Christians fundamentally misunderstand what kind of document the Bible is. When they read the Bible, they do so with the mindset that the Bible was written to them and about them. When the Bible says that Gd said something to Israel, they understand it as if Gd said it to them.
However, the Bible was written by Jewish authors for a Jewish audience, and its primary topic is to detail the relationship between the Jews and Gd. It's an internal document that isn't addressed to non-Jews at all. If we compare it to a theatrical play, then Gd is the producer, director, and script writer. The Bible is the script, the land of Israel is the stage, and the cast are the Jews. The actors are supposed to study the script, wear the costumes, and follow the stage directions, in order to put on a play. The audience is supposed to watch the play in order to learn the story. The audience isn't meant to learn the story by reading the script, and isn't meant to wear the costumes or follow the stage directions or speak the dialog.
In the same way, the Bible is there to help teach the Jews how to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, how to be role models, teachers, and priests that will bring all of mankind voluntarily to Gd. Mankind isn't meant to learn about Gd by reading the Bible. It's meant to learn about Gd by observing and learning from the Jews as the Jews live as a godly nation in the promised land.
The second fundamental mistake is that they think that we know Gd's word and about Biblical events from scripture, and therefor that whatever is in the oral tradition is a late invention of the rabbis. This is backwards. Our whole people were there. We (meaning our ancestors) experienced the events for themselves, heard Gd speak at Mt. Sinai, and were taught by the prophets. The oral tradition is the nation's first-hand knowledge of its own experiences, and is therefor rich and detailed. The scriptures are a concise written summary of the events that were written years, decades, or even centuries after the events have already transpired. We believe in the validity of scriptures because they match and are validated by the oral traditions and the scriptures that came before them, not the other way around.
The scriptures themselves say that the oral traditions are the original and primary way that Gd's word is transmitted. With every commandment, it says some version of "And Gd spoke to Moses and said to him, 'Speak to the children of Israel, and so you shall say to them'". Moses would spend all day, from morning until evening, teaching the people, answering questions, and settling disputes. He commanded the people "and these words that I command you shall be on your heart, and you shall repeat (same word as the word for teeth) them to your children, and you shall speak of Gd's word when sitting in your home and walking on the road, and when you lie down to sleep and when you wake up in the morning, and you shall write them on your doorposts and your gates".
There are also references in the text to knowledge that doesn't appear in the text. For example, it says to make the candelabra for the temple in the matter that Gd has shown, but there is no description of the vision, only a summary of certain visual elements by name. Or saying that slaughtering animals for meat has to be done in the same way as slaughtering them for a sacrifice, but there's no description of the method of slaughter. Or saying that doing creative work on the Sabbath is prohibited, but the only type of creative work that is mentioned in the text is lighting a fire, yet someone was put to death for violating the Sabbath law when all he did was collect wood without lighting a fire.
The text also contains an explicit commandment, saying that if there is something you don't know or understand, ask your father and he will tell you, your elders (which are the wise and learned men, not necessarily the oldest) and they will tell you. And if there is any matter in dispute, you must obey the ruling of the judges.
All of this is the text establishing the authenticity, validity, and even primacy of the oral tradition and the authority of the rabbis.
A third misunderstanding is that Christians think that faith comes first, and that the Bible needs to be read and interpreted through the lens of faith, through the lens of the New Testament. This is again backwards. Gd gave us his word, and he said that his word is the truth and that all future claims must be evaluated in light of that which was already revealed. So in order to know whether your faith is true or not, you must first study scripture on its own, out of the context of your faith, then evaluate your faith and doctrine in light of scripture. If they are consistent with each other, then your faith might be true. If they contradict then your faith is necessarily false.
For example, if the doctrine of the Trinity says that Gd is three persons, and one of those persons is Gd incarnated as a man, but scripture says that Gd is one, that he is alone, that there is none like him and no one beside him, and that he is not a man, then the doctrine of the Trinity is wrong.
If Paul says that the law is a curse of death and that it's impossible to keep it, and that faith alone is enough to be considered righteous, but scripture says that the law is a blessing of life, that it's our wisdom and intelligence in the eyes of the nations of the world, that it is near and accessible and easy, and that all Gd wants is for people to keep his laws, then Paul is a heretic.
For someone who studies the Bible without looking at it through the lens of Christianity, the contradictions are obvious and jarring, and it's up to Christians to prove that their beliefs don't contradict scripture before discussing anything else.
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