Concept in Definition ABC

The set of laws that make up the Jewish religion are found a text, the Torah or Torah. It can be said that this book is the foundation that governs dimension religious of those who practice Judaism. If we pay attention to its etymological meaning, the word Torah means instructions in Hebrew. In any case, it is about the law bean.

This sacred text, also known as the books of Moses, is made up of five books, whose names in Hebrew are Bereshit, Shemot, Vayikrá, Bamidmar and Devarim that correspond to the following names in Greek: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

The Torah tells the story of the people of Israel: the covenant of circumcision with Abraham, God's call to Moses to guide his people, the departure of the people of Israel from the slavery in Egypt, the sin of the golden calf or the long road to the Promised Land.

It must be borne in mind, on the other hand, that the Torah of the Jews is partially equivalent to the Old Testament of Christianity. For this

reason, the Torah is also known as the Hebrew Bible. In addition to the written Torah, there is the oral Torah. In this way, the second is a guide to putting the first into practice. According to the rabbis, the oral Torah allows us to understand the context cultural and religious of the Jewish people.

Aspects of the Torah generate controversy

It is considered that it was Moses who, inspired by God, wrote the five books that make up this sacred text. However, this idea is not without controversy. In fact, some researchers have claimed that Moses could not to write the last book of the Torah (Deuteronomy) because it tells of the death and burial of Moses himself.

On the other hand, in the chapter that refers to the universal flood it is stated that its duration was 40 days and 40 nights and in the next chapter it is maintained that it was 150 days. These discrepancies and others suggest that the Torah could have been written by more than one person. In fact, some researchers consider that there were four different groups of scribes who participated in their drafting.

The precepts of the Torah

In this sacred book also appear the precepts that should guide the life of a Jew. These precepts are known in Hebrew by the word mitzvot. Some of the most important are the following: know the existence of God, do not oppress the weak, do not speak ill of others, do not listen to a false prophet, do not make a pact with idolaters, do not work during the Sabhat, etc.

In total there are 613 mandates that must be respected. All these instructions are what should govern the existence of the Jews.

Photos: Fotolia - Rafael Ben-Ari / Anneke

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