THE TORAH
Happy are those
Who do not follow the advise of the wicked
or take the path of sinners tread
or sit in the seat of mockers
but their delight is in the Torah of the L-rd
And on his Torah they meditate day and night
They are like trees
planted by the streams of water
which yield their fruit in its season
and their leaves not wither
In all that they do, they prosper
*
Happy are those who way is blameless
Who walk in the Torah of the L-rd
Happy are those who keep his decrees
who seek him with their whole heart
who do no ill
who walk in his ways
[Psalm 1, 1-3 /119, 1-3]
The Torah can refer to the first 5 books of the Hebrew Bible or be used as a shorthand for the whole,which is also called The Tanakh . The name comes from an Acronym of 'T' for Torah, 'N' for Nevimm or Prophets and 'K' for Ketuvim or writings (everything else in the Bible). We do not call the Tanakh the' Old Testament' as Christians do, precisely because we do not see it as an 'old' covenant and of course we don't accept the 'new', but Christians do follow the same text, but in a slightly different order and name (the English words were translated from a Greek version of the Tanakh, rather than being translated directly from the Hebrew names for these books). Therefore the Jewish Bible contains 24 books, to the Christian 'Old Testament's' 39. In addition to the written Torah or Tanakh, Jews also have 'the oral' Torah, which we believe was transmitted to Moses at the same time as the Written Torah- i.e. the contents of the first 5 books of the Bible- at mount Siani. This oral Torah was passed down generation to generation and forms the basis of our Talmud, which includes the Oral Torah and our Sages and teacher's views on this and the written Torah, which was eventually recorded and written down after the destruction of the Second Temple into the document known as The Talmud.
I hope that the following table of the Written Torah will help here :
| Chaggai | |||
| Malakhi | |||
| Mishlei | |||
The following is a basic table of the Talmud :
·
Berakhot
·
Pe'ah
·
Demai
·
Kil'ayim
·
Shevi'it
·
Terumot
·
Hallah
·
Orlah
·
Bikkurim
|
·
Shabbat
·
Eruvin
·
Pesahim
·
Shekalim
·
Yoma
·
Sukkah
·
Beitza
·
Ta'anit
·
Megillah
·
Hagigah
|
·
Yevamot
·
Ketubot
·
Nedarim
·
Nazir
·
Sotah
·
Gittin
|
|
· Makkot
· Shevu'ot
· Eduyot
· Avot
· Horayot
|
· Zevahim
· Menahot
· Hullin
· Bekhorot
· Arakhin
· Temurah
· Keritot
· Me'ilah
· Tamid
· Middot
· Kinnim
|
· Keilim
· Oholot
· Nega'im
· Parah
· Tohorot
· Mikva'ot
· Niddah
· Zavim
· Yadayim
· Uktzim
|
THE 13 PRINCIPLES OF JEWISH FAITH
This is as close as Jews come to a 'creed', as outlined by Moses Maimonides:
1. Belief in the existence of the Creator, who is perfect in every manner of existence and is the Primary Cause of all that exists.
2. The belief in G-d's absolute and unparalleled unity.
3. The belief in G-d's non-corporeality, nor that He will be affected by any physical occurrences, such as movement, or rest, or dwelling.
4. The belief in G-d's eternity.
5. The imperative to worship G-d exclusively and no foreign false gods.
6. The belief that G-d communicates with man through prophecy.
7. The belief in the primacy of the prophecy of Moses our teacher.
8. The belief in the divine origin of the Torah.
9. The belief in the immutability of the Torah.
10. The belief in G-d's omniscience and providence.
11. The belief in divine reward and retribution.
12. The belief in the arrival of the Messiah and the messianic era.
13. The belief in the resurrection of the dead.
SHEMA
This is the prayer which we recite daily :
Sh'ma Yis'ra'eil Adonai Eloheinu Adonai echad.
Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.
Barukh sheim k'vod malkhuto l'olam va'ed.
Blessed be the Name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever.
V'ahav'ta eit Adonai Elohekha b'khol l'vav'kha uv'khol naf'sh'kha uv'khol m'odekha.
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
V'hayu had'varim ha'eileh asher anokhi m'tzav'kha hayom al l'vavekha.
And these words that I command you today shall be in your heart.
