The Torah, or "Instruction," is also known as the "Five Books" of Moses, thus Chumash from Hebrew meaning "fivesome”.Torah is typically translated "law," but it also means something like "instructions" or "directions". Those books were written by Moses in the desert and comprises the following five books:

• Bereishith (In the beginning...) (Genesis)
• Shemoth (The names...) (Exodus)
• Vayiqra (And He called...) (Leviticus)
• Bamidbar (In the wilderness...) (Numbers)
• Devarim (The words...) (Deuteronomy)

1. Genesis begins with the story of Creation, Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, as well the account of their descendants. Following these are the accounts of Noah and the great flood, and his descendants. The Tower of Babel and the story of (Abraham)'s covenant with God are followed by the story of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the life of Joseph (Genesis 12-50). God gives to the Patriarchs a promise of the land of Canaan, but at the end of Genesis the sons of Jacob end up leaving Canaan for Egypt because of a famine.

2. Exodus is the story of Moses, who leads Israelites out of Pharaoh's Egypt with a promise to take them to the promised land. On the way, they camp at Mount Sinai/Horeb where Moses receives the Torah, including the Ten Commandments, from God, and mediates His laws and Covenant, the people of Israel. Exodus also deals with the violation of the commandment against idolatry when Aaron took part in the construction of the Golden Calf. Exodus concludes with the instructions on building the Tabernacle.

3. Leviticus begins with instructions to the Israelites on how to use the Tabernacle, which they had just built. This is followed by rules of clean and unclean, which includes the laws of slaughter and animals permissible to eat. The Day of Atonement, and various moral and ritual laws sometimes called the Holiness Code.

4. Numbers takes two censuses where the number of Israelites is counted, and has many laws mixed among the narratives. The narratives tell how Israel consolidated itself as a community at Sinai, set out from Sinai to move towards Canaan and spied out the land. Because of unbelief at various points, but especially at Kadesh Barnea, the Israelites were condemned to wander for forty years in the desert in the vicinity of Kadesh instead of immediately entering the land of promise. Even Moses sins and is told he would not live to enter the land (Numbers 20). At the end of numbers Israel moves from the area of Kadesh towards the promised land. They leave the Sinai desert and go around Edom and through Moab where Balak and Balaam oppose them. They defeat two Transjordan kings, Og and Sihon, and so come to occupy some territory outside of Canaan. At the end of the book they are on the plains of MoabJericho ready to enter the Promised Land. opposite

5. Deuteronomy consists primarily of a series of speeches by Moses on the plains of MoabJericho exhorting Israel to obey God and further instruction on His Laws. At the end of the book, Moses is allowed to see the promised land from a mountain, but it is not known what happened to Moses on the mountain. He was never seen again. Knowing that he is nearing the end of his life, Moses appoints Joshua his successor, giving him the mantle of leadership. Soon afterwards Israel begins the conquest of Canaan. opposite

Torah Reading:

Torah reading is a Jewish religious ritual that involves the public reading of a set of passages from a Torah scroll. The term "Torah reading" may also refer to the entire ceremony of removing the Torah scroll (or scrolls) from the ark, chanting the appropriate excerpt with special cantillation, and returning the scroll(s) to the ark. It is distinct from academic Torah study.

The weekly Parasha: The Torah is stractured with 54 Parashot (sections) which are read at the tample throughout a period of a year. Some say that this stracture originated in Babel. The Torah reading is done on Mondays, Thursdays and on Shabat (Saturday), The Weekly Parasha is read.Evey year on Simchat Torah, the last parasha is read. The Weekly Parasha has special reading sections for Holidays. It is customary for Bar Mitzvah kids to read the weekly parasha, which is also called Haftarah.

The term "Torah reading" is often used to refer to the entire ceremony of taking the Torah scroll (or scrolls) out of its ark, reading excerpts from the Torah with a special tune, and putting the scroll(s) back in the Ark.

The Torah scroll is stored in an ornamental cabinet, called a (n) (Holy) Ark (Hebrew: Aron (Kodesh)), designed specifically for Torah scrolls. The Holy Ark is usually found in the front of the sanctuary, and is a central element of synagogue architecture. When needed for reading, the Torah is removed from the ark by someone chosen for the honor from among the congregants; specific prayers are recited as it is removed. The Torah is then carried by the one leading the services to the Bimah (stage) a platform or table from which it will be read; further prayers are recited by the congregation while this is done. A synagogue official, called a Gabbai, then calls up several people (men in most Orthodox and some Conservative congregations, men and women in others), in turn, to be honored with an aliyah (ascent" or "going up). According to Orthodox Judaism, as a sign of respect, the first oleh (person called to read) is a kohen and the second a levi; the remaining olim are yisr'elim — Jews who are neither kohen nor levi.

On days when a haftarah is read there is a final aliyah after the Kaddish, called Maftir. The person called to that aliyah, as well, is known as "The Maftir". On holidays, Maftir is read from the Torah verses describing the sacrifices brought in the Temple in Jerusalem on that particular holiday. On Saturday, the Maftir is a repetition of the last few verses of the parsha.

In the Sefardic tradition, the Torah is closed and temporarily put aside. In Ashkenazic tradition, two honorees are called. The first, the Magbiha ("lifter") performs Hagbaha ("lifting [of the Torah]") and displays the Torah's Hebrew text for all to see. The second honoree (often a boy under Bar Mitzva age), the Golel ("roller") performs Gelila ("rolling up"), then binds the Torah with a sash and replaces the Torah's cover.

Reading style:

Traditional prayer style – Back in the Mishna days it was customary to read the torah based on the signs. The marks are telling what portion of the word should be read with more emphasis. There are 4 different main traditional reading styles: 1. Italian Jewish style. 2. Sephardic style, which originated in Babel and influenced by the Middle Eastern Islamic melodies. 3. Yemenite style, which was also originated from the Babylonian tune. 4. The Ashkenazi style, which is the latest style, which is influence from the European, medieval prayers.

The Haftarah:

On Saturday and holiday mornings, as well as on the afternoons of fast days and Yom Kippur, the Torah reading concludes with The Haftarah – a reading from one of the Books of Prophets. The Haftarah usually relates in some way to either the Torah reading of that day, a theme of the holiday, or the time of year.

The Haftarah was created because the King did not allow Jews to read Torah, but he did not mention anything about a different type of reading. They created it so they could still read Hebrew, something that was very dear to them. The Torah scroll and then put back in its ark to the accompaniment of specific prayers.