Is the Oral Torah a Later Development?
My parents were both of the belief that only the Torah itself is sacred, and that the Talmud and the Oral Torah were developed much later. They were the attempt of self-appointed rabbis to interpret the Scripture, but it is not the Torah itself. My parents saw the Oral Law as having developed slowly over the years, adding layer upon layer upon the Torah itself – and that we should really just keep God’s word rather than the invented interpretations of the rabbis. I’m sort of confused about this topic myself and would like to hear your take. Do we have any way of knowing if my parents’ understanding is accurate or not?