by Speedy2554 on Aug 28, 2011
There are two parts to the Torah:
1. Written Torah
2. Oral Torah
The Torah was given to Moses in written form (Ten Commandments) with oral commentary. The Torah is the primary document of Judaism. Torah, which means "law". God revealed the Torah through Moses. It is thus written, "Moses commanded us the Torah, an inheritance to the congregation of Jacob" (Deut. 33:4). God's revealed instructions to the Jewish People. It teaches Jews how to act, think and even feel about life and death. It also teaches how man should worship God or treat his neighbor.
1. Written Torah
2. Oral Torah
The Torah was given to Moses in written form (Ten Commandments) with oral commentary. The Torah is the primary document of Judaism. Torah, which means "law". God revealed the Torah through Moses. It is thus written, "Moses commanded us the Torah, an inheritance to the congregation of Jacob" (Deut. 33:4). God's revealed instructions to the Jewish People. It teaches Jews how to act, think and even feel about life and death. It also teaches how man should worship God or treat his neighbor.
The entire Torah was given to Moses during two intervals. The first part was given during the year after the Exodus. The rest was given shortly before Israel crossed the Jordan at the end of the 40 years in the desert. Moses then wrote down this Torah. He gave it to Levi's descendants, the priests in charge of the Ark of G-d's covenant, and another 12 copies to the elders (of the tribes) of Israel.
Because the Torah reveals God's will to man, it was given letter by letter to avoid any misinterpretation. Throughout all generations, great care was taken to preserve the Torah exactly as it was given by Moses. The scribe is thus given the advice, "Be careful with your task, for it is sacred work -- if you add or subtract a single letter, you will destroy everything."
Since every Torah must be letter perfect, it must be carefully copied from another scroll. It is forbidden to write a single letter without copying it from another Torah. Originally, the Torah and other scripture were so carefully preserved that every letter, word, and sentence was counted. Traditions still exist based on this knowledge.
The Torah contains 613 commandments (mitzvot). The Ten Commandments are considered the most important commandments of the Torah. The Torah also contains stories that teach us about God's relationship with the Jewish People.
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