What is the Torah?
The Torah is the foundational text of Judaism. In its narrowest sense it means the Five Books of Moses — Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy — handwritten on a scroll and read in synagogue. More broadly, "Torah" refers to the entire body of Jewish teaching: the Written Torah and the Oral Torah that explains it, together with all the learning that has grown from them. The word itself means "instruction" or "teaching" — Torah is less a single book than a whole way of learning how to live.
What's in the Five Books of Moses?
- Genesis (Bereishit) — creation, the patriarchs and matriarchs, the origins of the people.
- Exodus (Shemot) — slavery, the Exodus, Sinai, and the Tabernacle.
- Leviticus (Vayikra) — the priesthood, offerings, and holiness.
- Numbers (Bamidbar) — the wilderness journey.
- Deuteronomy (Devarim) — Moses' final teachings before entering the Land. These are divided into 54 weekly portions read across the year (what is the parsha?).
Written Torah vs. Oral Torah — what's the difference?
The Written Torah is the text of the scroll. The Oral Torah is the interpretive tradition that unpacks how to live by it — eventually written down in the Mishnah and Talmud. Jewish tradition holds the two were given together: the text and the keys to understanding it. (More on the Oral Torah.)
In short: the Torah is the Five Books of Moses — and, broadly, the whole body of Jewish teaching that flows from them. The word means "instruction."
Start learning Torah with Derekh Learning
Derekh prepares the weekly Torah portion (and much more) as a plain-English lesson in a voice that fits you. Start learning or read what the Tanakh is.
