The TorahThe Torah

What is it?What is it?

Why is it so important to the Why is it so important to the Jewish people?Jewish people?

IntroductionIntroduction

The Torah is the The Torah is the sacred textsacred text of the of the Jewish people.Jewish people.

Traditional Jewish Traditional Jewish people believe that people believe that God told Moses all of God told Moses all of the Torah on Mount the Torah on Mount Sinai, and that Moses Sinai, and that Moses wrote down his exact wrote down his exact words.words.

IntroductionIntroduction

Less traditional Jewish Less traditional Jewish people believe that people believe that people people inspiredinspired by by God wrote the Torah.God wrote the Torah.

Almost all Jewish Almost all Jewish people believe that people believe that God gave Moses the God gave Moses the ten commandments. ten commandments. Can you name any?Can you name any?

What’s in the Torah?What’s in the Torah?

The word Torah actually means ‘teaching’. The word Torah actually means ‘teaching’. The Torah is made up of five books, also The Torah is made up of five books, also known as the five books of Moses.known as the five books of Moses.

These books are called: Genesis, Exodus, These books are called: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

When Jewish people talk about the Torah, When Jewish people talk about the Torah, they sometimes include other important they sometimes include other important books written by people to help explain the books written by people to help explain the Jewish laws.Jewish laws.

What’s in the Torah?What’s in the Torah?

The Torah is a mixture The Torah is a mixture of stories and of stories and teachings.teachings.

One famous story is One famous story is about how God about how God created the first human created the first human beings. Can you beings. Can you remember what this remember what this story is called?story is called?

Book of rulesBook of rules

The Torah contains The Torah contains lots of instructions lots of instructions about how Jewish about how Jewish people should live.people should live.

Altogether, there are Altogether, there are 613 commandments 613 commandments like this.like this.

They tell Jewish people how to pray, what to eat They tell Jewish people how to pray, what to eat and which festivals to celebrate.and which festivals to celebrate.

What do you think “Kosher” Means?

The Torah ScrollThe Torah Scroll

The Torah that is read The Torah that is read in the Synagogue is in the Synagogue is written on a scroll.written on a scroll.

They are made by They are made by specially trained specially trained people, written on people, written on parchmentparchment..

They are not allowed They are not allowed to leave in any to leave in any mistakes!mistakes!

When they are When they are finished, the scrolls a finished, the scrolls a decorated as decorated as beautifully as possible.beautifully as possible.

The decorated TorahThe decorated Torah

What does the Torah teach?What does the Torah teach?

In the Torah, rules for everyday life are only In the Torah, rules for everyday life are only talked about very briefly.talked about very briefly.

Over thousands of years, Over thousands of years, RabbisRabbis have have talked about what the Torah meant and talked about what the Torah meant and came up with details of how Jewish people came up with details of how Jewish people should live their lives.should live their lives.

Lots of these ideas can be seen on the next Lots of these ideas can be seen on the next page.page.

ConclusionConclusion

The Torah is the “instruction manual” for The Torah is the “instruction manual” for being Jewish. Not every Jewish person being Jewish. Not every Jewish person follows all the rules, but all Jews see the follows all the rules, but all Jews see the Torah as being sacred and special.Torah as being sacred and special.

It has lots of stories in it that make up the It has lots of stories in it that make up the ‘Old Testament’ for Christians and Muslims ‘Old Testament’ for Christians and Muslims too.too.

What do you think about the Torah?What do you think about the Torah?