Did Moshe plagiarize Torah? As we have seen, the Babylonians already had in 1755-1750 B.
C, Code of
Hammurabi, which he claimed he received from the God Shamash (sun, which translates as slave), it was
written in old Babylonian dialect of Akkadian on bazalt stele, but again isn't the most antique example of legal
code. The most antique legal code as of today is Code of Ur-Nammu, from Mesopotamia, written in Sumerian in
2100-2050 B.C.
Those law codes, including Moshe's, have many similarities and possibly underline antique legal system.
If Moshe plagiarized Torah (or portions of Torah, because it also contains many laws related to Egypt), we still
can claim full right to it, after Babylonian exile, we are also former Babylonians, with Babylonian months and
Talmud.
Moshe, though not from the land of Hittites, Akkadians, was very educated for his time, and so Torah laws, if
resemble Hammurabi by content, are transformed to suit emerging Israeli nation in their land.
But for all we know, Moshe was this person who received Torah from mountain Sinai (including Oral code)
This of course is understandable that we wouldn't mention various previous antique middle eastern legal codes,
dealing with the same issues,sometimes only slightly different from Torah laws, sometime exactly same,
sometimes totally opposite. Our Moshe is our lawgiver, we don't have to know history.
After all, legal systems have to be altered and changed, because of new issues, progress, situations, moral, but
mostly because systems in which integrity and justice one really put work, time, efforts and prayers, (together
with good understanding of science,logic and mathematics, so he will not try to build perpertum mobile), work
better. But do we have time for this? It was already said "From Moshe (Rabeinu) to Moshe (Maimonides) there
was no one as Moshe ".
Torah is not umbrella. Apart from 10 commandments, which anyway were adopted by most humans, the
specific Hebrew law begins with current chapter in Shemot (Exodus), Parashah Mishpatim (laws), with " if you
buy Hebrew slave...".
So, if Israel today was to adopt Torah laws for real, do I have to begin with buying Hebrew slave? (Everyone
who studied, knows, it's not worth it, as you have to treat him better than your wife, )
The other unsurpassed till today problem with law is that it's completely computerized. So, as Efraim Kishon
had put it, the main computer gives legal orders, of for example execution, which cannot be bipassed. By the
way, Efraim Kishon died in exile.
