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Because the Torah was given by God (Exodus 24:12). It provides knowledge, guidance, inspiration, awe and reverence, advice, law, comfort, history and more. It is the basis of Judaism.
The Torah is a source of national pride for us (see Deuteronomy 4:6-8).
It increases our reverence towards God; crystallizes, strengthens and codifies our beliefs; insures our awareness and knowledge of our history; and provides powerful impetus to be ethical.
It makes us stand in awe of God, while also providing optimism and comfort through the prophecies of redemption. It inspires us to strive for holiness and informs us how to pray and to approach God's presence.
It gives us a great deal of general information, guidance and advice.
And it sets detailed laws, practices and traditions for us.
The laws themselves have various reasons. Some (such as the Passover) serve to reenact or remember events of our history.
Some (such as saying the Shema-prayer) serve to reiterate our belief in God.
Some of the laws (such as those of ritual purity and kosher food) serve to sanctify us.
Some (such as the laws of torts) serve to maintain an orderly society.
Some (such as the law against breaking a vow) serve to prevent bad character traits.
Some (such as the command to offer help) serve to engender good character traits.
And all of the commands serve to subjugate us to God's will (especially those commands for which no explanation is easily apparent).
Some examples of the commands:
Putting on Tefillin (a.k.a. phylacteries) in the morning
The sukkah-booth during Sukkot
Avoiding leavened products in Passover
Not eating on Yom Kippur
Not working on the Shabbat
Paying workers on time
Marital rights for one's wife
Counting the days of the Omer
Returning lost objects when feasible
Wearing the tzitzith-garment
Learning Torah
Marrying and having children
Educating one's children in Judaism
Giving tzedakah (charity)
Honoring one's parents
And many more.
Note that the Torah "as is" isn't exactly what Judaism observes. Rather, it's the Torah together with the details provided in the Talmud, which is the Oral Law that was handed down together with the laws of Moses. Otherwise, the verses of the Torah often lack enough detail to be fulfilled as is.
See also:
What are some facts about Torah-scrolls?
There are many reasons (please feel free to add to this list):
- It is the foundation of the Jewish religion, and contains the 613 commandments from G-d, which guide Jewish lives.
- It is the basis of almost every aspect of Jewish life.
- It is a symbol of learning and education.
- It is the preservation of ancient Jewish history.
- It is a tree of life to all those who cling to it.
- It is the embodiment of the Jewish world view.
1) The purpose of all the other Israelite prophets (and later works such as the Talmud) was only to uphold the Torah, not to supersede it or add anything.2) Moses, who put the Torah in writing (Deuteronomy 31:24) was the greatest of prophets (Numbers ch.12, Deuteronomy ch.34).
3) God spoke the entire Torah to Moses (Exodus 24:12); and it is the foundation of Judaism.
Our tradition is that the Torah was given by God (Exodus 24:12), to provide knowledge, guidance, inspiration, awe and reverence, advice, law, comfort, history and more. It is the basis of Judaism.
The Torah is a source of national pride for us (see Deuteronomy 4:6-8).
It increases our reverence towards God; crystallizes, strengthens and codifies our beliefs; insures our awareness and knowledge of our history; and provides powerful impetus to be ethical.
It makes us stand in awe of God, while also providing optimism and comfort through the prophecies of redemption. It inspires us to strive for holiness and informs us how to pray and to approach God's presence.
It gives us a great deal of general information, guidance and advice.
And it sets detailed laws, practices and traditions for us.
The laws themselves have various reasons. Some (such as the Passover) serve to reenact or commemorate events of our history.
Some (such as saying the Shema prayer) serve to reiterate our belief in God.
Some of the laws (such as those of ritual purity and kosher food) serve to sanctify us.
Some (such as the laws of torts) serve to maintain an orderly society.
Some (such as the law against breaking a vow) serve to prevent bad character traits.
Some (such as the command to offer help) serve to engender good character traits.
And all of the commands serve to subjugate us to God's will (especially those commands for which no explanation is easily apparent).
