One of most commonly debated topics of thought in various Messianic movements is whether Hashem gave the Jewish people only a written Torah, or if He also handed down an Oral Torah with it. Often times people, who are coming into the walk from Christianity, want to cling to the protestant ideology of "sola scriptura" (scripture alone) with a rejection of any authority - especially an authority of those who don't align with their beliefs entirely.
Many are familiar with the Five Books of Moses, the written Torah, but few fully grasp the depth and necessity of the Oral Torah. Without it, we lose the key to understanding the Torah in its entirety.
First, "What is Oral Torah"?
The Oral Torah is the compilation of traditions, explanations, and interpretations of the Torah that were originally transmitted orally from generation to generation. The Oral Torah complements the Written Torah, which was given to Moses on Mount Sinai. It includes interpretations of the Torah’s verses, laws derived using specific rules, and decrees enacted by the sages to adapt to new circumstances over time. It was preserved orally for centuries, but due to concerns over its potential loss during periods of persecution, particularly under Roman rule, it was eventually written down in the form of the Mishnah by Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi in the 2nd century CE.
Later, the Mishnah was further analyzed and expanded upon in the Talmud, which includes the Babylonian and Jerusalem versions. The Oral Law continued to evolve as scholars applied its principles to contemporary issues, with major halachic works such as the Shulchan Aruch synthesizing earlier interpretations into practical guidance. Here's a great example of this "evolution":
Kindling a fire is prohibited on Sabbath (written Torah)
Kindling is defined as the initiation of any action that leads to the combustion or increase of fire, including striking a match, or adding fuel to a fire. (Oral Torah)
Fire (אֵשׁ) is defined as any heat-producing spark. (Oral Torah)
Electricity is a continuous spark that produces heat. Thus, 'kindling' would be initiating any action that leads to electricity flowing to a device. The 'evolution' of this command then prohibits turning on lightswitches and operating electronic devices (phones, ovens, microwaves, computers, etc) on Sabbath.
Let's examine four significant hints that demonstrate the existence and essential nature of Oral Torah —not as a separate entity from the written Torah, but as its indispensable counterpart. Without it, the written Torah remains incomplete, misunderstood, and, in many cases, impossible to follow.
The First Hint: Apparent Errors in the Written Torah
When we look at the Torah text itself, something curious becomes evident: there are countless “mistakes.” Spelling errors, grammatical inconsistencies, contradictions—they are not rare, but rather frequent. How can this be? Let’s take the very first verse of the Torah as an example: "Bereishit bara Elokim et hashamayim v’et ha’aretz," commonly translated as "In the beginning, G-d created the heavens and the earth."
However, the phrase "Bereishit" doesn’t actually mean "in the beginning" in standard Hebrew grammar. The word is in a construct form, suggesting "In the beginning of…" but the sentence doesn’t complete that thought. A literal reading would seem incomplete or incorrect. Yet, this is not a mistake. This is a deliberate invitation to dig deeper. What is missing here is the Oral Torah—containing the tradition of PaRDeS (the primary exegetical method) which tells us how to understand and interpret such phrases. Without it, we are left baffled by the Torah’s opening statement. PaRDeS is an acronymn which stands for Peshat (literal), Remez (hint), Derash (homiletical), and Sod (mystical) which allow us to understand deeper elements and layers of scripture that may not be present on a surface level reading.
In the gospels, Matthew also employs the same deep exegetical approach when he says, "He will be called a Nazarene" (Matthew 2:23). This statement has puzzled many, as there is no direct prophecy in scripture that states this explicitly. However, using the method of PaRDeS—we can uncover layers of meaning. Matthew’s use of the phrase likely plays on the Hebrew word "netzer" (branch), found in Isaiah 11:1, where it says, "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a netzer will bear fruit." This hints at the coming of the Messiah, who will arise from the lineage of David. Matthew employs Remez (hint) and Derash (homiletical interpretation) to connect the term "Nazarene" to this messianic prophecy, using linguistic wordplay. The connection between netzer (branch) and "Nazarene" reveals a deeper meaning through a homiletical approach, much like the way the Oral Torah unlocks the hidden layers in the written Torah. This methodology, embedded in Jewish tradition, demonstrates that Matthew's reference is not an error but a deliberate use of PaRDeS to reveal deeper truths. If Matthew lived as a writer in the Christian world today, he would likely be faced with extreme criticism and the overly quoted phrase, "Show me where it says it plainly in scripture!" But Matthew isn't use the plain meaning (Peshat), he is using Remez and Derash which they would challenge doesn't exist because it isn't in the "written", it's found in Oral Torah.
In terms of the grammar or spelling, Bereishit is not an isolated instance. In fact, many verses throughout the Torah contain apparent anomalies, all of which require oral explanation to make sense. The renowned commentator, Rashi, often points out these textual issues and provides clarity based on the oral tradition. He famously commented only on verses that needed explanation. In fact, entire books have been written just cataloging the Torah’s “errors” to show how often these issues arise. If Hashem gave us the Torah, are we really to believe it’s full of mistakes? Or could it be that these peculiarities are purposeful, meant to signal deeper meanings—meanings that can only be unlocked through the Oral Torah?
