Toras

Toras is a transliteration from Hebrew referring to תורה, usually translated as "instruction" or "law." In Hebrew, the singular term is Torah, and the plural is torot. In English usage, toras (often written as torahs) can denote either multiple Torah scrolls or the broader body of Jewish teachings and texts associated with the Torah.

The most common meanings of toras involve two related concepts. First, the Torah as written law: the Five Books of Moses—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. These books form the foundational narrative and legal material of Judaism. Second, the broader body of Jewish teaching and interpretation known as the Oral Torah, which includes the Mishnah, Talmud, and later rabbinic literature that explains and expands upon the Written Torah.

In practice, torahs may also refer to the physical scrolls used in synagogue readings. When multiple scrolls or editions are involved, the term torahs can be used to indicate more than one Torah text or manuscript.

Reading and study of the Torah are central in Jewish worship and scholarship. In weekly and holiday services, a portion of the Torah is read from a scroll in a prescribed cycle, with each portion called a parashah (parsha). Commentary and legal discussion derived from the Torah constitute a major part of traditional Jewish learning.

Etymology and usage vary by language and tradition, but toras commonly signals the concept of instruction, law, and the transmitted teachings that constitute Jewish religious literature. See also Torah scroll, Chumash, Tanakh, Mishnah, and Talmud.