What is Oral Law?

According to Rabbinic Judaism, the Oral Torah or Oral Law (Hebrew: תּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל־פֶּה‎, romanized: Tōrā šebbəʿal-pe) are statutes and legal interpretations that were not recorded in the Five Books of Moses, the Written Torah (תּוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָב‎, Tōrā šebbīḵṯāv, '"Written Law"'), and which are regarded by Orthodox Jews as prescriptive and given at the same time.

According to Rabbinic Jewish tradition, the Oral Torah was passed down orally in an unbroken chain from generation to generation until its contents were finally committed to writing following the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, when Jewish civilization was faced with an existential threat, by virtue of the dispersion of the Jewish people.

The Oral Torah at www.sefaria.org

The Oral Torah at www.sefaria.org