top of page
Search

Was the Torah Originally Intended for All Humanity?

by Ram ben Ze'ev


In מסכת שבת (Masekhet Shabbat) 89a, the sages record a striking scene between the heavenly angels and משה רבינו (Moshe Rabbeinu). When Moshe ascends to receive the תורה (Torah), the angels protest, questioning why the most sacred gift of Divine wisdom should be given to flesh and blood. The response:


"In reward for the fact that they called you man, you are not an angel and the Torah is applicable to you."


At first glance, this line appears to reinforce the chosenness of עם ישראל (Am Yisrael – the nation of Israel) and the unique bond between the Jewish people and the Torah. And indeed, the traditional מסורה (mesorah – transmission) affirms this. Yet if we pause and examine the language in light of the timeline implied by the statement, another layer of meaning emerges—one that suggests a universal potential embedded in the moment of the Torah’s giving.


Note that the Talmud does not say “because you are Israel” or “because you are יהודי (Yehudi – Jewish).” It simply says “because you are אדם (adam – man).” This distinction matters.


The מדרשים (midrashim – rabbinic exegeses) tell us that before the giving of the Torah at הר סיני (Har Sinai – Mount Sinai), G-D approached all the nations of the world. To the descendants of עשו (Esav), of ישמעאל (Yishma'el), of עמון (Ammon) and מואב (Moav), He offered the Torah. Each nation, upon hearing one particular commandment, refused. “What is written in it?” they asked. When told “You shall not murder,” or “You shall not commit adultery,” or “You shall not steal,” each replied that the command conflicted with their identity, their culture, or their history.


Here is how the Midrash presents it:


1. G-D offered the Torah to the descendants of Esav (Edom):

G-D approached the בני עשו (children of Esav) and offered them the Torah. They asked: "What is written in it?" G-D replied, "You shall not murder."They said, "Master of the universe, our father was a man of war who lived by the sword — this is not for us."


2. G-D offered it to the descendants of Ammon and Moav:

They asked, "What is written in it?"G-D said, "You shall not commit adultery."They responded, "We come from an origin of incest (referring to Lot and his daughters) — this is not for us."


3. G-D offered it to the descendants of Yishmael:

They asked, "What is written in it?"G-D said, "You shall not steal."They said, "Our ancestors were thieves — this is not for us."


4. Finally, G-D approached Israel:

They famously responded without asking what was written in it, saying:"נעשה ונשמע" (na'aseh v'nishma – we will do, and we will hear). This selfless, faithful acceptance without conditions is what distinguished them and merited the giving of the Torah at הר סיני (Mount Sinai).


It was only when G-D approached בני ישראל (Bnei Yisrael – the Children of Israel) that He received an answer unlike any other: נעשה ונשמע (Na'aseh venishma – We will do and we will hear).


Here lies the critical distinction. The others asked what was required. Israel accepted the Torah unconditionally. That moment sealed the eternal covenant, transforming the Torah from a universal offer into an exclusive bond.


Yet before that moment—before נעשה ונשמע—the Torah was offered to man. The Talmud’s statement in Shabbat 89a fits squarely within that historical-theological context. When it says “the Torah is applicable to you” because “they called you man,” it reflects the Divine offer extended not to a particular ethnicity but to all of humanity. The limitation came not from G-D, but from human rejection.


This idea does not, חס ושלום (chas veshalom – G-D forbid) , contradict הלכה (halachah – Jewish law). Only Bnei Yisrael are obligated in the תרי״ג מצוות (taryag mitzvot – 613 commandments). The rest of the world is bound by the שבע מצוות בני נח (sheva mitzvot Bnei Noach – Seven Noahide laws), the moral covenant of civilisation. But the principle still stands: the Torah began as a universal gift. It became an exclusive inheritance only when the rest of mankind declined to accept its terms.


As it says in תהלים (Tehillim – Psalms) 147:19–20:"מגיד דבריו ליעקב חקיו ומשפטיו לישראל לא עשה כן לכל גוי...""He tells His words to Yaakov, His statutes and judgments to Yisrael. He has not done so for any other nation..."


The nations did not receive the Torah—not because they were not offered, but because they said no.


The lesson? The Torah’s origin was not exclusivity—it was availability. And the only thing that made it Israel’s alone was that Israel alone was willing to say yes without conditions.


###


bottom of page