9781422279731

Jews sometimes use the word Torah to refer to the entire Bible, or even the entire- ty of Jewish teaching in all its forms. The second section of the Tanakh is called Nevi’im , or “the Prophets.” Prophets were people who received God’s word directly and so spoke with divine inspiration. They

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Scan here to hear the first chapter of the Torah being read in the Hebrew language.

expressed God’s will for the people. The Prophets section includes some texts that provide the history about the ancient Israelites, their conquest of the land of Israel (then called Canaan) after the death of Moses around 1500 BCE , and the rise and fall of the kingdom of Israel established by King David around 1000 BCE . It also includes the writings of prophets who criticized the Jewish people for failing to live up to their part of the covenant with God, and predict- ed things that would happen to the Jewish people in the future—including the coming of the Messiah. The final section of the Tanakh is the Ketuvim , or “Writings.” It contains 13 books of poems, songs, historical stories, and wise sayings. Understanding the Scriptures Jews believe that when Moses was given the Torah on Mount Sinai, God spent 40 days explaining how to under- stand and interpret the scriptures and the laws they con-

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Judaism