Introduction to the Torah

In the 1960’s movie The Graduate, we have a story about a young man played by Dustin Hoffman, who just graduated from college.  The movie opens with a graduation party in his honor, where people are going around offering him congratulations and advice.  One of the most humorous scenes from this is about one fellow who comes up to him and says that he has one word of advice for him, and moves on. Again he sees him and says he has one word.  Finally he and Dustin Hoffman are alone together, and he says he's got one word for him.  "One word," asks Dustin?  Yes, one word: "plastics."

Well in a sense, in trying to explain Judaism, and grasp its essence, if I am successful in explaining one word, then I will have achieved my goal.  And that one word is the Torah.

Often times when I speak to people, I like to open this topic with a very frank declaration.  I say “I don’t believe in Judaism.”  Now after some shocked looks and some raised eyebrows, most people think I am crazy to stand up and make such a claim. But if you understand things, the point is quite clear.

First of all,

1. Nowhere in Tanach (Old Testament) does the word “Judaism” appear.
2. “Ism’s” are a Western idea.  The problem with referring to the beliefs of the Jews as “Judaism” is that you could lump it with all the other manmade “isms” like Buddhism, Hinduism, Communism, Existentialism, hedonism etc.  If man makes it, he can change it.  We believe in something that is Divinely revealed, not manmade.
3. When you call it is “Judaism,” you make it seem that Hashem (G-d) is only interested in connecting with the Jews, and seems to totally exclude addressing non-Jews. And from our perspective that is really not the case at all.

So what is the real name of the religion of the Jews if it is not Judaism? The real name for our religion is “Torah.” We believe that it was given to the Jews at Mount Sinai directly from Hashem through Moses, and has a message, not only for the Jews, but for all of mankind.  (For practical reasons, I will continue to use the word “Judaism” from time to time, since it is commonly understood.)

What do we mean by “Torah?”  That word actually has a few connotations and you need to understand all of them to get true picture.

By “Torah”, we can mean specifically a Scroll of the first 5 Books of the Bible, which is commonly referred to it as the Five Books of Moses. But that is actually a bit of a misnomer.  Calling it the five books of Moses, hides the name “Torah,” and if you want to truly understand the message of the Jewish Bible, you must recognize that the word Torah is a major theme.  The same thing occurs repeatedly throughout any translation of the Jewish Bible, the word Torah is eliminated.  Also one might get the impression that Moses was the author of the Torah, and that is not the case.  Furthermore, one might think that the stature and level of authority attributed to Moses as a prophet is the same (for instance) as that of Isaiah who was as the author of Isaiah.  This is also not so, and we will deal with this more later.

In more general terms, “Torah” can refer to a total world-view, or system of law and order, and behavior that is G-d given.  It is, in a sense, how G-d thinks and operates the world.  Our Sages say that the Torah was the blueprint of creation, and that G-d created the universe according to the system of Torah.  It is the instruction book for life.  Our goal as G-d’s creatures is to align ourselves with this eternal Torah, and by doing so align ourselves with G-d and the way that G-d thinks.  As a blueprint of creation, it is also the blueprint for how history is going to play itself out. 

As the prophets say in regards to the messianic Era:

Isaiah 2:3 “for out of Zion shall go forth the Torah, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem .”

Jeremiah 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel ; after those days, saith the LORD, I will put my Torah in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts…

If we are to understand Jewish scripture and the prophecies it contains, we must understand what is the Torah and its perspective.

“Torah” can also mean something that is consistent with the “Torah.” For example, we believe that the rest of the TANACH (specifically the Prophets & the Writings) is considered “Torah” because it is consistent with the laws and beliefs of the “Torah.”  This description carries over to later works even until today, where you have a “Torah scholar” being someone who is versed in Talmud.  That is because the Talmud is in line with Hashem’s Torah.  Christianity in a sense asserts that the NT is also Torah, meaning its beliefs and worldview are consistent with those found in the Torah as well.  Judaism, however, has analyzed the NT and rejects it because it is too inconsistent with the Torah to be accepted as such.

