Torah: Instruction, Covenant and the Foundation of Judaism
Torah is the Hebrew word for the sum total of the Old Testament law – the first five books, Genesis to Deuteronomy. Meaning "instruction" or "guidance", it forms the bedrock of Jewish teaching, worship and daily life.
Origin and Meaning of Torah
The Hebrew word Torah comes from a root meaning "to instruct" or "to guide", so it is better rendered "instruction" or "teaching" than simply "law". It embraces the whole of God's revealed will for His people (Ex 24:12), and names the first five books of the Old Testament – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy – also called the Pentateuch or "the Five Books of Moses" (Deut 31:9-11). The narrative moves from creation and the patriarchs, through the exodus and the covenant at Sinai, to Israel poised at the edge of the promised land.
The Talmud, a commentary on how the commandments of the Torah should be carried out, is a vast collection of teachings and opinions by numerous rabbis, and is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism.
The Torah and the New Testament
Much of the New Testament's teaching is rooted in the Torah. When Jesus was asked which commandment was the greatest, He answered by quoting the Torah itself – "Love God with your whole being" (Deut 6:4-5) – and paired it with the command to love your neighbour (Lev 19:18). He then declared that everything in the Law and the Prophets depends on these two commandments (Mt 22:36-40). The Sermon on the Mount deepens the Torah's commandments rather than replacing them (Mt 5:17-19). Paul calls the law "holy, and the commandment holy, righteous and good" (Rom 7:12) and describes it as a guardian that leads us to Christ (Gal 3:24). Even the Jerusalem Council's requirements for Gentile believers came from the Torah's laws for the resident foreigner (Lev 17-18; Acts 15:20). Reading the New Testament without the Torah means hearing only half the conversation.
The lessons from these teachings still apply to our lives today
Reflection and Application
- How does reading the Torah as loving instruction, rather than as cold regulation, change the way we understand a passage like the Ten Commandments (Ex 20:1-17)?
- Notice how God's covenant with His people comes before His commands. The same sequence applies today: grace always comes before obligation.
- Jesus summed the Torah as love of God and neighbour. Take one decision you are facing today and ask whether it expresses that love.
See also: Talmud.