SOR1 - Sacred Texts of Judaism

TaNaKh

  • Consists of 21 books
  • Some sources originate from nearly 2000 years ago
  • Three Major Books:
    • Torah (Teachings)
    • Neviim (Prophets)
    • Ketuvim (Writings)
  • Originally written in Hebrew
  • Themes: crisis and exile, alienation and reconciliation

Torah (Teachings)

  • First five books of the TaNaKh
    • Genesis
    • Exodus
    • Leviticus
    • Numbers
    • Deuteronomy
  • Received by Moses on Mount Sinai
  • Sometimes referred to as The Law
  • Contains the Covenant between G-d and man

Nevi’im (Prophets)

  • 8 books
    • Joshua
    • Judges
    • Samuel
    • Kings
    • Isaiah
    • Jeremiah
    • Ezekiel
    • 12 Minor Prophets

Ketuvim (Writings)

  • 11 Books
    • Psalms
    • Job
    • Proverbs
    • Ruth
    • Song of Songs
    • Ecclesiastes
    • Lamentations
    • Esther
    • Daniel
    • Ezra-Nehemiah
    • Chronicles
  • Believed to have been written under Divine Inspiration

Talmud

  • A legal commentary on the TaNaKh, explaining how its commandments are to be lived out
  • Consists of two books
    • Mishnah
    • Gemara
  • The Mishnah is the Oral Law. It includes lessons and quotations from sages, scholars and rabbis.
  • The Mishnah is organised as a legal book, while the Torah is arranged like a narrative
  • The Gemara contains the Halachah (Jewish Law)
  • The Mishnah is the Core Text of the Talmud, while the Gemara serves as an expansion, “completing” the Talmud
  • Both texts explore the reasoning behind the principles of the Torah, as well as situations where an action might not be considered a violation of Mitzvot.
  • They also serve as a final legal ruling on contradictions in the Torah, providing a definitive answer to issues of conflict.

[Definitions for this Topic](/posts/definitions/#science-genetics)


Pranav Sharma
Pranav Sharma
Site Owner

UNSW Student, site owner and developer.

Mastodon