Editing Torah (section)

===Exodus===
{{main|Book of Exodus}}

The Book of Exodus is the second book of the Torah, immediately following Genesis. The book tells how the ancient [[Israelites]] leave slavery in Egypt through the strength of [[Yahweh]], the God who has chosen Israel as his people. Yahweh inflicts horrific harm on their captors via the legendary [[Plagues of Egypt]]. With the prophet [[Moses]] as their leader, they journey through the wilderness to [[biblical Mount Sinai|Mount Sinai]], where Yahweh promises them the land of [[Canaan]] (the "[[Promised Land]]") in return for their faithfulness. Israel enters into a [[Mosaic covenant|covenant]] with Yahweh who gives them their laws and instructions to build the [[Tabernacle]], the means by which he will come from [[heaven]] and dwell with them and lead them in a [[holy war]] to possess the land, and then give them peace.

Traditionally [[Mosaic authorship|ascribed to Moses]] himself, modern scholarship sees the book as initially a product of the [[Babylonian captivity|Babylonian exile]] (6th century BCE), from earlier written and oral traditions, with final revisions in the [[Yehud Medinata|Persian post-exilic period]] (5th century BCE).{{sfn|Johnstone|2003|p=72}}{{sfn|Finkelstein|Silberman|2002|p=68}} [[Carol Meyers]], in her commentary on Exodus suggests that it is arguably the most important book in the Bible, as it presents the defining features of Israel's identity: memories of a past marked by hardship and escape, a binding covenant with God, who chooses Israel, and the establishment of the life of the community and the guidelines for sustaining it.{{sfn|Meyers|2005|p=xv}}