Maimonides ( Mishneh Torah, Laws of Prayer 1: 4 ) relates that until the Babylonian exile, all Jews composed their own prayers.

Another Talmudic story, perhaps referring to an earlier time, relates that three Torah scrolls were found in the Temple court but were at variance with each other.

Instead, he highlights the contrast between the accounts in the Babylonian Talmud and the Jerusalem Talmud, noting that the Jerusalem Talmud " makes no mention of Elisha's dualism ; but it relates that in the critical period following the rebellion of Bar Kokba, Elisha visited the schools and attempted to entice the students from the study of the Torah, in order to direct their energies to some more practical occupation ; and it is to him, therefore, that the verse ' Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin ' is to be applied.

Zer Anpin personifies the revelation of the Torah and relates to the second level of the human soul called ' spirit ' ( ruakh ), that corresponds to mental aspects, including reason and emotion.

This is reflected in the paradoxical Acosmic Monism of Hasidic Panentheism, and relates to the essence of the Torah and the soul.

However, the majority of Torah scrolls are written on klaf, in their belief that the Talmud recommends ( as opposed to requires ) gevil and relates to the optimal beautification of the scrolls rather than an essential halachic requirement.

In contrast to both, most Conservative positions affirm the divine but nonverbal revelation of written Torah as the authentic, historically correct Jewish view.

Reform Judaism and Reconstructionist Judaism both hold that modern views of how the Torah and rabbinic law developed imply that the body of rabbinic Jewish law is no longer normative ( seen as binding ) on Jews today.

Rabbinic Judaism holds that God revealed his laws and commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai in the form of both the Written and Oral Torah.

The study of Torah ( in its widest sense, to include both poetry, narrative, and law, and both the Hebrew Bible and the Talmud ) is in Judaism itself a sacred act of central importance.

* Orthodox Judaism holds that both the Written and Oral Torah were divinely revealed to Moses, and that the laws within it are binding and unchanging.

According to Jewish tradition, God gave both the Written Law ( Torah ) and the Oral Law ( additional laws and customs meant to be passed down from teacher to student ) to Moses on Mount Sinai.

A Torah reading and Haftorah reading, and a special prayer in the Amidah, are added at both Shacharit and Mincha services.

A Torah reading and Haftorah reading, and a special prayer in the Amidah, are added at both Shacharit and Mincha services.

The Orthodox Jewish movements generally consider all non-Orthodox Jewish movements to be unacceptable deviations from authentic Judaism ; both because of other denominations ' doubt concerning the verbal revelation of Written and Oral Torah, and because of their rejection of Halakhic precedent as binding.

Orthodox Judaism holds that the words of the Torah, including both the Written Law ( Pentateuch ) and those parts of the Oral Law which are halacha leMoshe m ' Sinai, were dictated by God to Moses essentially as they exist today.

In rabbinic literature the word Torah denotes both these five books, Torah Shebichtav ( תורה שבכתב, " Torah that is written "), and an Oral Torah, Torah Shebe ' al Peh ( תורה שבעל פה, " Torah that is spoken ").

According to religious tradition, all of the laws found in the Torah, both written and oral, were given by God to Moses, some of them at Mount Sinai and others at the Tabernacle, and all the teachings were written down by Moses, which resulted in the Torah we have today.

The term " Torah " is therefore also used in the general sense to include both Judaism's written law and oral law, serving to encompass the entire spectrum of authoritative Jewish religious teachings throughout history, including the Mishnah, the Talmud, the Midrash and more, and the inaccurate rendering of " Torah " as " Law " may be an obstacle to " understanding the ideal that is summed up in the term talmud torah ( תלמוד תורה, " study of Torah ").

Rabbinic tradition holds that Moses learned the whole Torah while he lived on Mount Sinai for 40 days and nights and both the oral and the written Torah were transmitted in parallel with each other.

Judaism does not have clergy as such, although according to the Torah there is a tribe of priests known as the Kohanim who were leaders of the religion up to the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem in 70AD when most Sadducees were wiped out ; each member of the tribe, a Kohen had priestly duties, many of which centered around the sacrificial duties, atonement and blessings of the Israelite nation.

According to the Torah, the tribe consisted of descendants of Simeon the second son of Jacob, and of Leah, from whom it took its name ; however some Biblical scholars view this as postdiction, an eponymous metaphor providing an aetiology of the connectedness of the tribe to others in the Israelite confederation.

According to the Torah, the tribe consisted of descendants of Ephraim a son of Joseph, from whom it took its name ; however Biblical scholars view this also as postdiction, an eponymous metaphor providing an aetiology of the connectedness of the tribe to others in the Israelite confederation.

In the traditional ceremony, the father brings the child to the Kohen and recites a formula, or responds to ritual questions, indicating that this is the Israelite mother's firstborn son and he has come to redeem him as commanded in the Torah.

