Editing Torah (section)

==Meaning and names==
The word "Torah" in [[Biblical Hebrew|Hebrew]] is derived from the root {{lang|he|ירה}}, which in the ''[[hif'il]]'' [[grammatical conjugation|conjugation]] means 'to guide' or 'to teach'.<ref>cf. {{bibleverse|Lev|10:11}}</ref> The meaning of the word is therefore "teaching", "doctrine", or "instruction"; the commonly accepted "law" gives a wrong impression.<ref name="EJ">{{Cite EJ | last1=Rabinowitz | first1=Louis | author1-link=Louis Isaac Rabinowitz | last2=Harvey | first2=Warren | title=Torah | volume=20 | pages=39–46 | url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/philosophy-and-religion/judaism/judaism/torah}}</ref> The [[Alexandrian Jews]] who translated the [[Septuagint]] used the Greek word ''nomos'', meaning norm, standard, doctrine, and later "law". Greek and Latin Bibles then began the custom of calling the Pentateuch (five books of Moses) The Law. Other translational contexts in the English language include [[tradition|custom]], [[theory]], [[guide|guidance]],{{sfn|Birnbaum|1979|p=630}} or [[system]].{{sfnp|Alcalay|1996|p=2767}}

The term "Torah" is used in the general sense to include both [[Rabbinic Judaism]]'s written and [[oral law]], serving to encompass the entire spectrum of authoritative Jewish religious teachings throughout history, including the [[Oral Torah]] which comprises the [[Mishnah]], the [[Talmud]], the Midrash and more. The inaccurate rendering of "Torah" as "Law"{{sfn|Scherman|2001|pp=164–165|loc=Exodus 12:49}} may be an obstacle to understanding the ideal that is summed up in the term ''talmud torah'' ({{lang|he|תלמוד תורה}}, "study of Torah").{{sfn|Birnbaum|1979|p=630}} The term "Torah" is also used to designate the entire [[Hebrew Bible]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Torah#:~:text=The%20term%20Torah%20is%20also,Law%20and%20the%20Written%20Law | title=Torah &#124; Definition, Meaning, & Facts &#124; Britannica | date=28 December 2023 }}</ref>

The earliest name for the first part of the Bible seems to have been "The Torah of Moses". This title, however, is found neither in the Torah itself, nor in the works of the [[Babylonian Exile|pre-Exilic]] literary [[Nevi'im|prophets]]. It appears in [[Book of Joshua|Joshua]]<ref>Joshua 8:31–32; 23:6</ref> and [[Books of Kings|Kings]],<ref>I Kings 2:3; II Kings 14:6; 23:25</ref> but it cannot be said to refer there to the entire corpus (according to academic Bible criticism). In contrast, there is every likelihood that its use in the post-Exilic works<ref>Malachi 3:22; Daniel 9:11, 13; Ezra 3:2; 7:6; Nehemiah 8:1; II Chronicles 23:18; 30:16</ref> was intended to be comprehensive. Other early titles were "The Book of Moses"<ref>Ezra 6:18; Neh. 13:1; II Chronicles 35:12; 25:4; cf. II Kings 14:6</ref> and "The Book of the Torah",<ref>Nehemiah 8:3</ref> which seems to be a contraction of a fuller name, "The Book of the Torah of God".<ref>Nehemiah 8:8, 18; 10:29–30; cf. 9:3</ref><ref name="sarna">{{cite EJ|last=Sarna|first=Nahum M.|display-authors=etal|title=Bible|volume=3|pages=576–577}}</ref>

==={{Anchor|Pentateuch}}Alternative names===
Scholars usually refer to the first five books of the [[Hebrew Bible]] as the 'Pentateuch' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|ɛ|n|.|t|ə|ˌ|t|juː|k}}, {{respell|PEN|tə|tewk}}; {{langx|grc|πεντάτευχος}}, {{Transliteration|grc|pentáteukhos}}, 'five scrolls'), a term first used in the [[Hellenistic Judaism]] of [[Alexandria]].{{sfn|Merrill|Rooker|Grisanti|2011|p=163|loc=Part 4. The Pentateuch by Michael A. Grisanti|ps=: "The Term 'Pentateuch' derives from the Greek ''pentateuchos'', literally, ... The Greek term was apparently popularized by the Hellenized Jews of Alexandria, Egypt, in the first century AD..."}}

The "[[Tawrat]]" (also Tawrah or Taurat; {{langx|ar|توراة‎}}) is the Arabic name for the Torah, which [[Muslims]] believe is an [[Islamic holy book]] given by [[God in Islam|God]] to the [[Prophets and messengers in Islam|prophets and messengers]] amongst the [[Israelites|Children of Israel]].{{sfn|Lang|2015|p=98}}