V'shinan'tam l'vanekha v'dibar'ta bam
And you shall teach them diligently to your children, and you shall speak of them
b'shiv't'kha b'veitekha uv'lekh't'kha vaderekh uv'shakh'b'kha uv'kumekha
when you sit at home, and when you walk along the way, and when you lie down and when you rise up.
Uk'shar'tam l'ot al yadekha v'hayu l'totafot bein einekha.
And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes.
Ukh'tav'tam al m'zuzot beitekha uvish'arekha.
And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
V'hayah im shamo'a tish'm'u el mitz'votai
And it shall come to pass if you surely listen to the commandments
asher anokhi m'tzaveh et'khem hayom
that I command you today
l'ahavah et Adonai Eloheikhem ul'av'do b'khol l'vav'khem uv'khol naf'sh'khem
to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul,
V'natati m'tar ar'tz'khem b'ito yoreh umal'kosh
v'asaf'ta d'ganekha v'tirosh'kha v'yitz'harekha.
That I will give rain to your land, the early and the late rains,
that you may gather in your grain, your wine and your oil.
V'natati eisev b'sad'kha liv'hem'tekha v'akhal'ta v'sava'ta.
And I will give grass in your fields for your cattle and you will eat and you will be satisfied.
Hisham'ru lakhem pen yif'teh l'vav'khem
v'sar'tem va'avad'tem Elohim acheirim v'hish'tachavitem lahem
Beware, lest your heart be deceived
and you turn and serve other gods and worship them.
V'charah af Adonai bakhem v'atzar et hashamayim v'lo yih'yeh matar
v'ha'adamah lo titein et y'vulah
And anger of the Lord will blaze against you, and he will close the heavens and there will not be rain,
and the earth will not give you its fullness,
va'avad'tem m'heirah mei'al ha'aretz hatovah asher Adonai notein lakhem.
and you will perish quickly from the good land that the Lord gives you.
V'sam'tem et d'varai eileh al l'vav'khem v'al naf'sh'khem
uk'shar'tem otam l'ot al yed'khem v'hayu l'totafot bein eineikhem.
So you shall put these, my words, on your heart and on your soul;
and you shall bind them for signs on your hands, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes.
V'limad'tem otam et b'neikhem l'dabeir bam
And you shall teach them to your children, and you shall speak of them
b'shiv't'kha b'veitekha uv'lekh't'kha vaderekh uv'shakh'b'kha uv'kumekha
when you sit at home, and when you walk along the way, and when you lie down and when you rise up.
Ukh'tav'tam al m'zuzot beitekha uvish'arekha.
And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
L'ma'an yirbu y'maychem vi-y'may v'naychem al ha-adamah
asher nishba Adonai la-avotaychem latayt lahem ki-y'may ha-shamayim al ha-aretz.
In order to prolong your days and the days of your children on the land
that the Lord promised your fathers that he would give them, as long as the days that the heavens are over the earth.
Vayo'mer Adonai el mosheh lei'mor
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying...
Dabeir el b'nei Yis'ra'eil v'amar'ta aleihem
Speak to the children of Israel and say to them
v'asu lahem tzitzit al kan'fei vig'deihem l'dorotam
v'nat'nu al tzitzit hakanaf p'til t'kheilet
they should make themselves tzitzit (fringes) on the corners of their clothing throughout their generations,
and give the tzitzit of each corner a thread of blue.
V'hayah lakhem l'tzitzit ur'item oto uz'khar'tem et kol mitz'vot Adonai
va'asitem otam v'lo taturu acharei l'vav'khem v'acharei eineikhem
asher atem zonim achareihem
And they shall be tzitzit for you, and when you look at them you will remember all of the Lord's commandments and do them and not follow after your heart and after your eyes
which lead you astray.
L'ma'an tiz'k'ru va'asitem et kol mitz'votai viyitem k'doshim lei'loheikhem
In order to remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for your God.
Ani Adonai Eloheikhem
asher hotzei'ti et'khem mei'eretz Mitz'rayim lih'yot lakhhem leilohim
Ani Adonai Eloheikhem
I am the Lord, your God
who lead you from the land of Egypt to be a God to you.
I am the Lord, your God.
SHEMA
This is the prayer which we recite daily :
Sh'ma Yis'ra'eil Adonai Eloheinu Adonai echad.
Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.
Barukh sheim k'vod malkhuto l'olam va'ed.
Blessed be the Name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever.
V'ahav'ta eit Adonai Elohekha b'khol l'vav'kha uv'khol naf'sh'kha uv'khol m'odekha.
