what is torah

The Torah is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. It is also known as the Pentateuch or the Five Books of Moses by Christians. The term "Torah" can be used in different contexts and can refer to the entire Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, which includes all 24 books of the Hebrew Bible. In its broadest sense, Torah can even mean the totality of Jewish teaching, culture, and practice, whether derived from biblical texts or later rabbinic writings, which is often known as the Oral Torah. The written Torah, in the restricted sense of the first five books of the Bible, is preserved in all Jewish synagogues on handwritten parchment scrolls that reside inside the ark of the Law. The term Torah is also used to designate the entire Hebrew Bible, and for some Jews, the laws and customs passed down through oral traditions are part and parcel of God’s revelation to Moses and constitute the “oral Torah” . The Torah is the core of the Jewish spiritual and religious tradition, and it consists of the origin of Jewish peoplehood.