stories in Torah

Stories, people and events in the Torah

The five books that comprise the Torah illustrate the story of the Israelites and the people and events that are part of Jewish history and religious tradition. The stories and events in each of the five books are:

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Bereishit: ("In the Beginning") / Genesis: ("Origins") tells the story of creation, Noah and the flood, and the selection of Abraham and Sarah and their family as the bearers of God's covenant. Stories of sibling conflict and the long narratives of Jacob and his favorite son Joseph conclude with the family dwelling in Egypt.

Shemot: ("names") / Exodus ("The Road Out"): tells of how the family of Jacob grew and then was enslaved in Egypt. The baby Moses, born of Israelites but adopted by Pharaoh, becomes God’s prophet who, after bringing 10 plagues down upon Egypt, leads the Israelites through the Red Sea to freedom and to the revelation at Mt. Sinai.

Vayikra: ("And God Called") / Leviticus ("Laws of the Levites”) deals mostly with laws of Israelite sacrificial worship.

Related rules include the basis for Jewish dietary laws (kashrut) and issues of purity and impurity.

Bamidbar: ("In the Wilderness") / Numbers ("The Census"): begins with a census of the Israelites and the tribe of Levi. A

group of Israelites spy out the land of Canaan; their discouraging report sends them back into the desert for 38 years more, during which the Israelites rebel against the authority of Moses and his brother Aaron.

Devarim: ("Words") / Deuteronomy ("Second Law"): is Moses' final message to the people of Israel before they cross over the Jordan River into Israel. Moses reminds the people of how God has saved the people from Egypt and reminds them of the covenant between Israel and God.

Other stories such as the story of Esther, on which the festival of Purim is based, are found in the Tanakh/Tanach.

Creation

Click on the picture to watch a youtube clip that presents the first Creation story in Genesis 1:1-2:4.

Young Abraham

Click on the picture to hear the story from the Midrash about how Abraham when he was young destroyed the idols in his father's shop. ​

Esther

Click on the picture to go to a clip that tells the story of Esther.

Moses

Click on the picture to hear the story of Moses.

Abraham

Click on the picture to see a youtube clip by Jesus Kidz of the story of Abraham (includes the sacrifice of Isaac)

The Ten Commandments

Click on the link to go to a youtube song about the Ten Commandments

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