The Jewish Scriptures - The Written Law

Religious Studies: KS3, topic 1.2.8

In Traditional (Orthodox) Judaism there are two main texts: The Written Law and The Oral Law.

There are five books in the Torah.
The Torah ends with the Israelites at the border of the Holy Land of Israel and the death of Moses.
The second section of the Hebrew Bible is Nevi’im (the Prophets).
These people were able to receive messages directly from God.
They were responsible for guiding the people in God’s law and keeping them on the correct path.

The eight books in the Nevi'im continue the history of the Jewish people.
These texts describe the challenge of creating a homeland based on God’s laws.
The spiritual centre was Jerusalem with the Temple as the focus of Jewish worship.
There are tragic stories of corruption and destruction.
The first and second Temples were destroyed.
Ultimately the people continue their relationship with God.

The third section is called the Ketuvim (the writings).
The Ketuvim is made up of a variety of texts by people who were inspired by God.
This section contains poetry, proverbs and advice for life, as well as philosophy and Psalms.
In Jewish life, a section of Torah is read every Shabbat, followed by a smaller section from the Neviim.
Some of the Ketuvim are read on festivals.
For example, the Book of Esther is read on Purim and Song of Songs on Passover.

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