What is the Torah?

The word "torah" means "teaching," "instruction," "scribe", or "law" in Hebrew.

The Hebrew term Sefer Torah (ספר תורה) ("book of Torah") refers to a formal written scroll of the five books, traditionally written by a specially trained Torah scribe under very strict requirements.

Other names current in Judaism include Hamisha Humshei Torah (חמשה חומשי תורה, "[the] five fifths[of the] Torah") or simply the Humash (חוּמָשׁ "fifth").

The term Torah is sometimes also used in the general sense to also include both Judaism's written law and oral law, encompassing the entire spectrum of authoritative Jewish religious teachings throughout history, including the Mishnah, the Talmud, the Midrash, and more.

The Torah (Hebrew: תּוֹרָה Translit.: torah Translated: doctrine, teaching) has been revered as the inspired word(s) of God, as it is said by tradition to have been revealed to Moses by Him. The Torah is sometimes referred to as the (written) Law or written Torah (unlike the oral Torah called Mishnah).

The Torah is the first part of the Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible, and is made up of five books. For that reason it is also called the Pentateuch, Chumash, or "the Five Books of Moses".

The five books of the Torah are:

• Genesis (Hebrew: בראשית Translit.: Bereshit (Bereishis) Translated: In the beginning)
• Exodus (Hebrew: שמות Translit.: Shemot (Shemos) Translated: Names)
• Leviticus (Hebrew: ויקרא Translit.: Vayyiqra (Vayikra) Translated: And he called)
• Numbers (Hebrew: במדבר Translit.: Bamidbar Translated: In the desert (wilderness))
• Deuteronomy (Hebrew: דברים Translit.: Devarim Translated: Words (Discourses <Things>))

The Hebrew names are taken from initial words of the first verse of each book. For example, the Hebrew name Bereshit means "in the beginning" which is the first word (in Hebrew) in Genesis 1:1. The Latinized names are derived from the Greek and reflect the essential theme of each book. For example, Genesis means birth or origin, while Deuteronomy means second law, and is a reference to how the fifth book is essentially a recapitulation of the commandments reviewed by Moses before his death. Leviticus is a reference to the descendants of Levi and the particular regulations that apply to their presence and service in the Temple, which form the bulk of the third book.

Jews have revered the Torah through the ages, as have Samaritans and Christians. It is traditionally accepted by some as the literal word of God as told to Moses. Christian Bibles incorporate the Hebrew Bible (with some variations) into its canon under the name of Old Testament. Though different Christian denominations have slightly different versions of the Old Testament in their Bibles, the Five Books of Moses (or "the Law") are common to them all.