[toh-ruh, tawr-uh; Seph. Heb. toh-rah; Ashk. Heb. toh-ruh, toi-ruh] 
) | 1. | the Pentateuch, being the first of the three Jewish divisions of the Old Testament. Compare Tanach. |
| 2. | a parchment scroll on which the Pentateuch is written, used in synagogue services. |
| 3. | the entire body of Jewish religious literature, law, and teaching as contained chiefly in the Old Testament and the Talmud. |
| 4. | law or instruction. |
The law on which Judaism is founded (torah is Hebrew for “law”). This law is contained in the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). Torah can also refer to the entire body of Jewish law and wisdom, including what is contained in oral tradition.