What proportion of Jews today know the Torah by heart?

There are very few Jews who know the entire Torah by heart; memorizing 79,976 words is no simple feat. Those who do manage to memorize everything either are naturally gifted at such things or have spent plenty of time working at it (or both). read more

Today, very little is learned by heart and that is a pity. As for the Torah, most of us orthodox Jews who have heard the Torah read every week, know many verses by heart but it is doubtful weather the vast majority actually knows the Torah by heart. read more

Answer: Jewish males are required to learn the Torah (Deuteronomy 5: 1). When done diligently, a Jew often finds that he has learned large portions of the Torah by heart, whether deliberately or simply as a result of learning. Even today, there are Jews who know the entire Tanakh and Talmud by heart. read more

The meticulous process of hand-copying a scroll takes about 2,000 hours (a full-time job for one year). Throughout the centuries, Jewish scribes have adhered to the following guidelines: A Torah Scroll is disqualified if even a single letter is added. A Torah Scroll is disqualified if even a single letter is deleted. read more