An easy-to-understand introduction to Judaism’s most sacred
text
The foundation of Hebrew and Jewish religion, thought, law, and
society is the Torah-the parchment scroll containing the text of
the Five Books of Moses that is located in every synagogue. This
accessible guide explains the Torah in clear language, even to
those who were not raised in the Jewish religious tradition.
Christians who want to know more about the Jewish roots of
Christianity need to understand the Torah, as do followers of
Islamic tradition and those interested in the roots of Abrahamic
faiths. The Torah For Dummies explains the history of the Torah,
its structure and major principles, and how the Torah affects the
daily lives of people who follow the Jewish way of life.
Table of Content
Introduction 1
Part I: The Torah 101 9
Chapter 1: Beginning with Torah Basics 11
Chapter 2: Encountering God, the Ultimate Author 21
Chapter 3: Examining the Treasures of the Torah 39
Part II: One by One: The Books of the Torah 59
Chapter 4: ‘In the Beginning’: The Book of Genesis 61
Chapter 5: ‘These Are the Names’: The Book of Exodus 79
Chapter 6: ‘And He Called’: The Book of Leviticus 101
Chapter 7: ‘In the Wilderness’: The Book of Numbers 113
Chapter 8: ‘Words’: The Book of Deuteronomy 127
Part III: The Torah: An Operating Manual for Planet Earth 141
Chapter 9: Keeping Your Personal Behavior in Line with the Torah 143
Chapter 10: Living by the Word of the Torah in the Community 155
Part IV: The Importance of the Torah in Judaism 165
Chapter 11: Observing the Holy Days in Torah Time 167
Chapter 12: Following Jewish Customs According to the Torah 191
Chapter 13: Walking through the Torah Synagogue Service 209
Chapter 14: The Final Commandment: Writing a Torah Scroll 229
Chapter 15: Always Up for Discussion: Analyzing the Torah 247
Chapter 16: Studying the Torah with Translations, Commentaries, and Other Resources 263
Part V: The Part of Tens 277
Chapter 17: The Ten Commandments According to the Torah 279
Chapter 18: Ten Frequently Misunderstood Quotes from the Torah 287
Part VI: Appendixes 295
Appendix A: A Glossary of Torah Terms and Names 297
Appendix B: The 248 Positive Commandments in the Torah 305
Appendix C: The 365 Negative Commandments in the Torah 321
Index 341
About the author
Arthur Kurzweil is known as America’s foremost Jewish genealogist. He is a teacher, a lecturer, and the author of several books including Kabbalah For Dummies.
More ebooks from the same author(s) / Editor
362 Ebooks in this category
