Torah

A torah is read with a "yad," a Jewish ritual pointer. Photo by Stephen Lam.
A torah is read with a “yad,” a Jewish ritual pointer. Photo by Stephen Lam.

The Jewish sacred writings found in the first five books of the Hebrew Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). Also called “the Five Books of Moses,” the Torah is copied by specialized scribes onto parchment scrolls and is treated with great care and respect by Jewish congregations. The term Torah is sometimes also used to describe the larger body of Jewish law and Scripture.

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REFERENCE: Religion Stylebook
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