Wisdom or Wedding Vows?

(ד) תּוֹרָ֥ה צִוָּה־לָ֖נוּ מֹשֶׁ֑ה מוֹרָשָׁ֖ה קְהִלַּ֥ת יַעֲקֹֽב׃

(4) When Moses commanded us about the Torah--the heritage of the congregation of Jacob.

ואמר ר' יוחנן עובד כוכבים שעוסק בתורה חייב מיתה שנאמר (דברים לג, ד) תורה צוה לנו משה מורשה לנו מורשה ולא להם וליחשבה גבי שבע מצות מ"ד מורשה מיגזל קא גזיל לה מאן דאמר מאורסה דינו כנערה המאורסה דבסקילה מיתיבי היה ר"מ אומר מניין שאפילו עובד כוכבים ועוסק בתורה שהוא ככהן גדול שנאמר (ויקרא יח, ה) אשר יעשה אותם האדם וחי בהם כהנים לוים וישראלים לא נאמר אלא האדם הא למדת שאפילו עובד כוכבים ועוסק בתורה הרי הוא ככהן גדול התם בשבע מצות דידהו:

Sanhedrin 59a:2-5

And Rabbi Yoḥanan says: A gentile who engages in Torah study is liable to receive the death penalty; as it is stated: “Moses commanded us a law [torah], an inheritance of the congregation of Jacob” (Deuteronomy 33:4), indicating that it is an inheritance for us, and not for them. The Gemara challenges: But if so, let the tanna count this prohibition among the seven Noahide mitzvot. The Gemara explains: According to the one who says that the verse is referring to the Torah as an inheritance, this prohibition is included in the prohibition of robbery, as a gentile who studies Torah robs the Jewish people of it. According to the one who says that the verse is referring to the Torah as betrothed, as the spelling of the Hebrew word for betrothed [me’orasa], is similar to that of the word for inheritance [morasha], the punishment of a gentile who studies Torah is like that of one who engages in intercourse with a betrothed young woman, which is execution by stoning. The Gemara raises an objection to Rabbi Yoḥanan’s statement from a baraita: Rabbi Meir would say: From where is it derived that even a gentile who engages in Torah study is considered like a High Priest? It is derived from that which is stated: “You shall therefore keep My statutes and My ordinances, which if a man does he shall live by them” (Leviticus 18:5). The phrase: Which if priests, Levites, and Israelites do they shall live by them, is not stated, but rather: “A man,” which indicates mankind in general. You have therefore learned that even a gentile who engages in Torah study is considered like a High Priest. The Gemara answers: There, in the baraita, the reference is to a gentile who engages in the study of their seven mitzvot. It is a mitzva for a gentile to study the halakhot that pertain to the seven Noahide mitzvot, and when he does so he is highly regarded.

בבא קמא ל״ח א:י״ג-י״ד

ת"ר וכבר שלחה מלכות רומי שני סרדיוטות אצל חכמי ישראל למדונו תורתכם קראו ושנו ושלשו בשעת פטירתן אמרו להם דקדקנו בכל תורתכם ואמת הוא חוץ מדבר זה שאתם אומרים שור של ישראל שנגח שור של כנעני פטור של כנעני שנגח שור של ישראל בין תם בין מועד משלם נזק שלם... ודבר זה אין אנו מודיעים אותו למלכות

Bava Kamma 38a:13-14

The Sages taught...And the Roman kingdom once sent two military officials [sardeyotot] to the Sages of Israel, and ordered them in the name of the king: Teach us your Torah. The officials read the Torah, and repeated it, and repeated it again, reading it for the third time. At the time of their departure, they said to the Sages: We have examined your entire Torah and it is true, except for this one matter that you state, i.e., that with regard to an ox of a Jew that gored the ox of a gentile, the owner is exempt from liability, whereas with regard to the ox of a gentile that gored the ox of a Jew, whether it was innocuous or forewarned, the owner pays the full cost of the damage... But we will not inform this matter to the kingdom; having acknowledged that the entire Torah is true, we will not reveal this ruling, as it will displease the kingdom.

תשובות הרמב"ם נ״ח:ב׳-ג׳

אכן אינו נהרג אם עסק בתורה דהא חייב מיתה אמר ולא אמר נהרג

Teshuvot HaRambam 58:2-3

However, they are not actually put to death if they study Torah, as [the Talmud] said "liable to death," and did not say "put to death."

