Q: How do we know that our nation stood at Har Sinai and got the Torah?
A: A Rosh Yeshiva was once talking to a group of boys. It was in America. A Rosh Yeshiva from Europe was talking to American boys. I was there; I was listening. So one of the American boys asked, “How can we prove what happened in the days of old, that we stood at Har Sinai? What's the proof?”
So the Rosh Yeshiva said, “Do you believe in George Washington?” The boy said, “Yes.” “Did you see him?” “No, I never saw him.” “Did you see anybody who saw him?” “No. That also not.” How many people saw George Washington when he was alive? Maybe 10,000 people at most. A million people for sure didn't see him. When George Washington was alive, nobody in Poland knew about him. Nobody in Africa knew about him. Even today, if you go to Africa, most people don’t know about him. In America they talk about him a little bit, but in other countries, who knows about George Washington?
Now the Rambam (Yesodei Hatorah ch. 8) explains that when the Torah was given, it was no secret. Like it states יƒּ ̇¿ַרּבƒּ„ ∆ ר ַ̇סּ≈ּב ׁ ̆‡מ≈רֹ ‡ֹל – From the beginning I did not speak to you in secret (Yeshaya 48:16). The entire Jewish nation witnessed the giving of the Torah. How many people were present at Har Sinai? At least two million witnessed it.
That’s a very important point because it’s a claim that is unequaled in the claims of all the nations. All the religions have big claims, they make big promises, and they tell about big incidents, but never will you find a claim that Hakadosh Baruch Hu appeared to the entire nation and spoke to them. Because even the biggest falsifier has limits to what he can claim.
Nobody in the world, no nation had ever claimed that their entire nation had heard the voice of their deity speaking to them. Nobody ever said that. At least let them claim that! No, that’s too much for them to claim, because people will say, “You know it's not so.”
Muhammad never claimed that a deity appeared to a multitude of Arabs. At best, some miracles are claimed but they were not performed—even according to his statement—in the presence of a great multitude. Yeshu never claimed, or his disciples never claimed, that Hakadosh Baruch Hu spoke to him in the presence of a multitude; and when his followers wanted authority for their claims, they based them all on statements in the Hebrew scriptures.
And yet, all the Mohammadans believe that there was a Matan Torah, that Hashem gave the Torah at Har Sinai. There's no question about it. It’s clear and open in the Koran. All the Christians believe that Hashem gave the Torah to the Jewish nation at Har Sinai. It's in the New Testament openly; they all believe in it. So the whole civilized world believes that the Torah was given to us. The whole civilized world admits it!
The only case in history that such a claim is made is by the Jewish nation because it happened only once in history. And we’ve been speaking about it and celebrating it and living it since that great day.
