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Following "what-went-wrong-at-matan-torah:

We claim that Matan Torah was/is the ultimate proof of the veracity of the Torah, because unlike what we observe in other religions, where G-d never makes direct contact with the people, at M"T G-d spoke directly to the Jews.

That made me think, since:

  1. G-d loves His chosen people and only wishes good for them
  2. at some point at M"T The Israelites have reached the level of prophecy anyway
  3. the event was miraculous anyway it could last as long as G-d wanted
  4. the scarcity of clear commandments from the source has led to numerous misunderstandings, quarrels, and incidents in the wilderness and after

G-d could easily use the moment to pass the whole written Torah (or the Oral also).

Why was M"T limited to two commandments only?

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    Because the Jews were scared of dying so they asked moshe to be the middleman...
    – Lo ani
    Commented Oct 26, 2019 at 18:13
  • @Loani Oh, poor G-d, He couldn't contain the situation? I asked the related question on this very point.
    – Al Berko
    Commented Oct 26, 2019 at 18:53
  • It’s not that G-d couldn’t contain the situation, of course he could! But the way I see it, it was a test for the Jews, to see if they would have enough emunah to trust that HaShem wouldn’t let them die while they were hearing the commandments. If this is the case, they failed (I believe I commented something along these lines on that question)
    – Lo ani
    Commented Oct 26, 2019 at 19:04
  • Seems like a duplicate of the question you link to
    – msh210
    Commented Oct 26, 2019 at 19:42
  • @msh210 That question asks about the minimum of the 10 commandments - why that went wrong, this question aska why in the first place the plan was limited to that, not the entire Torah.
    – Al Berko
    Commented Oct 26, 2019 at 19:43

1 Answer 1

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The Rambam takes a very natural approach. That Moshe wrote the Torah by studying the divine laws of nature. Maimonides' view of prophecy is not consistent with Sinaitic revelation. How does he reconcile the apparent contradiction? Rambam says that the Jews (collectively) could understand the first two commandments (1) G-d exists and (2) G-d is One. they are simple philosophical expressions that anyone could understand with ease. They could not delve into the other deeper commandments of the Torah so Moshe went back to the mountain and spoke with G-d (metaphorically).

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  • How about דברה התורה כלשון ב"א - the Torah was specifically downgraded to fit people's understanding?
    – Al Berko
    Commented Oct 26, 2019 at 22:17
  • You mean to allude Rabbi Ishmael’s famous statement dibra torah k’lashon b’nei adam, “the Torah speaks in the language of man.”
    – Turk Hill
    Commented Oct 26, 2019 at 22:52
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    You keep steering into G-d that doesn't understand His creation and needs to constantly adjust it. He created Torah, but they can't understand it. Doesn't sound plausible.
    – Al Berko
    Commented Oct 26, 2019 at 22:55
  • I am struggling to understand what you are saying. G-d, to my understanding, does not consult anyone. The meaning is that G-d works through nature. G-d does not need to readjust anything. It is saying that G-d made the world as the Bible says "Very good." G-d is not like a plumber, in need to return to adjust the work from time to time. No readjustment is necessary.
    – Turk Hill
    Commented Oct 26, 2019 at 23:02
  • There is a midrash that says G-d looked into the Torah and created the world. For Moshe, it is the other way around. G-d created the laws of nature which are divine. Moshe copied those laws and produced the Torah. Thus, the Torah is divine.
    – Turk Hill
    Commented Oct 26, 2019 at 23:02

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