By Rabbi Dovid Sapirman, Dean, Ani Maamin Foundation
A few weeks ago, we discussed a very common question for a thinking person: “How do we know that we are right and everyone else is wrong?”
Every ben and bas Yisrael needs to know that as far as truth is concerned, the Torah has no competition. Our mesorah, when viewed accurately, is absolutely compelling.
Investigating other religions’ claims even briefly will quickly reveal their inaccuracies. Both Christians and Muslims officially believe in the Tanach, and their religions are based on our Scriptures, and they agree to the entire narrative of Matan Torah! From this alone we can see the glaring falsity.
Imagine that an emperor announced in the national media that his country has declared war on another. The next day, the press secretary states that the emperor told him in private that he has changed his mind and there will be no war. That would be absurd! The emperor must go back to the national media to publicize his intentions.
Yet this is what Christianity and Islam claim: the Almighty Creator gathered His chosen nation, a few million strong, and spoke to them at Har Sinai. He gave them the Torah and told them that this covenant would be forever. Later on, though, He “changed His mind.” But rather than gather His people together again to let them know, He relayed that information in private to one person (or perhaps a select few), and now the deal has changed. No longer are Torah and mitzvos needed to earn a share in the World to Come. No longer does atonement depend on teshuvah. All that is required is to accept the Christian deity as one’s personal savior and presto—you are in. Alternatively, you can submit to the demands of Islam. Should you refuse to accept one belief or another, you will burn in Hell forever.
While the Christian Bible and the Quran both contain endless threats of punishment to those who don’t believe, our Torah, lehavdil, contains not one word attempting to convince the reader of its truth. Instead, its narrative makes it clear that millions of people personally witnessed its events and thus needed no proof. Subsequent generations also held steadfast to what they had heard from their fathers.
For that reason, although we find in the navi words of chastisement for almost every sin under the sun, the prophets never once rebuke their nation for the sin of not believing.
