What is the Torah?

Summary

The Torah, the foundational text of the Hebrew Bible, is a collection of five scrolls that narrate the story of God's mission through the Jewish people. It begins with creation and the fall of humanity, then introduces Abraham and his descendants as part of God's plan to reconcile humanity to Himself. The Torah details the special relationship and law code given to Israel, emphasizing their role in God's world plan. It is part of the Tanakh, alongside the Prophets and Writings, and is central to both Jewish and Christian traditions, with additional oral traditions in Rabbinic Judaism further interpreting its teachings.

Takeaways

• 📜 The Torah is a set of five ancient scrolls that form the first section of the Jewish scriptures, known as the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh.
• 🔍 The term 'Torah' in Hebrew carries a rich meaning, often translated as 'law' but also encompassing instruction and teaching.
• 🌏 The Torah tells a story of God's creation of an ordered world and the introduction of humanity, made in His image, with the responsibility to rule over creation.
• 🚨 The main conflict in the Torah is the separation of humans from God due to human disobedience, which introduces evil into the world.
• 🕉 The people of Israel are introduced as part of God's plan to reconcile humanity back to Himself, with a special relationship and a law code.
• 🤝 The law code given to Israel at Mount Sinai is part of God's covenant with them, with the understanding that they will break it but God will not give up on them.
• 📖 The Torah concludes with Joshua reading all the words of the Torah to the Assembly of Israel, emphasizing its importance.
• 🌐 In the 3rd Century BC, the Jewish scriptures were translated into Greek, including the Tanakh and other writings, to preserve their connection to the scriptures amidst Hellenistic influence.
• 📚 The Protestant Old Testament consists of the same scrolls as the Tanakh but with some debate on including additional Jewish works translated into Greek.
• 🗣️ Jewish sages began writing down oral traditions about the Torah in texts like the Mishnah and Talmud, which are considered part of the Oral Torah.
• 📚 In contemporary Judaism, the holy texts include not only the Torah and the Hebrew Bible but also the texts of the Oral Torah.

Q & A

What is the Torah?

The Torah is a set of five ancient scrolls that form the first section of the Jewish scriptures, also known as the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh. It contains the earliest self-understanding of the Jewish people and tells a story of God's mission through the people of Israel.

What is the significance of the Torah in Jewish tradition?

The Torah is significant as it provides instruction and teaching, and it contains a law code that is central to Jewish life. It is considered the foundation of Jewish religious law and moral instruction.

How does the Torah relate to the Christian Old Testament?

The Torah corresponds to the first five books of the Christian Old Testament. It is also known as the Pentateuch, and it is considered the foundation of both Jewish and Christian scriptures.

What does the term 'Tanakh' represent?

Tanakh is an acronym for the three sections of the Hebrew Bible: Torah (Law), Nevi'im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings). It represents the entire Hebrew scriptures, including the Torah.

What is the narrative structure of the Torah?

The narrative of the Torah begins with the creation of the world, moves through the story of humanity's separation from God due to disobedience, and then focuses on the people of Israel as part of God's plan for reconciliation.

Why were the Jewish people considered special in the context of the Torah?

The Jewish people were considered special because they were chosen by God to be part of His plan to bring life to the whole world. They were given a special relationship and a law code to represent God to the rest of the world.

What is the role of the law code in the Torah?

The law code in the Torah serves as a guide for the people of Israel to live according to God's will. It is part of the covenant agreement God made with them at Mount Sinai.

What is the significance of Mount Sinai in the Torah?

Mount Sinai is significant because it is the location where God gave the law code to the people of Israel, establishing a covenant relationship with them.

What is the concept of the 'oral Torah'?

The oral Torah refers to the traditions and interpretations of the written Torah that were passed down orally for generations before being written down in texts such as the Mishnah and the Talmud.

How does the Torah view the relationship between God and humanity after the initial disobedience?

The Torah views the initial disobedience as causing a separation between God and humanity. The rest of the Torah is about God's plan to reconcile humanity back to Himself, using the people of Israel and the law code as part of this process.

