11-04-2018, 09:30 PM
(This post was last modified: 11-04-2018, 09:45 PM by Director Michael.)
B"H. The literal translation of the word "torah" is "teaching." "Torah" is the holy teaching which is given and taught by G-d to the Jewish People. It is the specific title given to the Five Books of Moses, and it is also the name for the overall body of Jewish religious teachings that encompassing all of traditional Jewish law, practice and tradition.
Why did G-d call the Five Book of Moses by this name specifically? The answer is in the verse Deuteronomy 33:4 -
"The Torah that Moses commanded us is a legacy for the congregation of Jacob."
The Sages explained that the gematria (numerical value) of the Hebrew letters in the word "Torah" indicates that there are 613 eternal Jewish Commandments in the Five Books of Moses. To which they challenged, how is this so, since the gematria of "Torah" is only 611?
They answered: the number of commandments in the Torah that we [the Jewish People] received from G-d through Moses was 611, and 2 commandments we heard directly from G-d Himself during the public revelation at Mount Sinai:
(1) "I am the L-rd, your G-d, Who took you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage"; and
(2) "You shall not have the gods of others in My presence."
Beyond this, the Gentiles (Non-Jews, the Children of Noah) have 7 commandments from G-d in the Torah (the 7 Noahide Commandements), so the total number of commandments in the Torah is 613+7=620. This is indicated by the fact that the number of Hebrew letters in the "Ten Commandments" is 620.
Why did G-d call the Five Book of Moses by this name specifically? The answer is in the verse Deuteronomy 33:4 -
"The Torah that Moses commanded us is a legacy for the congregation of Jacob."
The Sages explained that the gematria (numerical value) of the Hebrew letters in the word "Torah" indicates that there are 613 eternal Jewish Commandments in the Five Books of Moses. To which they challenged, how is this so, since the gematria of "Torah" is only 611?
They answered: the number of commandments in the Torah that we [the Jewish People] received from G-d through Moses was 611, and 2 commandments we heard directly from G-d Himself during the public revelation at Mount Sinai:
(1) "I am the L-rd, your G-d, Who took you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage"; and
(2) "You shall not have the gods of others in My presence."
Beyond this, the Gentiles (Non-Jews, the Children of Noah) have 7 commandments from G-d in the Torah (the 7 Noahide Commandements), so the total number of commandments in the Torah is 613+7=620. This is indicated by the fact that the number of Hebrew letters in the "Ten Commandments" is 620.