Furthermore, when Jews mention “Torah”, it implies both a written document, as well as the oral tradition that was given over by Hashem at Sinai as a way of understanding the written Torah.  The main reason way there has to be an oral tradition is that none of the 613 commandments given in the Torah is given with enough information to properly fulfill it.  The oral tradition fills that void.

Now let me give you some examples of major gaps left in the written text alone.

For instance, four times in the Torah it states that men are commanded to put on a sign upon their arms and front lets between their eyes.  In Hebrew these items are referred to as tefillin.  These are those two leather boxes: one goes on the arm, with a leather strap is wrapped around the arm, and one goes on the head.  These are worn during morning prayers.  Well how did I know all of that?  How did I know what they're made out of?  How do I know what goes inside of them?  When do I put them on? None of that is spelled out in the written text.  However in the oral tradition that we find in the Talmud, all of that is clearly spelled out.  To show how faithfully our oral tradition has been passed down concerning tefillin, we can compare the tefillin of today with a set that were found along with the Dead Sea Scrolls, that date back nearly 2000 years, and we see that they are identical.

Another example, concerns the laws of the Sabbath, where it says that we are to do no form of work on the Sabbath., The Torah is also very clear that one who violates the Sabbath is liable for a severe punishment.  Well, what constitutes work?  What if I enjoy working in my garden on Saturday?  Is working in the garden considered work or is it not?  What about cooking?  What about lighting a flame?

What about walking? It says that on the Sabbath a person should not go out from their place.  What does that mean?  Does it mean that I have to remain in bed or can't leave my house, or maybe it means I can't leave my city?  The written text doesn't tell us, the oral tradition does.

By having an Oral Law, you are able to convey the little details and nuances that can only be expressed from teacher to student.  In fact, by depending upon an oral tradition you force a tighter bond between teacher and student, between generation to generation, ensuring the continuity of your culture.

Think of our own lives, and how much we learned about our daily routines, our jobs, driving a car, how much do we learned from reading and harmless and we learned from someone showing us what to do.  The fact is most of what we know about how we conduct our daily lives, has been conveyed to us through an oral tradition.

Now let us turn to the text to examine that there may indications in the written Torah of an Oral Torah that coexists parallel with the written Torah.

We will now examine some verses that also underscore the necessity of studying Jewish Scriptures in their original Hebrew, because much of the message to be found in the Torah is lost in any translation.

Let us start in Genesis Chapter 26 verse three.  This is God talking to Isaac, and it says:

In English, this point is totally missed.  The word that God used in writing the Torah is “Sorosai,” that means my Torahs.  Plural.  The original Hebrew clearly says Torah, which is commonly translated as laws; however we have always held that this implies both the written Torah and the oral Torah.  We believe that the patriarchs Abraham Isaac and Jacob instinctively knew the written and Oral Law.

Other examples of where we find the word “Torahs”:

Now we are going to look at some cases where the written text strongly suggests that there is some other (Oral) information, not found in the text of the Torah.

“…The pattern which the Lord had shown Moses…”  What pattern?  There are no diagrams in the Torah. Obviously, there was an image of the menorah that God had shown Moses that was not in writing.  How did Moses convey this pattern to the Jews, other than through an oral explanation? 

Here Moses is talking about the permission for Jews to eat meat for daily consumption wherever they are, without having to come to the Temple to slaughter it.  However, Moses says “you shall kill of your herd…as I have commanded you….”  Where did Moses ever command us how to slaughter animals in a kosher manner? Certainly not in the written text.  It appears nowhere.  Kosher slaughter is a very intricate process that is dealt with at length in the oral tradition.  The Torah tells us about a 40 year long discussion and interaction between G-d & Moses, and Moses & Israel in the wilderness that produced our oral tradition.  What was happening during this time?  There was a tremendous amount of educating and studying going on that formed the foundation of Jewish practice and beliefs.

