The Torah
The TorahLaw; teaching. The word Torah can be used in a narrow sense to mean the first five books of the Hebrew Bible (The Five Books of Moses) and also in a wider sense to include the whole of the Hebrew Bible and the Talmud. is a very important text and refers to the first five books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy).
The Torah, which includes the Laws, is the first section of the TanakhThe collected 24 books of the Jewish Bible. There are three sections: Torah, Nevi'im and Ketuvim (TaNaKh). May also be spelled Tenakh. . The Torah contains the basis of all the Jewish teachings and guidance on how to live a good Jewish life.
How different Jewish traditions regard the Torah
Judasim teaches that the Torah is always the starting point when a question or issue is raised. The way in which the Torah is regarded differs according to the tradition of Judaism that a person belongs to.
Orthodox JewA Jew who lives by the Torah and rabbinic law (halakhah) and who only accepts changes that can be supported by the Torah. regard the Torah as the central revelation from God given to MosesThe man chosen by God to save the Jews from slavery and take them to the promised land. In the Qur'an he is a messenger chosen by God to give the revelation of the Torah to the Israelites. on Mount SinaiA mountain in the Sinai desert, believed to be where Moses received the Ten Commandments. in its final form. They believe it is as relevant to life today as it was on the day it was given.
They try to keep the commandmentA law or instruction believed to have been given by God. set out in the Torah in every detail. They would not try to modify them considerably to bring them in line with modern life or to reject them altogether because they might no longer be relevant.
Reform JudaismThe name given to various traditions within Judaism which maintain that Judaism and Jewish traditions should be modernised and made compatible with the surrounding culture. also regards the Torah to be ultimately based on the central revelation from God. However, it does not consider the Torah to have been given to Moses at Sinai in its final form. The belief is that it was written by humans over a long period of time, based on their experiences with God and other human beings. Since humans formulated the Torah and adapted it to changing circumstances, it may contain contradictions and inconsistencies.