[roamer_1]

This is because the earliest Biblical Hebrew did not have vowels, and was not even pointed for vowels.

True. Ancient Hebrew does not accommodate vowels, and vowel pointers are a later addition. Likewise, punctuation.

Hence you not only couldn't interpret the Torah correctly overall without Oral Tradition

Rather, one couldn't interpret Torah without Hebrew acculturation. No Hebrew document would contain vowels - Does one need an 'holy oral tradition' to interpret an invoice, a bill of lading, or a wedding contract?

[Mrs. Don-o]

"Rather, one couldn't interpret Torah without Hebrew acculturation. No Hebrew document would contain vowels - "

But that's exactly right. I don't disagree at all.

"Does one need an 'holy oral tradition' to interpret an invoice, a bill of lading, or a wedding contract?"

I would venture that one needs a commercial oral tradition to interpret an invoice, a commercial carrier's oral tradition to interpret a bill of lading, a Halachic oral tradition to interpret a marriage contract, a holy oral tradition to interpret Scripture. I think this is a reasonable inference.

[Mrs. Don-o]

It’s a longer way of saying, “To read it and understand it accurately, you’d need to already be pretty familiar with the subject matter beforehand. This is part of your oral cultural inheritance, which in ancient times was very, very extensive. Much more so than today.