The Torah is the five books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy). The Torah can also include the rest of the Tenakh(old testament) and the books of the "New Testament," in that they are God's continued revelation/instruction. The Torah has commandments in it that apply only to those living in the land of Israel. It also has rules that apply only to the priests, and others solely for the High Priest. There are instructions for men and others for women -- some to the married versus not married. The To ...view middle of the document...
The Torah is the guide to the very universe itself, a map to the very forces of the universe. Jews study the Torah to find the intent and purpose of the words so that ones motivation and lifestyle can produce maximum harmony and prosperity. Jews consider the Torah to be a gift from God and a guide for living. The Torah is the main focus of Jewish faith, and is used on all days of religious observance: every Sabbath and holiday, and for some extremely observant Jews, every day. Jewish sages say that the Torah contains endless worlds of meaning, and the evolution of humanity means an endless rediscovery of meaning in the Torah. Synagogues are the places where Jewish people meet to study the torah and they are also places of worship. There are no offerings of sacrifices during synagogue services, only prayer, songs and readings from the torah. Instead of priests there are Rabbis who are the teachers, religious decision makers, and creators of liturgical prayer. For a synagogue to be formed, there must be at least a quorum of ten adult males (a minyan).Women are excluded from services at synagogues, but everyone is taught the basics of the torah since the age of 6. Women are to be more concerned with family responsibilities.
