The Tanakh is the canonical collection of Jewish Scriptures, corresponding to what Christians refer to as the Old Testament. It is an acronym derived from the Hebrew words for its three main sections:
- Torah (Teaching or Law):
- The first five books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
- Focuses on creation, the covenant, and divine laws.
- Nevi’im (Prophets):
- Includes historical accounts and prophetic writings, such as Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel.
- Divided into Former Prophets (narrative) and Latter Prophets (prophetic oracles).
- Ketuvim (Writings):
- A diverse collection of poetic, wisdom, and historical books, such as Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Ruth, Esther, and Chronicles.
Are Jewish People Supposed to Follow the Entire Tanakh or Just the Torah?
- Focus on the Torah:
- The Torah holds primacy in Judaism as the foundational text containing the laws and covenant given by God to Moses.
- Jewish tradition sees the Torah as the ultimate authority, guiding religious observance, ethics, and daily life.
- Deuteronomy 31:12: “Assemble the people… so they can listen and learn to fear the Lord your God and follow carefully all the words of this law.”
Written by AI. A more correct, God given, explanation can be found here.