WORLD RELIGIONS

Detailed explanation-1: -Torah () in Hebrew can mean teaching, direction, guidance and law. The most prominent meaning for Jews is that the Torah constitutes the first five books of the Hebrew Bible (also called the Pentateuch, ‘five books’ in Greek), traditionally thought to have been composed by Moses .

Detailed explanation-2: -When the Torah appeared, the ancient Near East contained several law collections. CHT fellow Dr. Jerry Unterman explains that unlike other law codes of the ANE, the Torah is not a law book. Rather, its unique framework reveals it to be a treaty-a covenant between God and His people, embedded in a narrative.

Detailed explanation-3: -The word “Torah” in Hebrew is derived from the root , which in the hif’il conjugation means ‘to guide’ or ‘to teach’. The meaning of the word is therefore “teaching", “doctrine", or “instruction"; the commonly accepted “law” gives a wrong impression.

Detailed explanation-4: -Halachot Gedolot ("Great Laws"), thought to be written by Rabbi Simeon Kayyara (the Bahag, author of the Halakhot Gedolot) is the earliest extant enumeration of the 613 mitzvot.