[Music] the book the Jewish Bible Tanakh no book has had a greater impact on human history on human civilization no book has been more devoutly read more diligently studied more deeply probed [Music] what's in the Tanakh who wrote it or transcribed it and when join us for a journey that spans thousands of years a journey traversed by Shepherds and kings prophets and prophetesses scribes and seers as we explore the 24 books the 929 chapters and the 22 864 verses that comprise the Jewish Bible the Tanakh consists of three components Torah Naveen or prophets and katuvit or writings the first section Torah is the most fundamental text of Judaism transcribed by Moses during the 40 years that the people of Israel were traveling through the wilderness this is the text inscribed in the Torah scroll the most sacred object in Judaism the Torah consists of Five Books the five books of Moses also called the Hamish the Torah recounts the origins of the Jewish people but even more importantly it contains the 613 mitzvotes Divine Commandments that Define our mission in life and the Covenant between God and the people of Israel the Book of Genesis describes the creation of the world and the formative events of early human history Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden Cain and Abel Noah's flood Tower of Babel and the lives and deeds of the founding fathers and mothers of the people of Israel Abraham and Sarah Isaac and Rebecca Jacob Rachel and Leia Joseph and his brothers Genesis also includes the seven noahide laws and three of the 613 mitzvotes of the Torah the book of Exodus describes the Exodus from Egypt the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai and the construction of the Tabernacle it includes the Ten Commandments and 101 other mitzvot The Book of Leviticus records 247 mitzvot commanded by God to Moses pertaining to the temple service the kosher dietary laws the festivals of the Jewish year and a variety of ritualistic Social and civil laws including the maxim love your fellow as yourself The Book of Numbers recounts the events of the Israelites 40-year Journey Through the wilderness it also includes 52 mitzvotes the book of Deuteronomy contains Moses's final address to the people of Israel before his passing it reviews many of the events and laws of the previous three books as well as 200 additional mitzvotes a Jew lives with the Torah 365 days a year and the five books are divided into 54 sections or partiotes each week another Parsha is publicly read in the synagogue and each Parsha has seven sections so that each day of the week has its distinct lesson of the day to study and apply to our lives the eight books of the prophets section of Tanakh record the words and deeds of the prophets who brought the word of God to the people in the centuries after Moses the first four books in this section are primarily historical recounting the events from the children of Israel's settlement of the Holy Land to the destruction of the first temple the Book of Joshua describes the conquest of the holy land and it's apportionment among the 12 tribes of Israel judges describes events during the 14 generations of the judges who led the people of Israel in the centuries after the passing of Joshua the book of Samuel recounts the lives and deeds of the prophet Samuel King Saul and King David and Kings recounts the history of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel Isaiah was sent by God to convey Prophecies of consolation over the destruction of the Holy Temple and the Exile and to describe the future Messianic age of Peace Perfection and divine revelation Jeremiah warned that Jerusalem will be destroyed because of the people's sins and injustices but also conveyed the promise that the Exiles to Babylon will return after 70 years described his vision of the Divine Chariot that is the source for many of the mystical teachings of Kabbalah and of the third Holy Temple of the Messianic era the last book in the prophets section is composed of 12 smaller books recording the Prophecies of 12 Prophets Hosea who God instructs to marry an Unfaithful woman in order to experience firsthand God's interminable love for his people despite their unfaithfulness Amos who denounces the exploitation of the weak and poor by the rich and powerful and speaks about the hypocrisy and serving God while failing to practice Justice and charity the story of Jonah which teaches the power of prayer and of repentance Joel and Nahum who foretell the Divine Judgment of the Nations who persecuted the people of Israel Obadiah Micah habakkuk and Zephaniah prophesy the future Messianic age of peace and Perfection when all nations will unite to serve God and the last three prophets haggai Zachariah and Malachi encourage the people during the difficulties of their return from Babylon to build the second temple the words of the prophets are also incorporated into the annual Torah reading cycle in the form of the haftura selected portions from the prophets which we read after the public Torah reading on Shabbat and other special occasions the third section of Tanakh the writings include 11 books composed by King David and The Holy Land some 3000 years ago Psalms of the book of tehilim Express the yearnings tribulations and exaltations of the Jewish experience in every land and in every generation Psalms form an integral part of every Jewish prayer and are red wept and sung at every occasion from a birth to a funeral whenever a Jew has the need to plead for divine assistance celebrate a Triumph for simply talk to God the verses of to him give voice to the outpourings of his or her soul also in the writing sections are three books containing the wisdom of King Solomon Proverbs contains aphorisms on the virtues of wisdom hard work and immoral life Song of Songs is a pastoral love song that metaphorically describes the relationship between God and Israel Ecclesiastes speaks of the transients of life and the futility of worldly Pursuits also in the writing section The Book of Job confronts the question why do the righteous suffer Ruth tells the story of the moabite princess who converted to Judaism and became the ancestrous of King David Lamentations Mourns the destruction of the Holy Temple and the Exile of Israel The Scroll of Esther recounts the story of Purim when haman's plot to annihilate all the Jews in the Persian Empire was foiled by Queen Esther and Mordechai the visions and deeds of Daniel but Judean prince who served in the Royal courts of Babylonia and Persia are in the book that bears his name Daniel also prophesied on the rise and fall of Nations and the timing of the Messianic Redemption Ezra Nehemiah describes the Jewish people's return from Babylon the re-establishment of their commitment to the Torah and the building of the second Holy Temple Chronicles contains a summary of the whole of Biblical history five of the books of the writings section also called the five scrolls are publicly read in select times of the year The Scroll of Esther on Purim Ruth and Shavuot song of songs on Passover Lamentations on Tish above and Ecclesiastes on Sukkot one thousand years after the Revelation at Sinai in the first generation of the second temple era the 120 prophets and sages of the great assembly canonized the 24 books of the talach this is the written Torah upon which all subsequent Torah learning and discussion is based [Music]