What was the purpose of translating the Tanakh into Greek?

The translation of the Tanakh into Greek, known as the Septuagint, was done to preserve the Jewish scriptures and maintain the Jewish people's connection to their scriptures in a time when the world was becoming increasingly influenced by Greek culture.

Outlines

00:00

📜 Introduction to the Torah and its Significance

The first paragraph introduces the Torah, a collection of five ancient scrolls that form the basis of Jewish self-understanding and religious law. It explains that the Torah is often misunderstood or conflated with the Old Testament by non-Jews, while for Jews, it represents instruction, teaching, and law. The text outlines the Torah's narrative, which begins with creation and the establishment of humanity's role, moving through the fall and the introduction of sin and separation from God. It then describes how God uses the nation of Israel, beginning with Abraham, to begin the process of reconciliation for humanity. The paragraph emphasizes the Torah's role in teaching about Israel's place in God's mission and its importance as part of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, which also includes the Prophets and Writings. The summary also touches on the historical context of the Torah's preservation and the translation efforts that contributed to its dissemination and understanding among different religious groups.

05:02

📚 Expansion of the Torah with Oral Traditions

The second paragraph delves into the expansion of the Torah with the inclusion of oral traditions, which were eventually written down in texts such as the Mishnah and Talmud. These traditions, collectively known as the Oral Torah, provide interpretations and expansions on the written Torah's laws. The paragraph discusses the debate among Jewish people regarding whether these oral traditions were given to Moses on Mount Sinai or developed later. It highlights the importance of the Oral Torah in contemporary Jewish practice, where it stands alongside the written Torah and the rest of the Hebrew Bible as sacred texts. The summary also mentions the historical process of translating the Hebrew scriptures into Greek to preserve the Jewish connection to their scriptures amidst Hellenistic influence, and it briefly touches on the Christian Old Testament's relationship with the Tanakh, noting the ongoing debate over the inclusion of additional Jewish writings in the Christian biblical canon.

Keywords

💡Torah

The Torah is a set of five ancient scrolls that form the first section of the Hebrew Bible, also known as the Tanakh. It is considered the earliest self-understanding of the Jewish people and contains the law code given by God to the Israelites. In the video, the Torah is described as more than just a law book; it is instructive, teaching the story of God's mission with the people of Israel and their role in it.

💡Tanakh

The Tanakh is an acronym referring to the three sections of the Hebrew Bible: Torah, Nevi'im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings). It represents the Jewish scriptures and is the context in which the Torah is placed. The video emphasizes the importance of the Tanakh in understanding the full narrative of the Jewish people's relationship with God.

💡Passover

Passover is one of the Jewish holy days mentioned in the script as an example of a festival that is explained and observed based on the teachings of the Torah. It commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, an event that is deeply rooted in the narrative of the Torah.

💡Old Testament

The term 'Old Testament' is used in the script to describe the Christian perspective on the Hebrew Bible, which includes the Torah. The video discusses how the Torah is part of the Christian Bible but also how there is debate among Christian groups about the inclusion of other Jewish writings.

💡Law Code

The law code within the Torah is a set of divine commandments given to the Israelites by God. It is central to the narrative of the Torah, as it outlines the rules for living and the covenant between God and the people of Israel. The script explains that the law code is part of God's plan to use Israel to reconcile humanity with Himself.

💡Abraham

Abraham is a patriarch in the Torah and is considered the father of the Israelites. The script mentions him as the starting point of God's plan to reconcile humanity with Himself, establishing a special relationship with Abraham and his descendants, the Israelites.

💡Covenant

The covenant in the script refers to the agreement God made with the Israelites at Mount Sinai, where He gave them the law code. This covenant is a central theme in the Torah, symbolizing the unique relationship between God and the people of Israel and their commitment to follow His laws.

💡Nevi'im

Nevi'im, or Prophets, is one of the three sections of the Tanakh. It continues the story of the Torah, focusing on the prophetic messages and the history of the Israelites. The script explains that the Nevi'im does not add laws but rather builds upon the narrative established in the Torah.

