Torah
The Torah is the first part of the Jewish bible. It is the central and most important document of Judaism.
Torah refers to the five books of Moses which are Bresheit (Genesis), Shemot (Exodus), Vayicra (Leviticus), Bamidbar
(Numbers), and Devarim (Deuteronomy).
Jews believe that God dictated the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai 50 days after their exodus from Egyptian slavery. They believe that the Torah shows how G*d wants Jews to live. The books contains 613mitzvot or commandments and Jews refer to the ten best known of these as the ‘ten statements'.
The Torah is written in Hebrew, the oldest of Jewish languages. It is also known as Torat Moshe, the Law of Moses. However, Tanach is more commonly used to describe the whole of Jewish scriptures.
The Torah scrolls are taken out from the Ark and portions are read in the synagogue three times each week. Over the course of the year the whole scroll is read in sequence. This begins from the end of Sukkot which is an autumn
festival.
The scrolls are not directly touched when unfurled on the Bimah. A pointer, or Yad (hand), is used instead. This is in the shape of a hand with an outstretched finger.
Explore more information on the Torah at the Children's Sefer Torah website
Torah refers to the five books of Moses which are Bresheit (Genesis), Shemot (Exodus), Vayicra (Leviticus), Bamidbar
(Numbers), and Devarim (Deuteronomy).
Jews believe that God dictated the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai 50 days after their exodus from Egyptian slavery. They believe that the Torah shows how G*d wants Jews to live. The books contains 613mitzvot or commandments and Jews refer to the ten best known of these as the ‘ten statements'.
The Torah is written in Hebrew, the oldest of Jewish languages. It is also known as Torat Moshe, the Law of Moses. However, Tanach is more commonly used to describe the whole of Jewish scriptures.
The Torah scrolls are taken out from the Ark and portions are read in the synagogue three times each week. Over the course of the year the whole scroll is read in sequence. This begins from the end of Sukkot which is an autumn
festival.
The scrolls are not directly touched when unfurled on the Bimah. A pointer, or Yad (hand), is used instead. This is in the shape of a hand with an outstretched finger.
Explore more information on the Torah at the Children's Sefer Torah website
