What is the significance of the term torah

He developed his views, he tells us, because he believes that they are in agreement with the words of the Torah. But it is unlikely that any such prophet will come, for the Torah says that there never was or will be any prophet like Moses. Torah can also refer to the entire body of Jewish law and wisdom, including what is contained in oral tradition.

New Word List Word List. The 12th century Jewish philosopher Maimonides put together the master list. He found affirmative commandments. They address cosmic questions, such as the unity of God, and mundane ones like grooming and sanitation.

The laws are not meant to be followed to the letter, impossible in the modern world. The Torah itself tells readers to consult wise men on points that need more interpretation.

Judaism recognizes an oral tradition of laws and stories. The compiled works of these rabbis, including the Mishna, over the ensuing three centuries became knows as the Talmud. This book and many subsequent commentaries provide guidance on how the Torah should be interpreted and its commandments followed.

With this type of law, there is no room for teaching, either the law was broken with the penalty of punishment or it was not broken. God, as our heavenly Father, gives his children his Torah in the same manner as parents give their Torah to their children, not in the manner as a government does to its citizens.

By Jeff A. Related Pages by Jeff A. A History of the Hebrew Word for One Article The Hebrew word for "one" and its true meaning brings insights into the meaning of this word. Great accuracy is needed when the sofer writes the scroll.

If he makes any mistakes it can make the whole scroll pasul invalid. The completed scroll is known as a Sefer Torah from sefer which is the Hebrew for book. A Sefer Torah is so sacred to Jews it is said that if one is accidentally dropped in the synagogue the whole congregation must fast for 40 days. When Jewish communities have suffered persecution, great efforts would be made to preserve these scrolls.

This demonstrates just how symbolically and physically important the Torah is to Jews. Alongside the written law Jews believe God also told Moses the spoken or oral law. The letter Pei as well as being the Hebrew word for mouth is the 17th letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Pei has a numerical value of 80 which Jews believe is the age that Moses was when he led them out from slavery in Egypt. Although given at the same time this law was to be passed down orally from generation to generation.

It is the information Jews need to practise fully the commandments in the written law. It was codified in the 2nd Century C. Search term:. Read more. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets CSS enabled.

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