Debate over oral Torah

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Regarding information on the debate regarding the oral law devote followers of mainstream Orthodox Judaism on the one hand regard the Oral Torah and its recorded form the Talmud to be “the word of God” and “the central pillar” of the rabbinic faith.

“No other work has having had a comparable influence on the theory and practice of Jewish life.” rabbi Adin Steinsaltz.

According to Rabbinic tradition its transmission came from Mount Sinai, where it is believed the prophet Moses had God revealed the Oral Torah along with the written. He then recited the information to the 70 elders and selected Levites. Many centuries later hundreds of scholars attempted a thorough reconstruction and wrote it down what was remembered of the oral law to record the debates over what it is and how it is to be interpreted.
Critical
Critics have rejected the idea Oral Torah as being “the word of God.” As did tenth century Karaite author Salmon ben Yeruham who wrote his belief regarding recorded Oral Torah: “your deeds are but falsehood and rebellion against God…There is no true Law in them.”
Historically speaking, the Pharisees composed the Orthodox rabbinic party and were its supporters.Whereas, the first century Jewish Historian Flavius Josephus reports its opponents included: both the Sadducees party and the Essenes community.
Some of the 1st century common Jewish people were sometimes looked down at for not following or fully understanding the rabbinic oral code. The Samaritans community still to this day, regret the authority of the Mishnah. In addition to the followers of John the Baptist, and the followers of Jesus of Nazareth the Sadducee and the Essenes also rejected the belief in a Oral Torah.
Claim of Divine origin
Rabbinic Judaism maintains the Oral Torah has a divine origin and clarifies the Holy Tanakh and was revealed to the ancient Rabbinic sages. These traditions descended from the Pharisees and formed the basis of contemporary Orthodox, Conservative, Reconstructionist, & Reform Judaism, though all of these group have a somewhat different views of it.
On the other hand, the Oral Torah has been called into question by religious and non-religious opponents. As for example, Reform and conservative Jewish movements, as Jewish Karaites, the Samaritan community, and some professed Christians groups, as well as Muslims, and the Mandaeans. There is also secularists, freethinkers, agnostic and atheists question any claim of the divine period. Some historians question the considerably differing views on the era of the Tanakh and the era of the Rabbis.
One example cited is the difference found the Mishnah in Tractate Shabbat in which it states, that there are some “nine hundred and seventy-four generations before” what Genesis says is the first created man Adam. Even within the world of Orthodox Judaism there are differing views as to Oral Torah interpretation. But as The Encyclopedia of Judaism comments: “The Oral Law is not a definitive code; it includes many diverse and even conflicting opinions.”
Another difference which can be cited regarding theology, is the condition of the death. The Talmud speaks of the dead contacting the living. “Probably on account of the influence of Platonism,” says the Encyclopædia of Religion and Ethics, states “ believed in the pre-existence of souls.” Jews, God and History states that though the Pharisees carried on "the torch of Jewish ideology and religion." "The torch itself had been ignited by the Greek philosophers.”
Highlighting the coplexity Jewish author Nathan Ausubel wrote in his book called: The Book of Jewish Knowledge that the later recorded rabbinic traditions were “a large assortment of pointless naïvetés, taboos, superstitions, demonic folklore, myths…which mar the Talmud may also be found in the religious and philosophical writings of the Greeks and the Romans, of the Church Fathers and the medieval Christian Schoolmen.” Another long conversional subject includes, the Seder ‘Olam Rabbah and other Talmudic chronological works which have caused much considerable discussion among Jewish scholars. “Their interest was not so much academic as religious,” observes Encyclopaedia Judaica.
Many scholars and researchers alike question the oral narratives accuracy. Kofi Asare Opoku wrote: “Most often, pieces of information passed on orally are subject to additions & subtractions, modifications, distortions, exaggerations, & confusions, so that it is often difficult to separate the truth from the fiction.”
Alternatively, these oral traditions many times have shed light into ancient Jewish and priestly and temple life in ancient time. This information has proved invaluable to historians and researchers alike. As for example,
the Mishnah says: “Inside the Temple Mount was a latticed railing (the Soreg), ten hand-breadths high.” (Middot 2:3). This is understood as revealing some information on Ephesians 2:14.

Orthodox Judaism
The term Halakha LeMoshe MiSinai, literally means "Law (given) to Moses from Mount Sinai", it is used in classical Rabbinical literature to refer to oral law as having a direct Divine origin, transmitted to Moses at Mount Sinai at the same time as the written Torah. It is distinguished from the written Torah. One such law is the requirement that tefillin be dyed black.
The Samaritans
Followers of the Samaritan religion reject the Orthodox Judaism including their oral traditions and literature. Religious leaders of the Samaritans, have criticized rabbinic oral Torah as supplementing the Torah”, they also they cite the differences between the two branches of theology for example on subjects as how to trace lineages through the maternal line or the paternal and interpretation on things as tefillin.
Sadducees
The Sadducees were an "Israelite religion" which flourished during the Second Temple period. One of their main arguments with the Pharisees was over their rejection of an oral law. Jewish historian Flavius Josephus commented on this in book Jewish Antiques. (Jewish Antiquities. Book XIII. Chapter X)
Essenes
The Essenes, a monastic group of people were composed largely Levite priests. They flourished from the 2nd century BCE to the 1st century CE that some scholars claim came from the Zadokite priests. Little is known about them.
Karaite Judaism
Another group which rejected the oral law was Karaism. The group is believed to arisen within roughly two centuries of the completion of the Mishnah. The central concept of Karaism is the rejection of the Oral Torah, as embodied in the rabbinic literature, in favor of a strict adherence to the Holy written Torah only. This opposes the fundamental rabbinic concept that, the oral law was given to Moses on Mount Sinai together with the written Torah. Karaites allow that some elements of tradition (called sevel ha-yerushah, "the burden of inheritance") is admissible in interpreting the Torah, though these can never supersede the plain meaning of the Torah.
Reform Judaism
With the rise of Reform Judaism, during the 19th century, the authority of the Oral Torah was sometimes questioned. The works of rabbinic literature regarding oral traditions was seen by Reform Jews as a product of late antiquity having relevance merely as a historical document. In some cases a similar view was taken of the written law as well, while others appeared to adopt a neo-Karaite "back to the Bible" approach, though often with greater emphasis on the prophetic than on the legal books.

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