If the tradition teaches that approx. 2-3 million of us witnessed Sinai, and the show was so big that "שמעו עמים ירגזון חיל אחז ישבי פלשת" Why do we see no extra-biblical record of this event. If the Pelishtim were so grabbed with fear, would they not record the event? By Occams Razor it seems we should assume that the event is simply an origin legend like all the others in history. Please explain. I was always told that its the other religions that require a leap of faith.

ב"ה Shalom, Allow me first to make some order. 1. The Torah (Shemot 12:37) speaks of 600, 000 men who left Egypt, a number which does not include women and children. So, we can say there were approximately 3 million people who witnessed the revelation of G-d at Mt. Sinai. 2. The verse you quoted in Hebrew "Nations heard and shuddered, terror gripped those who dwell in Philistia" (Shemot 15:14) refers to the witnessing of the splitting of the Red Sea, not of the revelation at Sinai. Now, let's do some historical analysis and then we will get to the crux of your question. Although, the Pelishtim= the ancient Philistines are referred to in ancient Egyptian sources and have some archaeological evidence of their existence, the Torah Bible is the most detailed narrative source about them and was historically the first to preserve their name. In fact, the archaeological findings of the Pelishtim were found in Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron just as the book of Yehosua (13:2) places them. Now, I don't understand why you place your trust in evidence left by the Pelishtim, while no substantial Philistine-written documents (like chronicles, official inscriptions, or literature) have been discovered even of their own existence. However , interestingly enough, in one of the scarce inscriptions attributed to the Pelishtim, known as the Ekron Inscription (discovered in 1996), there is reference to the Philistine king "Achish" who is mentioned in the book of Shmuel I (27:2). Archaeological findings or inscriptions therefore, cannot be the sole proof that something took place or existed. Furthermore, in any historical research there are certain disciplines which are followed for something to be considered historically accurate. Therefore, some may find the Revelation at Mt. Sinai as an occurrence which does come under their disciplines for historical research. Sometimes, these disciplines can have strange consequences. Just for example, although the Guinness book of Records is not a historical document, Methusaleh = Metushelach who is known to have been the oldest person mentioned in the Bible, is not registered in the Guinness book of Records to have been the oldest person to live. The reason being, his existence cannot be verified by documentation. So, on the one hand, this can sound totally absurd ( or for some even blasphemous, ) that a well-known figure who is mentioned in the Bible which is accepted by the major religions of the world, is not mentioned in the Guinness book of Records. But on the other hand, since the Guinness book of Records follows its disciplines, it has no choice but to omit Metushelach. Now, getting to the revelation at Mt. Sinai. This is no legend. It was witnessed by a few million people as aforementioned. An occurrence witnessed by so many people rules out the possibility of conspiracy and leaves no doubt for its authenticity. The witnessing of the occurrence was then passed down from generation to generation with an unbroken chain of transmission. Just for example, the Rambam, Maimonides traces the transmission of the Torah, 40 generations from Moshe= Moses until Rav Ashi the editor of the Babylonian Talmud. Therefore, the Jewish people's acceptance of this occurrence is as if we saw it with our own eyes. This is not a leap of faith, rather a strongly based premise, relying on an extraordinarily strong unbroken tradition passed down from generation to generation. All the best