Receiving the Torah at Mt. Sinai was an overwhelming experience for the Jewish people. The Torah describes in great detail how every man, woman and child experienced the word of God with all their senses. The uniqueness of this account cannot be overemphasized. God did not whisper to a lone individual on a mountaintop, on a rooftop, on a secluded road or in a cave. We do not need to trust an individual’s word that he or she had prophecy in order to accept the reality of this communication.
In this critical respect, the Revelation at Sinai stands in marked contrast to all other claims of prophetic revelation that we find in history. The standard revelation story goes something like this:
“Yesterday I was alone on a mountaintop in New Jersey praying and meditating. God came to me in a vision and said ‘John Doe, you are My prophet. Go out and command the people and establish for Me the United Church of Johnology.’ I was terrified and yet filled with love, humbled and yet encouraged to fulfill my unique destiny, and so I come to you as your prophet and seer.”
The claim that God spoke to an individual and that individual conveyed the message to others is common to every story of revelation (except the Torah account). It is relatively easy to disseminate this type of story even if it is false. An eloquent and charismatic leader can convince people that God spoke to him, as indeed people have done throughout history. They are able do succeed because the revelation is described in such a way that even if it had actually occurred there would be no reason to expect any evidence to remain. The lack of tangible evidence does not, therefore, elicit any skepticism. Neither is there any possibility of an eyewitness other that the “prophet”, so no one can dispute his claims.
At Mt. Sinai, the entire Jewish nation experienced prophecy, each and every one heard God say, “I am the Lord your God Who took you out of Egypt,” the only God, the One Who designated Moses as His prophet. The Jews did not have to trust Moses and rely on his testimony: they themselves heard the voice of God. Everyone also hear God speak with Moses and appoint him as God’s prophet and leader of the Jewish people.
If this event had not actually happened with thousands of eyewitnesses, as described in the Torah, it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to convince people that it had. Thousands of people would be able to attest to the absence of this experience and refute even an eloquent and charismatic leader. This is one reason that the Torah account continuously mentions the public nature of the Revelation and the fact that the Jewish people were witnesses to both the commands of God and His appointment of Moses as a prophet.
