Why the Torah’s Revelation Is Unique in History: A Rational Look at Jewish National Memory

For over 3,300 years, the Jewish people have faithfully passed down a sacred historical document, in which G-d Himself testifies for all generations: “You have seen that I spoke with you from Heaven” (Exodus 20:19).

No other nation in the world has a historical record of a divine revelation witnessed by an entire people. This kind of testimony should convince any rational person of the truth of the Torah.

Why then do some people still deny this simple truth?

The answer lies in the power of imagination. Some mistakenly believe that if they can imagine a scenario, then it must be possible. This is a common error among children. For example, a small child might imagine two cats fighting in a junkyard, and in the chaos, various pieces of scrap metal suddenly connect by chance and form a working pocket watch.

An adult's mind would immediately reject such childish fantasy, understanding the complexity of a watch and that it contains around 130 distinct parts, each one perfectly shaped and sized, working together in precise harmony. Assembling such a mechanism requires careful design and skilled craftsmanship and there is therefore no way that tiny, symmetrical, precision-crafted parts would even exist in a junkyard, let alone be randomly assembled by two frantic cats.

Imagination doesn’t “think” in a logical sense, it merely flashes abstract, blurry images. It doesn’t concern itself with the fine technical details that would invalidate the fantasy. Unlike children, we adults have personal experience with reality and its complexity, and we can choose to use our reasoning minds to arrive at the truth.

When we speak of a “nation,” we don’t mean a single body with a unified will. A nation is made up of countless individuals, each with unique perspectives and desires: men and women, young and old, rich and poor, farmers and physicians, immigrants and natives, government officials and regular citizens, righteous individuals and criminals, supporters of one leader and followers of a rival. Even within one family you’ll find siblings with wildly different personalities: the wise, the simple, the curious, the quiet, the outgoing, the quick-tempered, the patient…and so on.

This is why it is utterly impossible for millions of individuals to agree on a fabricated national story. Just as a functioning watch cannot result from a random junkyard accident, there’s no way millions of people would unanimously agree on a shared version of history, unless they all received it from their own parents, who in turn received it from their parents, all the way back to those who personally witnessed it: “Ask your father and he will tell you; your elders and they will inform you.” (Deuteronomy 32:7)

Every year, on Passover night, we recount to our children the great miracles of the Exodus from Egypt, just as our ancestors and their ancestors have done, going back to the very generation that saw those wonders with their own eyes.

The historical testimony of an entire nation cannot be denied. Those who wish to run from the truth may flee into imagination, but as we know, reality is always stronger than fantasy.