What is the Torah?

Many times when I share my faith with people, whether that be in person or online via posts on Facebook/twitter/Instagram/etc, people often ask the question “What is the Torah?”  I’ve even had some of my friends tell me something along the lines of, “Yeah you don’t read the traditional Bible do you? You have that extra book thing called the Torah, right?”  Nothing could be further from the truth! So what is the Torah?

The Torah is simply the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.  The Torah simply what we call this collection of books.  The reason these books are all grouped together is because they are the five books written by Moses.

The word “Torah” is Hebrew and origin and is defined as “law, direction, or instruction”.  The reason that these five books are given this name is because they contain all of the ordinances and commandments which God has given mankind to follow and keep.  Therefore, the Torah is seen as our instruction manual or lawbook.

Sometimes, the Torah is known by different names.  One name would be “the Pentateuch”.  The word “Pentateuch” comes from a combination of two Greek words: Penta – meaning 5, and teuch – meaning book.  So literally, the word “Pentateuch” means “the five books.”  Another name would be “the Law.”  Many times in the New Testament, the Torah is referred to as “the Law” because of the Greek word nomos, which was often times chosen to be the translation for the Hebrew word Torah.

The Torah deals extensively with the commandments and statutes which God has commanded that mankind adhere to – everything from adultery, to idolatry, to celebrations, to civil disputes, to interaction with one another, to dietary restrictions, to love, even garbage disposal.  Everything you need to know about how we should walk out our lives can be found within the Torah.

God’s righteous people have always been zealous for the giving of His merciful instructions.  King David, the man after God’s own heart, was one of the most Torah-loving men of all time.  Most of the Psalms found within your Bible are accredited to King David, and you would be surprised at how many of these Psalms praise not only God the Father, but also the giving of His commandments.  Psalm 119, the longest chapter of your entire Bible, is nothing but Psalmist’s love, praise, and thankfulness for God’s Torah.  My personal favorite verse in Psalm 119 is verse 72 which says, “The Torah of your mouth is better to me than thousands of pieces of gold and silver.”

Here are a few things that your Bible claims that the Torah is:

• Liberty (119:45)
• Truth (Psalm 119:151)
• Everlasting (Psalm 119: 142)
• Sweet (Psalm 119:103)
• The Way (Psalm 119:1)
• Light (Psalm 119:40)
• Brings Great Peace (Psalm 119:165)
• Good (Psalm 119:39)
• A Delight (Psalm 119:47)
• Not Sin (Romans 7:7)
• The Way of Truth (Psalm 119:30)
• Endures Forever (Psalm 119:160)
• His Word (Psalm 119:172)
• Something We Should Love (Psalm 119:163)
• Good Doctrine (Proverbs 4:2)
• Spiritual (Romans 7:14)

So what is the Torah?  The Torah is the love-inspired instruction manual from God to all mankind.  It is what we are to walk in, live out, and meditate on.  The only man who ever completely walked in, lived out, and meditated on the Torah perfectly was our Savior Jesus Christ.  He was, is, and always will be the perfect example for us on how to live a Torah-obedient life.  And if God’s instruction manual was good enough for Him, it’s good enough for me.