Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Yigal Levin <leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il>]

Dear Yohanan,

Your definition of the word "Torah", while literally correct, is not the way 
in which it is usually used. In general usage, both among Jews and in 
"secular" scholarship, "Torah" is often used to designate the Pentateuch, or 
the first five books of the Tanakh - which, as you know, is an acronym for 
Torah (used to mean the Pentateuch), Nevi'im and Ketubim. In traditional 
Jewish usage, "Torah" has an even wider meaning, as the whole of Jewish 
learning.


Yigal Levin
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Yohanan bin-Dawidh" <yohanan.bin.dawidh AT gmail.com>
To: <l_barre AT yahoo.com>
Cc: "b-Hebrew" <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Sunday, February 08, 2009 2:06 AM
Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] A different generation of biblical scholarship


> Lloyd;
>
> The word "Pentateuch" comes from the Greek words "Penta teukhos", and 
> means
> "five scrolls/vessels", thus referring to the first five books of the LXX.
> The word *H*umash means "five", and refers to the first five books of the
> Tanakh (Miq'ra). I referred to such the way that I did, because in 
> essence,
> the Torah is not one, and the same with the *H*umash, but only a portion 
> of
> the *H*umash. The Torah is only the legal code that is found within the 
> *H*
> umash.
>
> Yo*h*anan bin-Dawidh
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