million people who left Egypt. The Torah itself contains verses directly addressing the generation that received the Torah and witnessed the Sinai Revelation, emphasizing their presence at this divine event.

Now, let's assume someone wanted to "plant" a folklore story that never happened at some point in history. What would be more plausible: to claim a private revelation they experienced (as founders of other religions did) or a collective event that never truly occurred, marking the personal presence of the book's recipients? Clearly, the second type of story would cause complete disbelief and rejection of the book when trying to pass it on. No one would believe a book that states they themselves experienced a divine revelation when in reality, it never happened, especially if the book includes several binding laws. If someone wanted to plant the Torah, they certainly wouldn't include verses claiming the book's recipients witnessed events they genuinely didn't see.

This is why, among all existing religions, none claims a mass divine revelation—because such an event cannot be fabricated. The Torah of Israel is the only global scripture describing miraculous events on a national scale, written directly to the people shortly after their occurrence, which makes falsification impossible.

Here are some quotes from the Torah indicating the presence of the Torah recipients at the Sinai Revelation: "You are all standing today before Hashem your God... to enter into the covenant of Hashem your God and His oath that Hashem your God is making with you today" (Deuteronomy 29:9-11); "You have seen that I have spoken with you from the heavens" (Exodus 20:18); "You have seen all that Hashem did before your eyes in Egypt to Pharaoh and all his servants and his whole country" (Deuteronomy 29:1); "Not with our ancestors did Hashem make this covenant, but with us, those of us here today, all of us who are alive. Face to face Hashem spoke with you on the mount from within the fire" (Deuteronomy 5:3-4); "You have been shown to know that Hashem is God; there is none else beside Him. From the heavens, He let you hear His voice to educate you, and on the earth He let you see His great fire, and you heard His words from within the fire" (Deuteronomy 4:35-36); "Only be careful and watch yourselves very well so you do not forget the things your eyes have seen nor let them slip from your heart all the days of your life, and make them known to your children and your children's children. The day you stood before Hashem your God at Horeb, when Hashem said to me, 'Assemble the people before Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children'" (Deuteronomy 4:9-10); "For what other flesh has ever heard the voice of a living God speaking from within the fire like we have and survived" (Deuteronomy 5:22); "Today we have seen that God speaks with a human and he lives" (Deuteronomy 5:20).

These verses are a clear proof that those who received the Torah indeed participated in such a special event, which is why the Torah is unafraid to repeat it so many times.

However, some may argue that perhaps this "planter" insisted to his listeners that their unfamiliarity with such events does not prove it didn't happen. He might claim their ancestors were present and that the event was forgotten over time, and that belief in the Torah waned through generations. He would represent that he's a lone righteous figure preserving the tradition and is now on a mission to return people to the forgotten old ways...

This claim can be easily refuted by the existence of an explicit verse in the Torah promising that the book will never be forgotten: "This song [Torah] shall testify before them as a witness, forit will not be forgotten from the mouths of their descendants" (Deuteronomy 31:21). If the Torah was indeed forgotten throughout generations, it would indicate that this written promise was not fulfilled, leading one to conclude that this book is not divine since a single error negates any claim of divinity. Thus, the mere fact that clear verses in the Torah state the personal presence of the book's recipients, as well as Hashem's promise that the Torah will never be forgotten, prevents the claim of the Torah being "planted" by a human.