Torah

Overview

The Torah—known in Biblical Hebrew as תּוֹרָה (Tōrā), meaning "Instruction," "Teaching," or "Law"—is the compilation of the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Referred to as the Pentateuch or the Five Books of Moses in Christian tradition, it is also called the Written Torah (תּוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָב) in Rabbinical Judaism. When used for liturgical purposes, the Torah takes the form of a scroll known as a Sefer Torah; in book form, it is called a Chumash and typically includes rabbinic commentaries.

In rabbinic literature, "Torah" encompasses both the Written Torah and the Oral Torah (תורה שבעל פה), the latter consisting of interpretations handed down through generations and now found in the Talmud and Midrash. Rabbinic tradition holds that all teachings in the Torah, written and oral, were divinely given to Moses, some at Mount Sinai and others at the Tabernacle, and subsequently recorded by him.

Meaning of Torah

The Hebrew word Torah comes from the root ירה, which in the hif'il form means "to guide" or "to teach." Thus, it translates more accurately to "teaching," "doctrine," or "instruction"; the commonly accepted translation into "law" gives a wrong impression.¹ The Septuagint translation by Alexandrian Jews used the Greek word nomos, meaning "norm" or "standard," which later influenced Greek and Latin Bibles to refer to the Pentateuch as "The Law." In English, Torah can also imply "custom," "theory," "guidance," or "system."