Some examples of the commands:
Putting on Tefillin (a.k.a. phylacteries) in the morning
The sukkah-booth during Sukkot
Avoiding leavened products in Passover
Not eating on Yom Kippur
Not working on Saturday (Sabbath)
Paying workers on time
Marital rights for one's wife
Counting the days of the Omer
Returning lost objects when feasible
Wearing the tzitzith-garment
Learning Torah
Marrying and having children
Educating one's children in Judaism
Giving tzedakah (charity)
Honoring one's parents
And many more.
Note that the Torah "as is" isn't exactly what Judaism observes. Rather, It's the Torah together with the details provided in the Talmud, which is the Oral Law that was handed down together with the laws of Moses. Otherwise, the verses of the Torah often lack enough detail to be fulfilled as is.
See also:
What are some facts about Torah-scrolls?
It is the foundation of the Jewish religion, and contains the 613 commandments from G-d, which guide Jewish lives.
Add your answer:
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Why is Torah so important to the Jewish culture?
The Torah is the base to all of Judaism. It gives us the commandments of G-D and tells us our past and has many secrets buried in it that people have been uncovering for millennia.
What do children do they have special jobs in Jewish religion?
Children have the job of learning the torah, so later on they can tell teach their children. So the Jewish people will never die out.
Why do Jewish people owe so much to God?
1) Because we still exist! 2) Because of the Exodus, the Giving of the Torah, and many more things enumerated in the Torah.
Judaism's most important laws are in what book?
Jewish law is called halacha. The halachot (pl) were recorded in the Talmud.However, there is no ranking of the halachot so there are none that are moreimportant than others.All halachot (Jewish laws) recorded in the Talmud are ultimately derived from theTorah. So, although there is no ranking of them and we have no information as towhich ones may be more important than any other ones, it's still correct to say thatwhichever ones are the most important ones, they are in the Torah, because allJewish laws are in the Torah or based upon it.
Why are their Jewish beliefs are so strong?
Because our tradition is that the Torah is from God.
Why is Torah so important to Christian?
The Torah is the basis of the Christian's Old Testament.
What were the Pharisees like?
The so-called Pharisees are actually identical to the Jewish Torah-sages of that era (2000 years ago). They were the ones who studied and transmitted the Torah-traditions. They have gotten a negative spin because of one or another incident reported in non-Jewish chronicles, but in Jewish tradition they are the classical source of Torah-commentary.
What does it mean to say Jews are Gods Chosen People?
It means that while the Jews were in the desert, God took the holy bible, the Torah, So when God went to the Jewish people, the Jews answered, "Of course we want your holy Torah!" That's what it means to say that the Jews are God's chosen people!
What city is so important to Jewish people to day why?
Jerusalem; because it was the site of the Holy Temple.
What books are Judaism's most important laws in?
Jewish law is called halacha. The halachot (pl) were recorded in the Talmud.However, there is no ranking of the halachot so there are none that are moreimportant than others.All halachot (Jewish laws) recorded in the Talmud are ultimately derived from theTorah. So, although there is no ranking of them and we have no information as towhich ones may be more important than any other ones, it's still correct to say thatwhichever ones are the most important ones, they are in the Torah, because allJewish laws are in the Torah or based upon it.
Is there a language called Jewish?
No, some Jewish people speak Hebrew and/or Yiddish. It is important to note that the Yiddish word for Jewish is Yiddish, so the language is actually called "Jewish", but there is no language identified with the English word "Jewish".
How did the covenant shape Jewish history?
The covenant between God and the Israelites ensured that the Jews (a.k.a. Israelites) would always keep the Torah. This, in turn, led the Jews to study Torah, to maintain a scholarly class among Jews, to write books of commentary and Jewish thought (so the Torah wouldn't be inaccessible due to lack of understanding on our part), and to keep ties between the various Jewish communities (so Judaism wouldn't inadvertently split into different religions).The keeping of the Torah's commands created many ramifications, such as Jews having supported the poor, maintained synagogues and places of Torah-study, ascertained a supply of kosher food, etc.See also:What_is_the_covenant_of_the_Hebrew_peoplehttp://judaism.answers.com/jewish-history/timeline-of-jewish-history
