Read Aloud the Text Content

This audio was created by Woord's Text to Speech service by content creators from all around the world.

Text Content or SSML code:

The Jews claim that whereas Moses received the written law from God on Mount Sinai on tables of stone, he also received interpretations of it, or the "oral law," at the same time. They claim this is the reason why Moses remained so long on the mountain, since God could have given him the written law in one day. Whereas all this again is so much fiction and Jewish invention, nevertheless it is significant to note their explanation of the origin of their creed. Moses is said in turn to have transmitted this oral law to Joshua; Joshua in turn supposedly transmitted it to the seventy Elders; these Elders then passed it on to the Prophets, and the Prophets to the Great Synagogue. The Jews then claim it was later transmitted successively to certain Rabbis until it was no longer possible to retain it orally and they began to put it down in writing. This again is their mythical explanation of the origin of their sacred creed. It is, of course, not based on any fact. Like the rest of their self-concocted history, it is pure myth. It is very doubtful whether characters such as Moses or Joshua even existed. Nevertheless, going back to historical sources, it is well known that before the advent of Christianity, schools existed in Palestine in which "sacred: Jewish literature was taught. The commentaries of the doctors of law were noted down on charts and lists as an aid to memory, and these collected together formed the beginnings of the Jewish Talmud. There is a long history from here on out as to its compilation and its growth to the present day Talmud. I do not want to take up the space to go into all the complicated machinations that took place in order to build it up to its p[resent huge volumes. Suffice it to say that the Mischnah is the foundation and the principle part of the whole Talmud. This book was accepted by the Jews everywhere and was recognized as their authentic code of law. With the passing of time, the interpretations of this code increased and disputations and decisions of the doctors of the law concerning the Mischnah were written down. These writings, which were interpretations of the law, constitute another part of the Talmud called the the Gemarah. In total therefore, these two parts, namely the Mischnah, which serves as the text of the Jewish law, followed by the Gemarah which serves as an analysis and interpretation of that law, constitute the Jewish Talmud.