The Torah, also known as the Five Books of Moses, is the most sacred
object and the most important text of the Jewish people. As a sacred
scroll found in every synagogue throughout the world, it’s referred to as a
sefer Torah (say-fehr toe-rah; Torah scroll); as a bound book, it’s referred to
as a chumash (khuh-mahsh; five).
The Torah is more than a text, though; it’s also the spiritual tradition of the
Jewish people, communicated by God (the Creator and Master of the universe) to Moses (the greatest prophet of the Jewish people) on Mount Sinai
in 1280 BCE and handed down from generation to generation.
You can understand the word “Torah” in a third way as well. Torah is the vast
and constantly growing body of teachings and wisdom of Judaism, and in this
sense it even includes what a qualified Jewish teacher will teach tomorrow.
The “study of Torah” is not necessarily the same as the “study of the Torah.”
“The Torah” usually means the Written Torah, the Five Books of Moses,
whereas “Torah” is Torah studies in the more general sense.
In this chapter, I introduce you to various aspects of the Torah, such as its
structure, teachings, and study. I invite you to explore this chapter and discover some basics about this unique document of documents that has taught
the world about charity; love; the importance of educating children; honesty
in the marketplace; the concepts of bankruptcy, courts, and witnesses; and
so many other aspects of modern experience that are embedded into the
fabric of our lives.
