PENTATEUCH
Today we study the first 5 Books. We will learn about traditions that shaped the way we
read the Bible during the Mass. This class noted will be updated.
The Pentateuch refers to the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, and Deuteronomy). For the most part, both Jewish and Christian traditions
credit Moses with primary authorship of the Pentateuch. These five books form the
theological foundation of the Bible.
The word pentateuch is formed by two Greek words, pente (five) and teuchos (book). It
means "five vessels," "five containers," or "five-volume book." In Hebrew, the
Pentateuch is Torah, meaning "the law" or "instruction

In rabbinic literature, the word Torah denotes both the five books (תורה שבכתב "Torah
that is written") and the Oral Torah (תורה שבעל פה, "Torah that is spoken"). It has also
been used, however, to designate the entire Hebrew Bible. The Oral Torah consists of
interpretations and amplifications which according to rabbinic tradition have been
handed down from generation to generation and are now embodied in
the Talmud and Midrash. [3]  Rabbinic tradition's understanding is that all of the teachings
found in the Torah (both written and oral) were given by God through the
prophet Moses, some at Mount Sinai and others at the Tabernacle, and all the teachings
were written down by Moses, which resulted in the Torah that exists today. According to
the Midrash, the Torah was created prior to the creation of the world, and was used as
the blueprint for Creation…
The words of the Torah are written on a scroll by a scribe ( sofer ) in Hebrew. A Torah
portion is read every Monday morning and Thursday morning at a shul (synagogue) and
as noted later in this article a part is also read on Saturdays. In some synagogues, but
not all, the reading is done only if there are ten males above the age of thirteen…
The Torah is also common among all the different versions of the Christian Old
Testament; in Islam, the  Tawrat  (Arabic: توراة‎) is the Arabic name for the Torah within its
context as an Islamic holy book believed by Muslims to have been given by God to
the prophets and messengers amongst the Children of Israel…
Meaning and names
The word "Torah" in Hebrew is derived from the root ירה, which in
the  hif'il  conjugation means 'to guide' or 'to teach'. [11]  The meaning of the word is
therefore "teaching", "doctrine", or "instruction"; the commonly accepted "law" gives a
wrong impression. [12]  The Alexandrian Jews who translated the Septuagint used the

Greek word nomos, meaning norm, standard, doctrine, and later "law". Greek and Latin
Bibles then began the custom of calling the Pentateuch (five books of Moses)
Scholars usually refer to the first five books of the Hebrew Bible as the 'Pentateuch'
(/ˈpɛn.təˌtjuːk/, PEN-tə-tewk; Ancient Greek: πεντάτευχος, pentáteukhos, 'five scrolls'), a
term first used in the Hellenistic Judaism of Alexandria
Contents
The Torah starts with God creating the world, then describes the beginnings of
the people of Israel, their descent into Egypt, and the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.
It ends with the death of Moses, just before the people of Israel cross to the Promised
Land of Canaan. Interspersed in the narrative are the specific teachings (religious
obligations and civil laws) given explicitly (i.e. Ten Commandments) or implicitly
embedded in the narrative (as in Exodus 12 and 13 laws of the celebration
of Passover)…
Names Derivatives
The common English names for the books are derived from the Greek Septuagint [  and
reflect the essential theme of each book:
 Bəreshit (בְּרֵאשִׁית, literally "In the beginning")—Genesis, from Γένεσις (Génesis,
"Creation")
 Shəmot (שְׁמוֹת, literally "Names")—Exodus, from Ἔξοδος (Éxodos, "Exit")
 Vayikra (וַיִּקְרָא, literally "And He called")—Leviticus, from Λευιτικόν (Leuitikón,
"Relating to the Levites")
 Bəmidbar (בְּמִדְבַּר, literally "In the desert [of]")—Numbers, from Ἀριθμοί (Arithmoí,
"Numbers") The name of the book comes from the two censuses taken of the
Israelites.

Dəvarim (דְּבָרִים, literally "Things" or "Words")—Deuteronomy,
from Δευτερονόμιον (Deuteronómion, "Second-Law")
Genesis
The Book of Genesis is the first book of the Torah. [25]  It is divisible into two parts,
the Primeval history (chapters 1–11) and the Ancestral history (chapters 12–50). [26]  The
primeval history sets out the author's (or authors') concepts of the nature of the deity
and of humankind's relationship with its maker: God creates a world which is good and
fit for mankind, but when man corrupts it with sin God decides to destroy his creation,
using the flood, saving only the righteous Noah and his immediate family to reestablish