💡Ketuvim

Ketuvim, or Writings, is the third section of the Tanakh, which includes a variety of texts such as Psalms, Proverbs, and Chronicles. The script mentions that, like the Nevi'im, the Ketuvim continues the story of the Jewish people without adding to the law code.

💡Oral Torah

The Oral Torah refers to the body of Jewish law, tradition, and commentary that was passed down orally for generations before being written down in texts like the Mishnah and the Talmud. The script discusses the Oral Torah as an essential part of Jewish holy texts, alongside the written Torah and the rest of the Tanakh.

💡Mount Sinai

Mount Sinai is the location where, according to the Torah, God gave the law code to the Israelites through Moses. The script uses Mount Sinai as a pivotal point in the narrative of the Torah, marking the establishment of the covenant and the giving of the law.

Highlights

The Torah is a set of five ancient scrolls that form the first section of the Jewish scriptures, known as the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh.

The term 'Torah' in Hebrew carries a rich meaning, often translated as 'law' but also encompassing instruction and teaching.

The Torah tells a story of God's mission, using the Jewish people to accomplish a cosmic purpose.

The narrative begins with creation and the introduction of humanity, made in God's image, with the responsibility to rule over creation.

The Torah explores the conflict of human separation from God due to disobedience and the introduction of evil into the world.

Abraham and his descendants are presented as the first step in God's plan for human reconciliation.

The special relationship between God and Israel is part of a divine plan to bring life to the whole world.

The Torah focuses on the covenant agreement made with Israel at Mount Sinai through a law code.

God's law code to Israel is presented with the foreknowledge of their disobedience but also the promise of His enduring commitment.

The conclusion of the Torah emphasizes the importance of reading and following its teachings, as demonstrated by Joshua.

The translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek, known as the Septuagint, aimed to preserve the scriptures amidst Hellenistic influence.

The Christian Old Testament debate revolves around the inclusion of additional Jewish works translated into Greek.

Jewish sages began recording oral traditions about the Torah in texts like the Mishnah and Talmud, expanding on the written Torah.

The Oral Torah, including the Mishnah and Talmud, provides explanations and interpretations of the written Torah's laws.

In Rabbinic Judaism, the Tanakh is complemented by the Oral Torah, forming the complete set of Jewish holy texts.

The Torah's narrative continues beyond its five books with the Prophets and Writings, completing the Tanakh or Hebrew Bible.

