Presentation on ten key issues in Judaism

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1. Relationship with G-d goes back at least to the days of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These three men are called the "fathers" as they are the patriarchs of the nation. It was Jacob whose name was changed to Israel who gave rise to 12 sons who became the 12 tribes of Israel. After spending a fair amount of time in Egypt (as slaves), Moses was raised up to lead them out of slavery and into freedom. G-d took them to Mt. Sinai where he gave to them his law (known in Hebrew as "Torah"). The word Torah doesn't actually mean "law" but rather "instruction."

2. The Torah is the most sacred set of writings in Judaism -- without a doubt. The Torah contains what the Christian world calls "Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy" -- the Five Books of Moses. These are the first five books of the Bible. In particular, the Torah has been preserved in "scroll" format since it was originally written by Moses about 3400 years ago. It is understood that G-d gave the Torah to Moses at Mt. Sinai.

In addition, the rest of the Tanakh (Christians call it "Old Testament") is considered sacred as well. These writings include two other sets: the Writings and the Prophets. Therefore, altogether, the Tanakh is made up of 3 sets of writing: Torah, Writings, and Prophets.

Thirdly, we would have to include the Talmud (made up of two major components, the Gemara and the Mishnah) as a massive body of important Jewish law and commentary that was compiled shortly after the beginning of the common era. It was handed down through oral transmission for centuries and eventually compiled in written form. It is a significantly rich source of literature for understanding modern (as well as ancient) Judaism.

3. The Ten Commandments were given to the nation of Israel at Mt. Sinai shortly after they arrived there after leaving Egypt. If you wish, you can read the ten in Exodus ...