the relationship between man and God. [27]  The Ancestral history (chapters 12–50) tells of
the prehistory of Israel, God's chosen people. At God's command Noah's
descendant Abraham journeys from his home into the God-given land of Canaan, where
he dwells as a sojourner, as does his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob. Jacob's name
is changed to Israel, and through the agency of his son Joseph, the children of
Israel descend into Egypt, 70 people in all with their households, and God promises
them a future of greatness. Genesis ends with Israel in Egypt, ready for the coming
of Moses and the Exodus. The narrative is punctuated by a series of covenants with
God, successively narrowing in scope from all mankind (the covenant with Noah) to a
special relationship with one people alone (Abraham and his descendants through Isaac
and Jacob)
Exodus
The Book of Exodus is the second book of the Torah, immediately following Genesis.
The book tells how the ancient Israelites leave slavery in Egypt through the strength
of Yahweh, the God who has chosen Israel as his people. Yahweh inflicts horrific harm
on their captors via the legendary Plagues of Egypt. With the prophet Moses as their
leader, they journey through the wilderness to Mount Sinai, where Yahweh promises
them the land of Canaan (the "Promised Land") in return for their faithfulness. Israel
enters into a covenant with Yahweh who gives them their laws and instructions to build
the Tabernacle, the means by which he will come from heaven and dwell with them and
lead them in a holy war to possess the land, and then give them peace
Leviticus
The Book of Leviticus begins with instructions to the Israelites on how to use
the Tabernacle, which they had just built (Leviticus 1–10). This is followed by rules
of clean and unclean (Leviticus 11–15), which includes the laws of slaughter and
animals permissible to eat (see also: Kashrut), the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16), and
various moral and ritual laws sometimes called the Holiness Code (Leviticus 17–26).
Leviticus 26 provides a detailed list of rewards for following God's commandments and
a detailed list of punishments for not following them. Leviticus 17 establishes sacrifices
at the Tabernacle as an everlasting ordinance, but this ordinance is altered in later
books with the Temple being the only place in which sacrifices are allowed
Numbers
Numbers begins at Mount Sinai, where the Israelites have received their laws and
covenant from God and God has taken up residence among them in
the sanctuary. [34]  The task before them is to take possession of the Promised Land. The
people are counted and preparations are made for resuming their march. The Israelites
begin the journey, but they "murmur" at the hardships along the way, and about the

authority of Moses and Aaron. For these acts, God destroys approximately 15,000 of
them through various means. They arrive at the borders of Canaan and send spies into
the land. Upon hearing the spies' fearful report concerning the conditions in Canaan, the
Israelites refuse to take possession of it. God condemns them to death in the wilderness
until a new generation can grow up and carry out the task. The book ends with the new
generation of Israelites in the "plains of Moab" ready for the crossing of the Jordan River
Numbers is the culmination of the story of Israel's exodus from oppression in Egypt and
their journey to take possession of the land God promised their fathers. As such it draws
to a conclusion the themes introduced in Genesis and played out in Exodus and
Leviticus: God has promised the Israelites that they shall become a great (i.e.
numerous) nation, that they will have a special relationship with Yahweh their God, and
that they shall take possession of the land of Canaan. Numbers also demonstrates the
importance of holiness, faithfulness and trust: despite God's presence and his priests,
Israel lacks faith and the possession of the land is left to a new generation

An opened Torah scroll (Book of Numbers part), and a reading pointer (yad).

Deuteronomy
The Book of Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Torah. Chapters 1–30 of the book
consist of three sermons or speeches delivered to the Israelites by Moses on the plains
of Moab, shortly before they enter the Promised Land. The first sermon recounts
the forty years of wilderness wanderings which had led to that moment, and ends with
an exhortation to observe the law (or teachings), later referred to as the Law of Moses;
the second reminds the Israelites of the need to follow Yahweh and the laws (or
teachings) he has given them, on which their possession of the land depends; and the
third offers the comfort that even should Israel prove unfaithful and so lose the land,

with repentance all can be restored. [36]  The final four chapters (31–34) contain the Song
of Moses, the Blessing of Moses, and narratives recounting the passing of the mantle of
leadership from Moses to Joshua and, finally, the death of Moses on Mount Nebo…
One of its most significant verses is Deuteronomy 6:4, [39]  the Shema Yisrael, which has
become the definitive statement of Jewish identity: "Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God,
the LORD is one." Verses 6:4–5 were also quoted by Jesus in Mark 12:28–34 [40]  as part
of the Great Commandment.

Composition
The Talmud states that the Torah was written by Moses, with the exception of the last
eight verses of Deuteronomy, describing his death and burial, being written
by Joshua. [41]  According to the Mishnah one of the essential tenets of Judaism is that
God transmitted the text of the Torah to Moses [42]  over the span of the 40 years the
Israelites were in the desert…Throughout most of the 20th century, there was a
scholarly consensus surrounding the documentary hypothesis, which posits four
independent sources, which were later compiled together by a redactor: J,
the Jahwist source, E, the  Elohist  source, P, the Priestly source, and D,
the Deuteronomist source. 
Torah Reading
Torah reading (Hebrew: קריאת התורה, K'riat HaTorah, "Reading [of] the Torah") is a
Jewish religious ritual that involves the public reading of a set of passages from a Torah
scroll. The term often refers to the entire ceremony of removing the Torah scroll (or
scrolls) from the ark, chanting the appropriate excerpt with traditional cantillation, and
returning the scroll(s) to the ark. It is distinct from academic Torah study.
Regular public reading of the Torah was introduced by Ezra the Scribe after the return of
the Jewish people from the Babylonian captivity (c. 537 BCE), as described in the Book
of Nehemiah..
As a part of the morning prayer services on certain days of the week, fast days, and
holidays, as well as part of the afternoon prayer services of Shabbat, Yom Kippur, a
section of the Pentateuch is read from a Torah scroll. On Shabbat (Saturday) mornings,
a weekly section ("parashah") is read, selected so that the entire Pentateuch is read
consecutively each year. 
 Simchat Torah
Jews observe an annual holiday, Simchat Torah, to celebrate the completion and new
start of the year's cycle of readings.

Simchat Torah is a component of the Biblical Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret ("Eighth
Day of Assembly"), which follows immediately after the festival of Sukkot in the month
of  Tishrei  (occurring in September or October on the Gregorian calendar)….The
Simchat Torah festivities begin with the evening service. All the synagogue's Torah
scrolls are removed from the ark and are carried around the sanctuary in a series of
seven hakafot (circuits). Although each hakafa needs to encompass only one circuit
around the synagogue, the dancing and singing with the Torah often continues much
longer and may overflow onto the streetSimchat Torah - Wikipedia
Honoring Torah
Congregants traditionally stand in respect when the Torah is brought out of the ark to be
read, while it is being carried, and lifted, and likewise while