Specific examples of textual anomilies include (but not limited to):
11 dots above the words in Deuteronomy 29:28 (29)
Large bet (ב) in Genesis 1:1, bigger than all other letters
Small aleph (א) in Leviticus 1:1
Dotted word in Genesis 33:4
Missing vav (ו) in Genesis 2:4 (תולדות), it is usually spelled without (תלדות)
Broken vav (ו) in Numbers 25:12 (שָׁלוֹם), a kosher scroll has it split in half.
The Second Hint: Missing Vowels
Another major clue that the Torah requires an oral tradition comes from the way it was originally written. The Torah scroll, as it was read for generations, did not include any vowels or punctuation. The Hebrew language relies heavily on vowel sounds to clarify meaning. Without these, words can be understood in various ways.
For example, the Torah states, "Do not cook a kid in its mother's chalav." However, the word used for “milk (חלב - chalav)” in the Torah could just as easily mean “fat (חלב - chelev),” depending on how it’s vocalized. The text alone offers no clarity. Without the Oral Torah, which gives us the correct vocalization and interpretation, we wouldn’t know whether this verse is forbidding cheeseburgers or some entirely different combination of food.
This isn’t just a theoretical problem. The entire Torah is filled with words that, without vowels, could mean multiple things. Before the sixth century, when the Masoretes introduced the system of written vowels, every Torah scroll was written without any vocalization. The only way Jews could have read and understood the Torah properly was through the oral tradition, which explained how each word should be vocalized and what it truly meant.
The Third Hint: Undefined Laws
The Torah is not just a collection of stories; it contains laws—mitzvot—that we are commanded to observe. However, many of these laws are mentioned without any instructions on how to perform them. Take the institution of marriage, for example. The Torah refers to marriage repeatedly, but nowhere does it explain how a marriage ceremony is to be performed. How does a man marry a woman? What are the legal requirements? The written Torah gives us no details.
Conversion is another example. The Torah mentions that converts—gerim—are to be loved and treated as part of the Jewish community, but it offers no process or guidelines for how one becomes part of the Jewish people. What's the formal process? Does someone just say "I now am Jewish"? What if he never says it but performs a certain number of commands? How many? Is it just faith in G-d, and if so, then what about someone who hates G-d but has faith He exists? Surely, if the Torah commands us to accept converts, Hashem must have given Moshe the rules for how conversion works.
The same can be said for divorce. The Torah says that a man may give his wife a "get," a document of divorce, but it provides no further instructions. What should be written in the get? How is it to be delivered? These crucial details are absent from the written text. The Oral Torah is what provides the necessary instructions on how to perform these commandments.
Without the Oral Torah, many mitzvot would be impossible to fulfill. We would know that they exist, but we wouldn’t know how to observe them. It’s clear that when Hashem gave the Torah at Mount Sinai, He must have also given an oral explanation of how these mitzvot are to be carried out.
The Fourth Hint: The Torah
Finally, the written Torah itself alludes to teachings that aren’t recorded within its text. For example, when describing the construction of the Mishkan (the portable sanctuary), the Torah tells us that it should be built "according to the pattern that I showed you on the mountain." But there are no illustrations or detailed descriptions in the text itself. What is this "pattern"? It was something Moshe saw and was meant to pass down orally.
Another striking example of this is the Torah’s commandment to "slaughter an animal in the way I showed you" (Deuteronomy 12:21). Here, the written Torah makes it clear that there is a specific method of ritual slaughter (shechitah) that must be followed, but it offers no details as to how this process is to be performed. The phrase "as I have shown you" clearly refers to an oral instruction that was demonstrated to Moshe at Sinai, yet the written text is silent on the precise method. Some argue that 'the way' is by covering the blood with dust, but this isn't the case for all animals nor is it how to slaughter. Covering the blood is what you do after you slaughter, not the way to slaughter itself.
Without the Oral Torah, we would have no knowledge of the critical steps involved in shechitah—from the kind of knife to be used, to the precise way the animal must be handled and slaughtered in order to be considered kosher. This is yet another powerful proof that the written Torah was never meant to stand alone; it relies on the Oral Torah to clarify and explain how the commandments should be observed in practice. The absence of these practical details in the written text underlines the importance of the oral tradition in guiding us to properly fulfill G‑d’s commandments.
The written Torah, time and again, refers to teachings and instructions that are not contained within its own text, pointing us directly to an oral tradition that was handed down alongside the written law.
Conclusion
The case for the Oral Torah is compelling. From the apparent “mistakes” in the written text, to the lack of vowels, to the many undefined commandments, and the Torah’s own references to extra-textual teachings, we can clearly see that the written Torah cannot stand alone. It was never meant to. Hashem, in His wisdom, gave us both the written and oral traditions at Mount Sinai, knowing that one without the other would be incomplete.
The written Torah is the foundation, but the Oral Torah is the key that unlocks its true meaning. Together, they form the complete instruction manual for Jewish life. Without the oral tradition, we would be lost—unable to correctly observe the mitzvot or understand the Torah’s deeper messages.
The Torah is more than a text. It’s a living tradition, passed down from generation to generation. And it is the Oral Torah that has allowed Judaism to thrive for over three thousand years, preserving the wisdom and teachings of Hashem as they were given to Moshe at Sinai.
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