דברים כ״ז:ח׳

וְכָתַבְתָּ֣ עַל־הָאֲבָנִ֗ים אֶֽת־כָּל־דִּבְרֵ֛י הַתּוֹרָ֥ה הַזֹּ֖את בַּאֵ֥ר הֵיטֵֽב׃

Deuteronomy 27:8

(8) And on those stones you shall inscribe every word of this Teaching most distinctly.

רש"י על דברים כ״ז:ח׳

באר היטב. בְּשִׁבְעִים לָשׁוֹן (שם ל"ב):

Rashi on Deuteronomy 27:8

EXPLAINING THEM WELL — i.e. in seventy languages (Sotah 32a; cf. Rashi on Deuteronomy 1:5).

מדרש תנחומא, כי תשא ל״ד

(א) ‎וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה כְּתָב לְךָ אֶת הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה. זֶה שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב: אֶכְתָּב לוֹ רֻבֵּי תּוֹרָתִי כְּמוֹ זָר נֶחְשָׁבוּ (הושע ח, יב). אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בַּר שַׁלּוּם: כְּשֶׁאָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמֹשֶׁה כְּתָב לְךָ, בִּקֵּשׁ מֹשֶׁה שֶׁתְּהֵא הַמִּשְׁנָה בִּכְתָב. וּלְפִי שֶׁצָּפָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שֶׁאֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם עֲתִידִין לְתַרְגֵּם אֶת הַתּוֹרָה וְלִהְיוֹת קוֹרְאִין בָּהּ יְוָנִית, וְהֵם אוֹמְרִים אָנוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל.

(ב) וְעַד עַכְשָׁו הַמֹּאזְנַיִם מְעֻיָּן. אָמַר לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לָאֻמּוֹת: אַתֶּם אוֹמְרִים שֶׁאַתֶּם בָּנַי, אֵינִי יוֹדֵעַ, אֶלָּא מִי שֶׁמִּסְטוֹרִין שֶׁלִּי אֶצְלוֹ, הֵם בָּנַי. וְאֵיזוֹ הִיא? זוֹ הַמִּשְׁנָה שֶׁנִּתְּנָה עַל פֶּה, וְהַכֹּל מִמְּךָ לִדְרֹשׁ.

(ג) אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בַּר שַׁלּוּם: אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמֹשֶׁה: מָה אַתְּ מְבַקֵּשׁ שֶׁתְּהֵא הַמִּשְׁנָה בִּכְתָב. וּמַה בֵּין יִשְׂרָאֵל לָאֻמּוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: אֶכְתָּב לוֹ רֻבֵּי תּוֹרָתִי. וְאִם כֵּן, כְּמוֹ זָר נֶחְשָׁבוּ. אֶלָּא תֵּן לָהֶם מִקְרָא בִּכְתָב, וּמִשְׁנָה עַל פֶּה.

Midrash Tanchuma, Ki Tisa 34

(1) And the Lord said unto Moses: “Write thou these words, for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel” (Exod. 34:27). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: Though I write for him never so many things of My Law, they are accounted as stranger’s (Hos. 8:12). R. Judah the son of Shalum was of the opinion that when the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses Write thou, Moses wanted to write the Mishnah as well. However, the Holy One, blessed be He, foresaw that ultimately the nations of the world would translate the Torah into the Greek language and would claim: “We are the Israelites.”

(2) Now the scales are balanced (as to who are His people). The Holy One, blessed be He, can say to the nations of the world: You claim that you are My children, but I know that only those who know My secrets are My children. Where are His secrets (to be found)? In the Mishnah, which was given orally, and from which everything can be derived.

(3) R. Judah the son of Shalum said: The Holy One, blessed be He, asked Moses: Why do you wish the Mishnah to be written?’ What would be the difference, then, between the peoples of the world and Israel? That is why it is written: Though I write for him never so many things of My Law, they are counted as a stranger’s. Therefore give them the Scripture in writing and the Mishnah orally.

Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Chajes, Maharitz Chayot on Sotah 35b
Our Rabbinical authorities have differentiated between the Oral Torah, which is forbidden. However, the Written Torah is permitted. This is the main reason that the Oral Torah was not given in writing--so that the nations should not be able to say, "we are Israel!"

האמונות והדעות, מאמר השלישי; צווי ואזהרה ז׳:א׳

ועוד כי אומתנו איננה אומה כי אם ‏בתורותיה

HaEmunot veHaDeot, [Treatise III] Revelation and the Commandments 7:1

Furthermore, our nation is only a nation by means of the Torah [or, its laws].