Since Moses gave the law to the people is Moses an intermediary like Catholic priests are intermediaries? I recently read the passage where God descends from the mountain to give the Ten Commandments. I found that even when facing God the people were stubborn and ask Moses to be an intermediary. On the other hand, the people are gathered around Mt. Sinai and it says something like “I give this law to all those who are present and all those who are not present here this day.” So is it not up to the individual to read the texts and decide for himself how to interpret the law?
Our tradition tells us that the law, together with its interpretation, was given by G-d to Moses, and from Moses to the Jewish People, to be memorized, and passed through the generations. Moses was not an intermediary between G-d and man. We do not have intermediaries – every person has a relationship with G-d. However, we are all parts of one whole, the Jewish People, and we each help each other to achieve our goals. In that sense, we need great people to help out lesser people. Moses was on a level that he was able to communicate with G-d, whereas most of the rest of the people were not. However, in order that people would not doubt that G-d has a relationship with everyone, G-d gave the 10 commandments to everyone, without Moses needing to relay the words. The Jewish People did request that the balance of the law be given to Moses and through him to everyone else, as the experience of prophecy was a painful one to the general public.
You are correct, that in Deuteronomy, Moses reminds the people that the law was given to them, and to all future generations as binding. The words, in Deuteronomy 29:13-14 are concisely translated, “Not to you alone did G-d make a covenant, but to those who are here today and to those who are not yet here.”
Rabbi David Shenker