![]() This tradition has ancient roots, but has been re-emphasized in recent centuries. Engaging in dialogue is also fostered by the tradition of studying with a partner (in chevruta, literally “friendship”), interpreting and debating aloud. ![]() This technical feature of Jewish texts reflects–and also helps create–a perception that a conversation is taking place, on which the learner begins to eavesdrop and into which she or he is soon drawn as a participant. The accumulated wisdom of many generations of commentators is often (in printed texts) presented on the same page as the sources upon which those authors are commenting. The way Jews have traditionally studied Torah begins with a bold assumption: that classical sources have the answer, or many answers, to all contemporary questions and issues. Sinai enabled the world to continue to exist and not be plunged back into primordial chaos. According to some rabbinic sources, therefore, the Israelites’ acceptance of the Torah at Mt. To study Torah in depth, then, is to do more than learn prescribed behaviors it is to approach an understanding of the foundations of all existence and the pathways of the divine. The Torah is portrayed in rabbinic tradition as predating all history, the very blueprint according to which God constructed the universe. More than simply a means to learning the content of divinely revealed law, Torah study is an end in itself–according to some, another way of worshipping God. Words of Torah “are our life and the length of our days,” the prayer book says “day and night we will meditate upon them.” Themes and Theology All of Jewish religious literature can be considered “ Torah.”Įlsewhere in the daily liturgy, Jews thank God for expressing love for the Jewish people by granting them Torah–both the Five Books of Moses and, more generally, Jewish teachings. It is followed by short passages from the Bible, as well as the Mishnah and the Talmud, the central works of rabbinic Judaism. “Praised be You, God…who commands us to busy ourselves with words of Torah.” Talmud torah (that is, the study of sacred Jewish texts) is so important in Jewish tradition the daily liturgy begins with this formulaic blessing. Classical commentaries like those of Rashi, Radak and Ibn Ezra show nearly as great a diversity in style and approach as more contemporary commentaries.My Jewish Learning is a not-for-profit and relies on your help Donate ![]() ![]() Through the tradition of ongoing commentary, the laws, narratives, prophecies, and proverbs of the Bible find contemporary and eternal meaning. Something of a miscellany, the Writings include poetry ( Psalms and Lamentations) and wisdom literature ( Proverbs and Ecclesiastes), short stories ( Esther, Ruth and Job), and histories ( Ezra-Nehemiah and 1-2 Chronicles). The latter prophets–including Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, along with 12 minor prophets–report the exhortations of these fiery leaders to return to God and Torah. The former prophets - including the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings - are narratives that explain the history of Israel from the perspective of Israel’s fulfillment of God’s covenant. The second of the three sections is itself divided into two parts. The Torah includes both the narrative of the formation of the people of Israel and the laws which define the covenant that binds the people to God. Sinai for the revelation of what are known as the Ten Commandments. The Torah, or Five Books of Moses, retells the story of how the family of Abraham and Sarah became the people of Israel, and how they came back from exile in Egypt, under the leadership of Moses, to the border of the land of Israel, on the way stopping at Mt. Various contemporary issues, such as feminist readings of biblical narratives or computer-assisted analysis of biblical texts, have drawn many people to the study of biblical texts. While the Bible bears the stamp of history in its language and cultural assumptions, its readers in every generation bring their own assumptions and concerns to their reading of the Bible. Different historians and archaeologists have various approaches to using the biblical text as a source for history. While the rabbis of the Talmudic era assert that the Torah existed before history, the events described in the Bible create a narrative that can be seen against the backdrop of world history. Although scholars have different perspectives on how the Bible came to be, the centrality of the Bible in Jewish culture, in Torah study, and in Jewish worship, is undisputed. It includes narratives, law codes, short stories, etiological tales, prophecies, exhortations, poetry, and wisdom writing. The Bible is a complex book comprised of 24 books written by different authors over a period of around 850 years.
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