Why Is Our Mesorah (Teachings by Tradition) Rock Solid?

An ambitious and willful man would add or subtract from the laws in order to please himself. [But our] Sages received the teachings of their forefathers with the greatest humility, and they cherished every word and every detail with the utmost care and veracity. They even preserved the exact wording in which the tradition came down to them, without any alteration. Humility is the companion of Truth. — Rejoice, O Youth