Tanakh: Torah (Pentateuch)
The Torah domain tests your grip on the five-book structure, the annual parashah cycle, the legal collections embedded in the narrative, and the distinctive themes of each book. Expect identification questions ('in which book and portion?'), content questions on the Decalogue and Shema, and classification questions about the 613 commandments.
Structure and content
- Hebrew names: Bereshit, Shemot, Vayikra, Bamidbar, Devarim. The English names (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) follow the Greek/Septuagint titles and often miss the Hebrew opening word.
- The annual cycle divides the Torah into 54 parashiyot; in common years several pairs are combined (e.g., Vayakhel–Pekudei, Tazria–Metzora), so the number read in synagogue varies.
- Tradition counts 613 commandments (248 positive, 365 negative; Talmud Makkot 23b; Rambam's Sefer HaMitzvot). Most are not explicit in the Torah text; they are derived.
- Major legal blocks: the Covenant Code (Ex 20:22–23:33), the Holiness Code (Lev 17–26), the Deuteronomic Code (Deut 12–26), plus Priestly legislation in Leviticus and Numbers.
Worked example
Question: 'The Decalogue appears twice. Why does Exodus 20:8 say 'Remember' (zachor) the Sabbath while Deuteronomy 5:12 says 'Guard' (shamor) it?' Reasoning: the two are separate literary settings. Exodus grounds Shabbat in creation (20:11); Deuteronomy grounds it in the Exodus from Egypt (5:15). The classical answer (R. Hanina, Mekhilta) is that both words were spoken 'in one utterance' - but for exam purposes the key is recognizing the different rationales and settings, not treating the difference as an error.
Traps
- Treating 'Torah' as the whole Tanakh; in this domain it means the Pentateuch.
- Assuming all 613 mitzvot are stated explicitly.
- Confusing the Holiness Code with the Deuteronomic Code.
- Forgetting that Deuteronomy is framed as Moses' farewell speeches.