Sacred Texts, the Covenant and Jewish Identity
The Tenakh: G-d’s Revealed Word
The Jewish Bible is called the Tenakh, an acronym made from its three sections: Torah (the Five Books of Moses, containing law and narrative), Nevi’im (the Prophets, including books of history and prophetic literature), and Ketuvim (the Writings, including Psalms, Proverbs, and wisdom literature). Together, these texts form the authoritative revealed word of G-d for Jewish people. The Torah in particular holds the highest status — it is handwritten on parchment scrolls, dressed in protective coverings, and stored in the aron hakodesh (the ark) in the synagogue. A metal or ivory pointer called a yad (meaning “hand”) is used when reading, so that human fingers never touch the sacred text.
Jewish communities use the Tenakh in worship (public Torah readings follow a structured annual cycle), in prayer (the Psalms form the backbone of the Jewish prayer book), in study (the Torah is studied intensively in yeshivot and schools), and in celebration (readings mark festivals, weddings, and lifecycle events). Different Jewish movements hold different views on the Tenakh’s origin: Orthodox Jews regard the Torah as the direct, verbatim word of G-d dictated to Moses; Reform and Liberal Jews tend to view it as divinely inspired but shaped by human authors and historical context.
The Torah (Law), Nevi’im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings) together form the Tenakh. The Torah is the most authoritative section, containing the 613 commandments (mitzvot) that observant Jews are called to follow.
The Talmud
The Talmud is the second great body of sacred Jewish literature. It consists of the Mishnah (an early codification of oral law, compiled around the 3rd century CE) and the Gemara (rabbinic commentary and debate on the Mishnah). The Talmud’s purpose is to explain and apply the laws found in the Torah to the full range of human situations — from business ethics to family law to questions of life and death. It is not a simple rulebook; it preserves minority opinions and ongoing debate, on the principle that honest disagreement is itself sacred.
For observant Jews, the Talmud is an indispensable guide to daily life. Major rulings of the Talmud shape practices such as kashrut (dietary laws), Shabbat observance, and lifecycle ceremonies. The Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5 contains one of the most famous lines in all of Jewish literature, teaching that one who destroys a single life is as if they destroyed a whole world, and one who saves a single life is as if they saved a whole world. This passage grounds Jewish attitudes to the sanctity of human life. The great medieval scholar Maimonides (known as the Rambam) built on Talmudic tradition to codify Jewish law in his Mishneh Torah and articulate thirteen principles of faith.
The foundational relationship between G-d and the Jewish people is the Covenant. The first great covenant was made with Abraham, recorded in Genesis 12:1–3 and expanded in Genesis 17:6–8. G-d promised Abraham three things: a great nation would descend from him, his descendants would possess the land of Canaan (the Promised Land), and all the families of the earth would be blessed through him. In return, Abraham and his male descendants were to be circumcised as a physical sign of the covenant (Genesis 17:11–14).
The Abrahamic Covenant establishes Jewish identity as both chosen and responsible. Being chosen is not a mark of superiority but of vocation — a calling to live according to G-d’s Torah and to be a blessing to the wider world. The covenant’s promises — land, nationhood, and blessing — remain central to Jewish self-understanding today, even for Jews living in the diaspora far from the land of Israel.
The second great covenant was made through Moses at Sinai. Exodus 3:11–15 records G-d’s call to Moses, where G-d reveals the divine name (YHWH, “I AM WHO I AM”) and commissions Moses to lead the people out of Egypt. At Sinai, G-d gave Israel the Torah, including the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20), which form the core of Jewish ethical and religious law. The Mosaic Covenant is conditional: Israel receives G-d’s protection and blessing in return for obedience to the Torah.
The Ten Commandments remain central to Jewish life today. Jewish tradition divides them five and five. The first five are duties to G-d: G-d’s own declaration “I am the Lord your God”, no other gods or images, not misusing the divine name, keeping Shabbat, and honouring parents. The second five are duties to other people: no murder, no adultery, no theft, no false witness and no coveting. Different Jewish communities interpret and apply these commandments differently: Orthodox Jews observe Shabbat very strictly, while Reform communities may take a more flexible approach to how the commandments are fulfilled in modern life.
Jewish Identity: Symbols and Ceremonies
Brit milah (literally “covenant of circumcision”) is one of the oldest and most fundamental Jewish practices. Performed on male infants on the eighth day of life, it is carried out by a trained practitioner called a mohel. The father of the child holds a central role, and a sandek (an honoured guest, often a grandparent) holds the baby during the ceremony. The ritual physically marks every Jewish male as a participant in the covenant made with Abraham, making it an act of both religious significance and family identity.
Jewish boys mark their transition to religious adulthood at the age of 13 through the bar mitzvah ceremony (“son of the commandment”), and girls at 12 or 13 through the bat mitzvah (“daughter of the commandment”). The young person reads from the Torah scroll in the synagogue for the first time, publicly demonstrating their ability to engage with the sacred text and their readiness to take on the full responsibility of the mitzvot. The ceremony is accompanied by celebration with family and community.
Jewish adult males traditionally pray wearing a tallit (prayer shawl) and tefillin (leather boxes containing Torah passages, bound to the arm and forehead). The tallit’s fringes remind the wearer of all the commandments; the tefillin physically bind the words of Torah to the heart and mind.
The Magen David (Shield of David, the six-pointed star) is a widely recognised symbol of Jewish identity, displayed on the Israeli flag and on synagogues worldwide. The mezuzah (doorpost scroll) marks the threshold of a Jewish home. These symbols are not worshipped but serve as constant, visible reminders of the covenant relationship between G-d and the Jewish people.