Transmission of the Torah

The Rabbis taught in a Baraitha: How was the Mishnah ordered? Moses learned from the mouth of the Divine. Then, Aaron entered and Moses taught him his portion. Aaron then distanced himself and sat to Moses' left. His sons then entered and Moses taught them their portion. They then distanced themselves and Elazar sat to the right of Moses and Itamar to the left of Aaron. Rabbi Yehuda said, Aaron was always on the right of Moses. Returning, the elders entered and Moses taught them their portion. The elders distanced themselves and the entire nation entered and Moses taught them their portion. The result was that Aaron heard the teaching four times, his sons, three times, the elders, twice, and the entire nation, once. Moses then distanced himself and Aaron repeated his portion. His sons then repeated their portion and left. The elders then repeated their portion and left. In this way, everyone heard everything four times. Based on this method, Rabbi Eliezer said, everyone is obligated to repeat his teachings to his disciples four times. This is obvious, by force of argument: If Aaron learned Torah from Moses and Moses directly from God, and then ordinary people from each other certainly!

R. Levi b. Hamma also said in the name of R. Simeon b. Lakish : What means that which is written, "And I will give thee the tables of stone, and the law and the commandment, which I have written, that thou mayest teach them" (Exod. xxiv. 12)? "Tables of stone," i.e. the Decalogue: "law," i.e. the Pentateuch; "commandment," i.e. the Mishnah ; "which I have written," i.e. the Prophets and Hagiographa; "that thou mayest teach them," i.e. the Gemara. The verse teaches that all of them were given to Moses on Sinai.

(12) And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Come up to Me into the mount and be there; and I will give thee the tables of stone, and the law and the commandment, which I have written, that thou mayest teach them.’