Who received the Hebrew law?

Answer 1

The Jewish people received the Torah on Mount Sinai. Moshe wrote down what God told him to. He was on Mount Sinai for 40 days and then another 40 days after he saw the Jewish people worshipping a golden calf.

Answer 2

The Hebrew Law (or Jewish Law) is attributed to Moses and often called the Law of Moses or Mosaic law. This is defined in first 5 books in The Bible, which is known as the Torah.

According to Christian doctrine God spoke the Law to Moses who in turn passed it to the Jewish people.

Exodus 20:1 And God spoke all these words.

Exodus 20:22 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites this: 'You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven'".

Exodus 21:1 "These are the laws you are to set before them: ..."

Jewish Answer

First, there is no distinction between Jewish or Hebrew law, they're one in the same and the whole topic can be very confusing for many Jews, never mind non-Jews.

Second, Torah does not mean 'law', it actually means 'teachings'. The word Torah shares the same root as 'morah' which means 'teacher'. In Judaism, there is the written Torah, and the oral Torah.

The written Torah does not contain any laws, it contains the 'mitzvot'. Although, the word 'mitzvah' is often translated as commandment, this is not an accurate translation, the correct translation is 'guideline'. Halacha, was originally orally transmitted and is referred to as the Oral Torah. Halacha is separate from the written Torah and is what was recorded by sages due to repeated persecution, they did not want this information lost. It's halacha that explains how to observe the mitzvot.

So, the correct answer is that Jewish or Hebrew law was written down by the sages who compiled the Talmud. Prior to that, Jewish law was never recorded in written form.

Answer 3

Jewish tradition holds that the children of Israel received the Torah (תורה), or "Hebrew Law" at Mount Sinai, approximately 3300 years ago.