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
V'hayu had'varim ha'eileh asher anokhi m'tzav'kha hayom al l'vavekha.
And these words that I command you today shall be in your heart.
V'shinan'tam l'vanekha v'dibar'ta bam
And you shall teach them diligently to your children, and you shall speak of them
b'shiv't'kha b'veitekha uv'lekh't'kha vaderekh uv'shakh'b'kha uv'kumekha
when you sit at home, and when you walk along the way, and when you lie down and when you rise up.
Uk'shar'tam l'ot al yadekha v'hayu l'totafot bein einekha.
And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes.
Ukh'tav'tam al m'zuzot beitekha uvish'arekha.
And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
V'hayah im shamo'a tish'm'u el mitz'votai
And it shall come to pass if you surely listen to the commandments
asher anokhi m'tzaveh et'khem hayom
that I command you today
l'ahavah et Adonai Eloheikhem ul'av'do b'khol l'vav'khem uv'khol naf'sh'khem
to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul,
V'natati m'tar ar'tz'khem b'ito yoreh umal'kosh
v'asaf'ta d'ganekha v'tirosh'kha v'yitz'harekha.
That I will give rain to your land, the early and the late rains,
that you may gather in your grain, your wine and your oil.
V'natati eisev b'sad'kha liv'hem'tekha v'akhal'ta v'sava'ta.
And I will give grass in your fields for your cattle and you will eat and you will be satisfied.
Hisham'ru lakhem pen yif'teh l'vav'khem
v'sar'tem va'avad'tem Elohim acheirim v'hish'tachavitem lahem
Beware, lest your heart be deceived
and you turn and serve other gods and worship them.
V'charah af Adonai bakhem v'atzar et hashamayim v'lo yih'yeh matar
v'ha'adamah lo titein et y'vulah
And anger of the Lord will blaze against you, and he will close the heavens and there will not be rain,
and the earth will not give you its fullness,
va'avad'tem m'heirah mei'al ha'aretz hatovah asher Adonai notein lakhem.
and you will perish quickly from the good land that the Lord gives you.
V'sam'tem et d'varai eileh al l'vav'khem v'al naf'sh'khem
uk'shar'tem otam l'ot al yed'khem v'hayu l'totafot bein eineikhem.
So you shall put these, my words, on your heart and on your soul;
and you shall bind them for signs on your hands, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes.
V'limad'tem otam et b'neikhem l'dabeir bam
And you shall teach them to your children, and you shall speak of them
b'shiv't'kha b'veitekha uv'lekh't'kha vaderekh uv'shakh'b'kha uv'kumekha
when you sit at home, and when you walk along the way, and when you lie down and when you rise up.
Ukh'tav'tam al m'zuzot beitekha uvish'arekha.
And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
L'ma'an yirbu y'maychem vi-y'may v'naychem al ha-adamah
asher nishba Adonai la-avotaychem latayt lahem ki-y'may ha-shamayim al ha-aretz.
In order to prolong your days and the days of your children on the land
that the Lord promised your fathers that he would give them, as long as the days that the heavens are over the earth.
Vayo'mer Adonai el mosheh lei'mor
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying...
Dabeir el b'nei Yis'ra'eil v'amar'ta aleihem
Speak to the children of Israel and say to them
v'asu lahem tzitzit al kan'fei vig'deihem l'dorotam
v'nat'nu al tzitzit hakanaf p'til t'kheilet
they should make themselves tzitzit (fringes) on the corners of their clothing throughout their generations,
and give the tzitzit of each corner a thread of blue.
V'hayah lakhem l'tzitzit ur'item oto uz'khar'tem et kol mitz'vot Adonai
va'asitem otam v'lo taturu acharei l'vav'khem v'acharei eineikhem
asher atem zonim achareihem
And they shall be tzitzit for you, and when you look at them you will remember all of the Lord's commandments and do them and not follow after your heart and after your eyes
which lead you astray.
L'ma'an tiz'k'ru va'asitem et kol mitz'votai viyitem k'doshim lei'loheikhem
In order to remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for your God.
Ani Adonai Eloheikhem
asher hotzei'ti et'khem mei'eretz Mitz'rayim lih'yot lakhhem leilohim
Ani Adonai Eloheikhem
I am the Lord, your God
who lead you from the land of Egypt to be a God to you.
I am the Lord, your God.
