Torah (Hebrew: תורה) is a Hebrew word that means "instructions". When most people say the word Torah they either mean the whole Jewish Bible, the Tanakh, the first five books of the Bible, or all of the Jewish teaching in general. These five books are the beginning of both the Jewish and Christian bibles. They are
- Genesis (Hebrew: Bereishit, בראשית),
- Exodus (Hebrew: Shemot, שמות),
- Leviticus (Hebrew: Vayikra, ויקרא),
- Numbers (Hebrew: Bemidbar, במדבר) and
- Deuteronomy (Hebrew: Devarim, דברים).
Other names for this set of books are the "Five Books of Moses," or "Pentateuch".
Some people may use the word Torah as a name for all the main Jewish teachings.
Each of the books in the Torah are separated into parts called "Parshiyot." Parsha is a Hebrew word meaning "portion." Every Shabbat one parsha is read in the synagogue, but sometimes two are read. This is so that all the parshiyot are finished every year, on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah.
It is also known as the Five Book of Moses because Moses received these five books from God.