RMPS - Int2/Higher - World Religions - Judaism - Education Scotland

SECTION 6
The Torah
THE MEANS
Torah means ‘instruction’ or ‘teaching’. In Judaism the word is used in
many different ways. It can be used to refer to the first five books of the
Bible (the Five Books of Moses), the whole Jewish Bible, or to the whole
body of Jewish law and teachings.
The underlying idea of ‘teaching’ is common to all these meanings and
the Torah is considered to contain the guidelines to Judaism. It is
inaccurate to consider the Torah solely as Jewish law, because studying
the Torah refers to a wider range of Jewish topics, such as ethics, justice,
religion and education. It covers in fact a whole way of life. Its study is
central to Judaism and Jews and this is emphasised in the following
writings and prayers.
– Study the Torah again and again, for everything is contained in it.
(Ethics of the Fathers 5: 25)
– Every Jew must study the Torah, whether poor or rich, healthy or
ailing, young or old… Ye shall study it day and night. (Mishneh
Torah, Talmud Torah 1: 8)
– The world depends on three things – on Torah study, on service (to
God) and on kind deeds. (Ethics of the Fathers 1: 2)
In Talmudic literature, the word Torah includes both the Written and
the Oral Law. They were both given to Moses on Mount Sinai. The Oral
Law consists of explanations and interpretations of the Written Law and
it was passed on by word of mouth. For example, Jews believe that
Moses passed on the Oral Law given at Mount Sinai to his successor,
Joshua, who in turn passed it to his successor, in a chain that was carried
on until the Oral Law was written down many centuries later.
In this section we shall define and examine the importance of the
written Torah, which many non-Jews refer to as the ‘Old Testament’.
This contains the following three sections:
1. Torah (the Five Books of Moses)
2. Nevi’im (pr. n’vee’eem) (the Prophets)
3. Ketuvim (pr. kit-oov-eem) (Writings)
RMPS: WORLD RELIGIONS – JUDAISM (INT 2, H) 59
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