Formulated primarily by non Jews, the documentary hypothesis holds that the Torah was not written by Moses, but was simply written by different people who lived during different periods of Israelite history.

Paul links the laws of the Torah, given on Mount Sinai, to the bondage of the Israelite people, implying that it was signified by Hagar's condition as a bondswoman, while the " free " heavenly Jerusalem is signified by Sarah and her child.

According to the Torah, the tribe consisted of descendants of Issachar, the ninth son of Jacob, and a son of Leah, from whom it took its name ; however some biblical scholars view this also as postdiction, an eponymous metaphor providing an aetiology of the connectedness of the tribe to others in the Israelite confederation.

According to the Torah, the tribe consisted of descendants of Joseph, a son of Jacob and Rachel, from whom it took its name ; however some Biblical scholars view this also as postdiction, an eponymous metaphor providing an aetiology of the connectedness of the tribe to others in the Israelite confederation.

In ancient Israelite religion and culture, Urim and Thummim (, ) is a phrase from the Hebrew Scriptures or Torah associated with the hoshen ( High Priest's breastplate ), divination in general, and cleromancy in particular.

In addition, Samaritans interpret the ( Samaritan ) Torah to indicate that Israelite status is determined by the father, hence children of Samaritan men are considered Israelites, whereas children of non-Samaritan men are considered non-Israelite.

Paul is interpreted as being critical of a common Jewish view that following traditional Israelite customs make a person better off before God, pointing out that Abraham was righteous before the Torah was given.

In his poem, Alterman describes a scene similar to the Biblical Revelation on Mount Sinai, where the Jewish People is waiting to receive the Jewish state, as the Israelite were waiting to receive the Torah.

According to Akiba, the divine language of the Torah is distinguished from the speech of men by the fact that in the former no word or sound is superfluous.

Also, in most Conservative synagogues, and all Reform and Reconstructionist congregations, women participate in prayer services on an equal basis with men, including roles traditionally filled only by men, such as reading from the Torah.

In the Mishnah there is also a reference to certain women teaching men the Torah from behind a curtain, so that no man would be offended.

A significant proportion of students, especially boys, remain in yeshiva until marriage ( which is often arranged through facilitated dating – see shiduch ), and many study in a kollel ( Torah study institute for married men ) for many years after marriage.

Most Orthodox men ( including many Modern Orthodox ), even those not in Kollel, will study Torah daily.

Traditionally, four prophets are believed to have been sent holy books: the Tawrat ( Torah ) to Moses, the Zabur ( Psalms ) to David, the Injil ( Gospel ) to Jesus, and the Qur ' an to Muhammad ; those prophets are considered " messengers " or rasul ( Ule al A ' zm men al Rusul أولي العزم من الرسل ).

These and other gender inequalities found in the Torah suggest that women were subordinate to men during biblical times, however, they also suggest that biblical society viewed continuity, property, and family unity as paramount.

Today, tens of thousands of men, women and children study " Chumash with Rashi " as they review the Torah portion to be read in synagogue on the upcoming Shabbat.

In the days of the Temple in Jerusalem, all Jewish men, women, and children on pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the festival would gather in the Temple courtyard on the first day of Chol HaMoed Sukkot to hear the Jewish king read selections from the Torah.

According to Rabbinic literature, God via the Torah commands Jews to observe ( refrain from forbidden activity ) and remember ( with words, thoughts, and actions ) the Shabbat, and these two actions are symbolized by the two Shabbat candles which are lit 18 to 40 minutes (" Tosefet Shabbat ") before the onset of Shabbat by Jewish women, usually the mother / wife, though men who live alone are required to do so themselves.

" because there men achieve sainthood through study of Torah and imitation of the conduct of the masters.

Accordingly, in Orthodox Judaism only men can perform the Priestly Blessing and receive the first aliyah during the public Torah reading, and women are generally not permitted to officiate in a Pidyon HaBen ceremony.

Mesivta Keser Torah of Central Jersey, a Yeshiva and Yeshiva High school for men serves Haredi students mainly from Lakewood, Deal and Brooklyn, has existed since the 1920s.

In rabbinic literature, the highest ideal of all Jewish men is Torah study, women being exempt from Torah study.

Women do not study Torah, but gain merit for facilitating Torah study for the men.

In some communities, men forgo other occupations and study Torah full-time.

Other " core beliefs " are a recognition of the value and importance of secular studies ( see Torah Umadda: Torah and secular knowledge ), a commitment to equality of education for both men and women, and a full acceptance of the importance of being able to financially support oneself and one's family ( see Torah im Derech Eretz: Earning a livelihood ); see below.

The Torah contains the law that " when men fight and one of them pushes a pregnant woman and a miscarriage results but no other misfortune, the one responsible shall be fined ... but if other misfortune ensues, the penalty shall be life ( nefesh ) for life ( nefesh ).