Torah
or To·ra
[ toh-ruh, tawr-uh; Sephardic Hebrew toh-rah; Ashkenazic Hebrew toh-ruh, toi-ruh ]
/ ˈtoʊ rə, ˈtɔr ə; Sephardic Hebrew toʊˈrɑ; Ashkenazic Hebrew ˈtoʊ rə, ˈtɔɪ rə /
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noun (sometimes lowercase)
the Pentateuch, being the first of the three Jewish divisions of the Old Testament.Compare Tanach.
a parchment scroll on which the Pentateuch is written, used in synagogue services.
the entire body of Jewish religious literature, law, and teaching as contained chiefly in the Old Testament and the Talmud.
law or instruction.
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Origin of Torah
From the Hebrew word tōrāh instruction, law
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use Torah in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for Torah
Torah
/ (ˈtəʊrə, Hebrew tɔˈra) /
noun
- the Pentateuch
- the scroll on which this is written, used in synagogue services
the whole body of traditional Jewish teaching, including the Oral Law
(modifier) promoting or according with traditional Jewish Law
Word Origin for Torah
C16: from Hebrew: precept, from yārāh to instruct
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for Torah
Torah
[ (toh-ruh, tawr-uh, toy-ruh) ]
The law on which Judaism is founded (torah is Hebrew for “law”). This law is contained in the first five books of the Bible (see also 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.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.