Why is the tanakh important to Jewish?

Answer 1

Tanakh represents both the words of the prophets and the history of the Jewish nation. It is the foundation upon which three world religions exist. To be ignorant of Tanakh is to be ignorant of an important series of book which have shaped religious thought for thousands of years.

Answer:

The Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) is important because it tells the history of the ancient Israelites, as well as giving us the teachings of such prophets as Moses, Isaiah and Jeremiah, the stories of kings like David and Saul, and the development of the ethics and beliefs of the Jewish religion. Our tradition is that the Hebrew Bible is from God (Exodus 24:12), given to us to provide knowledge, guidance, inspiration, awe and reverence, advice, law, comfort, history and more. It is the basis of Judaism. It crystallized, strengthened and codified our beliefs; insured our awareness and knowledge of our identity and history; and provided powerful impetus to be ethical.

It made us stand in awe of God, while also providing optimism and comfort through the prophecies of redemption. It inspired us to strive for holiness and informed us how to pray and to approach God's presence.

And it set detailed laws, practices and traditions for us forever.

The Hebrew Bible has also heavily influenced Western society (see the attached Related Question).

Answer 2

Jeffrey Rubinstein begins his book The Culture of the Babylonian Talmud thus: "The Babylonian Talmud (also called Bavli), the great compilation of rabbinic tradition edited in Sasanid Mesopotamia in the fifth through seventh centuries c.e., is arguably the most important Jewish text. While Judaism frequently is designated "the religion of the book"-and by "book" the Hebrew Bible is meant, the Bavli nonetheless occupies a place of pride in rabbinic tradition.

Medieval and modern rabbinic academies based their curriculum almost exclusively upon the Bavli and its derivitive literature of commentaries, legal codes, and responsa. Not every Jew, of course, received the education and training necessary for Talmud study. Yet, from their rabbis, generations of Jews were schooled upon the laws, traditions, ethics, scriptural interpretations, and ideals of the Bavli. The culture of the Bavli is therefore crucial to understanding both the primary influence on the culture of rabbinic academies throughout medieval and modern times as well as important forces that impacted many general Jewish beliefs and practices."

For orthodox Jews today, the Talmud forms the basis of their daily actions (Jewish law was codified from the Talmud), and for orthodox Jewish men, the highest form of religious service is studying Torah; most specifically the Talmud. (Note that the above only applies to the Babylonian, as opposed to the Jerusalem Talmud, which is less influential.)

Answer 3

First, you are in error in the identification of the scrolls. What is stored in the ark in a synagogue are Torah scrolls: The first five books of The Bible, also known as the Books of Moses.

Their significance is that they contain the laws regarding Jewish practice as well as the early history of the Jewish people from Abraham through the Exodus from Egypt.

Orthodox Jews consider the Torah to be the divinely inspired word of G*d and each scroll is hand written on parchment by scribes.

The Tanakh is a coined word to combine the names of the three sections of the Jewish Bible: Torah, Nevi'im, Ketubim.

Moshe David ben Avraham b'eretz Yisrael.

Answer 4

1) It is based on our 3300-year old Oral Law and tradition.

2) The Torah is incomprhensible and unfulfillable without it. For example, when the Torah says that its words should be for frontlets between our eyes (Exodus ch.13), exactly which words? How are the frontlets made?

When the Torah says not to eat suet (Leviticus ch.17), exactly which fats are included? Can they be used in medicine?

There are tens of thousands of such details, and the Talmud covers them thoroughly.

More:

("Facts about the Talmud"):

The Talmud, after the Torah, is considered the primary text of Jewish learning.

The Talmud contains, in addition to Torah-matters, some mathematics, geometry and trigonometry, medicine, astronomy, and advice on a large range of problems and situations.

The Talmud includes information on the lives and personalities of the Sages, from Abraham down to the writing of the Talmud.

The Talmud was kept entirely orally, and learned by heart, from the time of Moses until it was written 1800 years later (1500 years ago).

The Talmud contains the Mishna (relatively brief paragraphs of law) and Gemara (explanations of the Mishna).

The Talmud has thousands of published commentaries.

The Talmud contains 63 tractates in 2711 leaves (double pages). New printed editions maintain the same pagination as earlier ones.

The Talmud has been banned, censored and burned many times by enemies of the Jews.

Answer 5

The Tanakh is the basis for the Jewish religion. It contains all of the main laws and customs as well as the early history of the Jewish people. (It is referred to as "The Old Testament" by Christians.)

Answer 6

The Tanakh was given by God, through prophecy to the prophets, to instruct the Jewish people, so understandably it is of extremely high importance.

Answer 7

The Tanakh is the Hebrew Bible, the Holy Scriptures of Judaism.