The Purpose of Creation and the Uniqueness of Mount Sinai Revelation

When we see a person who calmly plans and carries out a project, we have no doubt that there is some purpose in what he is doing, even if we do not recognize it.

If that person is respected and well-known, and certainly if he is the Prime Minister himself, we would never doubt that his actions are purposeful, even if hidden from us. The more intricate, intelligent, and detailed the project appears, and the greater and more exalted the builder, the more certain we are that there is a definite purpose behind the act.

If this is true for human beings, then how much more so regarding the Creator. It is self-evident that there must be a purpose for creating humanity, and for the vast project of creation as a whole.

And yet, it is natural for a person to ask: Who am I? Why am I here? For what was I created? What is the purpose of my life? Is it merely to eat in order to work, and to work in order to eat? To grow, fatten, age, and then die — only to serve as food for worms? Is that the goal? Is that the purpose?

Such questions cannot be answered by the “product” itself. Only the “Manufacturer” has the right and ability to reveal the true purpose of His creation. Who could dare claim that limited human logic can on its own determine the ultimate intention of the Creator in creating the world?

Did God Reveal His Purpose?

Did the Creator ever disclose His purpose to His creatures? Is the goal of humanity really nothing more than to eat, sleep, and die? Or does God want His creations to live according to a defined order and set of rules? If there are expectations, why didn’t He tell me or my ancestors clearly, passing them faithfully through the generations until today? If He did, why not in a way that leaves no doubt that it truly came from God Himself? Surely I will not change my entire way of life based only on someone’s personal opinion of what they imagine God wants!

The Torah itself answers this: “And the Lord said to Moses: Behold, I will come to you in a thick cloud, so that the people may hear when I speak with you, and also believe in you forever… Go to the people and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments, and be ready on the third day; for on the third day the Lord will descend in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai… And it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunder and lightning and a heavy cloud upon the mountain, and the sound of a shofar exceedingly loud, so that all the people in the camp trembled… And Mount Sinai was entirely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire, and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. And the sound of the shofar grew louder and louder… And God spoke all these words, saying: I am the Lord your God… And all the people saw the thunder and the flames and the sound of the shofar and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw, they trembled and stood afar off.” (Exodus 19:9–20:15).

The Uniqueness of the Sinai Revelation

Could such an event have been “inserted” into history if it had never happened? No other religion in the world has ever claimed that its book of laws was given through a divine revelation witnessed by even one hundred people. Nor fifty. Nor ten. Not even two.

Besides being the oldest faith from which later religions copied in diluted form, Judaism is the only religion in history that proclaims the one and only God revealed Himself openly before the entire nation. At Sinai there were six hundred thousand men, not counting women and children. With marriage age being younger in those days and with large families, the actual number present must have been over two million people. According to Judaism, they all personally experienced this encounter when God gave humanity its guidebook for life — the “Manufacturer’s instructions.”

Judaism also uniquely provides the precise details: the exact year (2448 from Creation), the exact date (the 6th of Sivan), the exact day (Shabbat), the exact time (sunrise), and the exact location (the wilderness of Sinai, at the foot of Mount Sinai).

This monumental difference between Judaism and all imitations has a simple explanation. It is dangerous to lie when you need a partner. Any founder of a fake religion fears that his partner may one day expose the truth, saying: “It’s all a lie, there were no revelations or prophecies — my friend is a fraud!”

Judaism boldly declares that God gave His Torah to His people in the presence of the entire nation. Such an event could never have been fabricated later. You cannot ask a whole nation to keep Shabbat, wear tefillin, and observe family purity laws by claiming, “Your ancestors all witnessed God’s revelation.” Immediately the people would respond: “If that were true, why did our parents and grandparents never mention it? Why didn’t they keep these laws?”

Furthermore:

1. The Torah itself promises: “It shall never be forgotten from the mouth of their descendants” (Deuteronomy 31:21). A story of a national revelation could never have been “slipped” into history and accepted.

2. If such a story had been forgotten and later reintroduced, we would know about the moment of rediscovery. But Jewish history has no such “rediscovery” moment. From Sinai until today, Torah has been passed on faithfully, generation to generation, father to son, without interruption.

The chain of tradition from the mass revelation at Sinai, down to our very day, remains unbroken.