Where is the Oral Law today?  It is alive and well.  It is found primarily in the Talmud, and has been applied to the daily lives of Jews for the last 3300+ years, wherever they have lived.  This shows that the Torah is a living document, and a livable document, showing that God's word is a way of life for all-time.

Next let us examine the stature of the Torah among the other texts of the Jewish Bible.  Is it of the same or a higher authority than the rest of Tanach?  We will find that the Torah is preeminent among all of Jewish Scripture.

The Torah’s Preeminent Standing

Among All of Jewish Scripture.

In the Talmud (Mesechta Succah), the question is asked: “What is the first passage from the Torah that one should teach your child once they are able to speak?”  You might think it is: Shema Yisroel… (Hear O Israel …) or Beraishis Bara Elokim Es Hashamayim V’es Ha’aretz (In the beginning Hashem created the heavens and the earth.)  Our sages tell us that we should teach our children first: Torah Tziva Lanu Moshe (Moses commanded us the Torah).  In fact, numerous children’s tunes accompany this passage to make it enjoyable and easier to remember. 

What is the significance of this passage that it should be first?  First of all, don’t think that it is saying that Moses is the author of the Torah.  We absolutely believe that Hashem gave us the Torah; and He gave it through Moses His servant.  Moses was Hashem’s unique messenger that “took dictation,” and literally wrote done the 5 Books of the Torah directly dictated by Hashem.

(We say this passage in synagogue when we raise the Torah after having read from it, prior to returning it to the ark.)

In addition, Moses also received the intricate oral tradition we discussed before  that Hashem created to accompany the written text.  Moses’ understanding of the Torah was in essence the “official spin” on understanding Hashem’s word until today.  To understand what Judaism believes, we must understand what Moses understood and what he commanded us.  For those who want to reinterpret the Torah their own way, they must undermine Moses’ teachings and Moses’ standing as Hashem’s unique, supreme messenger.

How do we know that Moses was the most special of all prophets?  Look at the very last words of the Torah itself.

Moses’ level of prophesy was unique among all prophets because Hashem spoke with him directly and not through dreams or visions, which was the case for all other prophets.

The preeminent position that the Torah has among all of Jewish scripture is underscored by the status Hashem gave to Moses.  Since Moses’ level of humility and prophesy were so great to enable him to receive and transmit the Torah, he stands above all later prophets and their writings.

 To support this view, it is important to look throughout the rest of the Tanach to see what later prophets and writers of the Tanach said about the Torah.  They themselves place the Torah as preeminent, and urge the Jewish people to keep its laws and beliefs.  Never would they state that their own writings are of the same significance as the Torah.  

Throughout the world, we see that in every ark, in every synagogue is a Torah scroll and no other scripture.  We even have guidelines in Jewish law about stacking books.  Which should go on top, which on the bottom?  A Chumash (5 books of Torah in book form) always goes on top, followed by Prophets, Writings, Mishnah, Gemorrah, other holy books, secular books.  This is done to show our respect for Jewish scripture in general and the Torah in particular.

Christians tend to view all of the Tanach as being on the same level of authority and de-emphasize the Torah’s significance, as they de-emphasize the importance of the law in favor of faith and grace.  Also, there are very few verses that Christians cite to build their case from the Torah.  At best, they are merely faint hints or suggestions, but never a clear, open reference to someone like Jesus.  Most of their “strongest” verses come from the Prophets and Writings, but even those passages are taken out of context in one form or another. 

Since Jews believe that our holy Torah gives us insight into life, and prepares for us for the eventualities we will face, we hold that the Torah even prepares us for someone like Jesus. 

In conclusion, Jewish scripture is clear that the Torah is Hashem’s preeminent Book, and Moses His preeminent prophet.  The lessons that Hashem teaches the Jewish people through this Book and the man Moses form the foundation of what Judaism is all about.