Transcripts

what is the Torah you might have heard

the term before in high school history

or from a friend if you're Jewish you

might be used to hearing about it maybe

as the explanation for why we keep

Passover and the other holy days or

maybe you've heard it used as a source

of Jewish history if you're Christian

maybe you've heard it described as the

Old Testament or part of the Old

Testament or just brushed aside as the

Jewish Bible so what is the

Torah the Torah is a set of five ancient

Scrolls that have been meticulously

preserved for thousands of years because

these Scrolls contain the earliest self-

understanding of the Jewish people and

more than that it tells a story of how

God lovingly uses this people to

accomplish a cosmically sized Mission

the Torah makes up the first section of

the Jewish scriptures we call these

scriptures the Hebrew Bible or the

Tanakh tanak is a helpful name because

it's a Hebrew acronym that refers to the

Hebrew Bible's three sections Torah neim

and

Kim Torah is a Hebrew word that carries

a rich meaning it's most often

translated into English as law tor means

more than just law though it means

instruction and teaching but these are

not different definitions of the same

word this meaning is all wrapped

together so naming this collection of

Scrolls Torah tells us that this book is

in some way instructive and supposed to

teach something not to mention it

contains a law code when we read the

Tora to see what it teaches what we find

is a story about Israel's place in God's

Mission the vast majority of the text is

about Israel and centers on them

receiving a law code from God but the

story opens before the laws before

there's a nation of Israel or or for

that matter before there's anything at

all except the

Creator it begins with the Creator

creating creation God makes an ordered

world that is full of life and the crown

jewel of his creation are the humans who

he made in His image and he gives his

new image bearers the responsibility of

ruling but in the very beginning of the

Torah humans stop trusting God and

listen to a created being instead this

decision has disastrous effects and

because of their wrongdoing humans are

separated from God this separation and

introduction of evil to the world

becomes the main conflict that the story

is about in the Torah and Beyond it is

in this context that the people of

Israel are introduced as the Torah

continues a man named Abraham and his

descendants are introduced as the first

step in God's plan to reconcile humans

back to

himself God invites Abraham's

descendants known as Israel into a

special relationship with himself the

reason the Torah starts before Abraham

and Israel is to introduce the problem

that God uses Abraham Israel and the law

to undo in the beginning Humanity at

large was separated from God the Torah

shows that the law and Israel's special

relationship with God is part of how he

uses Israel to reconcile humankind back

to himself so according to the Torah the

people of Israel were not chosen just

for their own sake but they have a

special place in God's plan to bring

life to the whole

world after introducing the purpose of

Israel's special place in his plan the

Torah Zooms in on the people of Israel

and focus fuses on the Covenant

agreement God made with them at Mount Si

through a law code when he gives them

this law code he tells them that once

they go into the land he's giving them

he knows they're going to break the law

he doesn't allow them to in fact he

warns them not to but he tells them he

knows they're going to do it anyway but

he also promises not to give up on them

when they do then the Torah comes to an

end after Israel had received the law

code and finally made it to the promised

land but before they entered the land

God told them that during the life of

the Covenant nobody could ever add to to

take away or change any of the law code

then the nebim and Kim who were prophets

and writing sections of the Hebrew Bible

continue the story they don't add laws

they just continue the story it picks up

right where the Torah left off but

before moving on the author highlighted

the importance of the Torah this is what

it says about Joshua the leader of

Israel as the Torah concludes he read

all of the words of the Torah the

blessing and the curse according to

everything that is written in the book

of the Torah there was not a word of all

that Moses had commanded which Joshua

did not read before all the Assembly of

Israel during the same time period that

theak was written and finalized there

were other Jewish writing surfacing that

the Jewish leaders considered very good

and important and by the 3rd Century BC

the Jewish people could see that the

world was becoming more and more Greek

so in an effort to preserve the Tanakh

and their people's connection to the

scriptures they translated them from

Hebrew to Greek for the first time when

they did this they also translated some

of those other writings they still

didn't consider them scripture but now

you had this newly translated collection

of Works you'd have the Tanakh Torah

prophets and writings and these other

words together in the same collection

this brings us to the Christian Old

Testament the Protestant Old Testament

consists of the same Scrolls that make

up the tanak they're in a slightly

different order but there has been

debate among Christian groups for

centuries on whether those other

important Jewish works that were

translated into Greek should be part of

the Christian Bible so you have some

Christian groups who accept more than

just the Tanakh in the 3rd Century ad

Jewish sages started to put into writing

Traditions about the Torah that had been

passed down orally for Generations texts

such as the mishna the townwood and more

until that time these Traditions had

been taught orally and not written

down these oral Traditions explained and

expound on the Torah and on the laws in

the Torah all these Traditions are known

as the oral Torah there has long been

debate among Jewish people on whether

the oral Torah was given to Moses on

Mount Si or developed later on never

Less in rabic Judaism today the Tanakh

is not the only holy text for the Jewish

people there is also all the content in

What's called the oral Torah so today

the Jewish holy books include the Torah

the rest of the Hebrew Bible and all the

texts of the oral Torah okay so let's

summarize what the Torah is the Torah is

the name for the first five books of the

Hebrew Bible or Christian Old Testament

the Torah is a story and the authors

believe the story was about how God was

working through history part of that

story was God giving a law code to one

specific people group Israel his reason

for giving Israel the law code was to

make this nation his representatives to

the rest of the world but the story

continues past the Torah with two more

collections of Scrolls the prophets and

the writings together all three make the

tanak or Hebrew Bible or Old Testament