Facts about Torah
Abraham is considered the father of the Jewish nation, as its first patriarch, having fathered (Isaac), who in turn fathered Jacob, the father of the Twelve Tribes.
Manuscript Torah scrolls are still used, and still scribed, for ritual purposes (i.e.
Jews are often called the "People of the Book," and Judaism has an age-old intellectual tradition focusing on text-based Torah and Talmud study.
Jews may use the term "omniscience" or "preordination" as a corollary of omniscience, but normally outright reject the idea of predestination.
Some rabbinic sources state that the entire Torah was given all at once at this event.
All classical beliefs, nonetheless, hold that the Torah was entirely or almost entirely Mosaic and of divine origin.
The Biblical Hebrew language is sometimes referred to as "the flame alphabet" because many devout Jews believe that the Torah is the literal word of God written in fire.
The Torah was translated into several Greek versions, being included in the Septuagint which was the Bible of the early Christian church.
Other classical rabbinic sources hold that the Torah was revealed to Moses over many years, and finished only at his death.
Classical Judaism recognizes the Torah as containing a complete system of laws, particularly the 613 mitzvot ("commandments"), the divine law that governs the life of observant Jews.
Most believe that the Torah constitutes the covenant with the Jews, while Christians have a different covenant, established through the blood of Christ.
According to John Smith's 1624 Generall Historie of Virginia, he was laid across a stone and was about to be executed, when Pocahontas threw herself across his body.
Many Jewish laws are not directly mentioned in the written Torah, but are derived from the oral tradition, or oral Torah.
The Talmud says that God dictated four books of the Torah, but that Moses wrote Deuteronomy in his own words (Meg.
Nevertheless, Christianity does not accept the laws of the Torah as binding in every respect.
Another school of thought holds that although Moses wrote the vast majority of the Torah, a number of sentences throughout the Torah must have been written after his death by another prophet, presumably Joshua.
Commandments of the Torah, including circumcision, kashrut and observance of the Jewish Sabbath were not required of Christians.
The Torah is "dressed" often with a sash, various ornaments and often (but not always) a crown.
On the other hand, Saint Paul taught that the Torah was not binding on gentile Christians, who were saved through Christ.
According to classical Judaism, Moses was traditionally regarded as the author of the Torah, receiving it from God either as divine inspiration or as direct dictation together with the Oral Torah.
Printed versions of the Torah in normal book form (codex) are known as a Chumash (plural Chumashim) (" Five or Fifths").
Ibn Ezra hinted, and Bonfils explicitly stated, that Joshua (or perhaps some later prophet) wrote these sections of the Torah.
A chumash contains the Torah and other writings, usually organized for liturgical use, and sometimes accompanied by some of the main classic commentaries on individual verses and word choices, for the benefit of the reader.
Jesus regarded the Torah as authoritative, and his Great Commandment (Matt.
The Rabbis hold that not only do the words of the Torah provide a Divine message, but they also indicate a far greater message that extends beyond them.
The Torah, being the core of Judaism, is naturally also the core of the synagogue.
Rabbinic writings offer various ideas on when the entire Torah was actually revealed to the Jewish people.
Islam affirms that Moses (Musa) was given a revelation, the Torah, which Muslims call Tawrat in Arabic, and believe it to be the word of God.
Muslims too have traditionally regarded the Torah as the literal word of God as told to Moses.
Other Hebrew names for the Torah include Hamisha Humshei Torah (???? ????? ????, " five fifths/parts Torah") or simply the Humash (??????? "fifth").
The Torah (from Hebrew ???????: meaning "teaching," "instruction," or "law") refers to most important scriptures of Judaism that are the foundation of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh).
A Sefer Torah is a formal written scroll of the five books, written by a Torah scribe under exceptionally strict requirements.