If Jews follow the Old Testemants?

Question

Then why do they have their own seperate "Bible," the Torah?
And, what's so different about the Bible, and the Torah?

Answer 1

The "Old Testament" as you call it is properly called the Tanakh in hebrew. Tanakh stands for Torah, Nevi'im and Ketuvim. So the Torah is incorporated into the Tanakh.

When studying Judaism one also has to be aware of how the three fit together- and why books were included or excluded- why books like the Kuzari and "Sefer Ha amakabim" were excluded, but others were included in the Nevi'im and Ketuvim sextions.

So the first part, the Torah, it is obvious why that is included- that is the direct revelation by God to Moses on Sinai- together with the oral law (mishnah) ehihc was only written down after the destruction of the second temple when the Sanhedrin feared it might be forgotten or corrupted due to the dispersion of the Jews across the world.

For the other parts, a lot of texts were considered- those that were included had the following traits:
1) There was evidence as to their truth
2) They were written with the help of prophecy (for example: In the Book of Esther, their was no way for Esther or Mordechai to know the details of what went on between Haman and Achashveirosh, yet they were able to record those details as they were given to them prophetically when the book was written)
3) They contained a message that was not just for a specific generation but help important truths and messages for later generations- thus a book containing prophetic messages that only appertained to a specific time and place was omitted.
4) They could not lead to heresy. A book might have been true, and written prophetically, but if it could be easily misinterpreted and lead to heresy without proper guidance, they were omitted. the only Book in this category that was included was Koheles (Ecclesiates) since it is too important to exclude and the Rabbis at the time of the compilitation felt that anyone, no matter how ignorant, would know that King Solomon was not a heretic and thus the book has to have a meaning beyond the mere surface one.
5) The information in them was of non-forbidden subjects. Thise books which were considered to delve subjects that should not be elaborated on openly (such as the explanations of the heavenly chariot and the heavens themselves) were not put into the Tanach, but kept seperate and most of the information only transmitted orally (or else later written down in the Zohar and a few other texts that are not generally available to the uneducated or those not yet ready to studt such material)

Answer 2

Do some research before you ask a question like this. I'll explain it to you so that even you can understand:

Torah
Level: Basic
The word "Torah" is a tricky one, because it can mean different things in different contexts. In its most limited sense, "Torah" refers to the Five Books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. But the word "torah" can also be used to refer to the entire Jewish bible (the body of scripture known to non-Jews as the Old Testament and to Jews as the Tanakh or Written Torah), or in its broadest sense, to the whole body of Jewish law and teachings.

Answer 3

The Torah is the Hebrew name for what Christians call the Old Testament.
The Torah does not include the New Testament writings.

Jesus refers to "The Law and the Prophets" several times in His teachings. His reference is to the Torah.

Answer 4

The Torah is the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy). The Tanakh is the entire old testament. The term "Bible" is used by Jews to refer to the "Old Testament" or "Tanakh" and to Christians the Bible is that and the New Testament.

Answer 5

The name of our Bible has always been "Torah." The meaning of the Hebrew word is "Instruction." The Torah is our instruction manual for living life itself -- the most precious of God's gifts.

When Christians borrowed from our Torah to write their "new" book, they renamed it to the "old" testament.

The word testament means covenant/agreement/treaty/contract. Why would Jews call it the "old" contract when the one and only contract is still in force?
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Answer 6

The Torah is not the same as the OT. The real question is if christians follow the jewish teachings, why do they have their own OT?

Answer 7

Our Bible was mistranslated, and edited to fit in with your little nt storybook, and you called it the ot. If there is a difference between the ot and our Bible, it's the fault of the faulty christian translators.

Answer 8

The reason the New Testament is not recognized by them is that they still feel that they are God's chosen people.

They were at one time, but now, God's grace and the sacrifice by Jesus is for ALL people. They refuse to believe that the Old Law as given to the Jews, is null and void.

Jeremiah, who lived under the Law given at Sinai, said that this Law was temporary and that God was going to make a New Law with His people: "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah - not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt” (Jeremiah 31:31,32). The New Law would be different from the Old. Jeremiah spoke these words 900 years after the Law was given at Mt. Sinai and 600 years before Christ gave the New Law. The writer of Hebrews in the New Testament quotes this passage from Jeremiah and applies it to Jesus Christ who is "also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second" (Hebrews 8:6-13).

Jeremiah 31:31-34 also states some other differences between the Old Law and the New. The Old Law was written on tables of stone, but the New would be written on a believer's heart. The Old Law did not provide for final forgiveness of sins, but the New did. The Ten Commandments were part of that Old Law. They have not been required of people to keep since Jesus died on the cross 2000 years ago (Colossians 2:14). Christ at that time gave a "better covenant, which was established on better promises" (Hebrews 8:6).

What happened to the Old Testament (the Old Law, or Old Covenant)? The New Testament tells us, "In that He says, 'A new covenant,' He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away" (Hebrews 8:13). "For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, for the law made nothing perfect..." (Hebrews 7:18,19). "Then He said, 'Behold, I have come to do Your will, 0 God.' He takes away the first that He may establish the second" (Hebrews 10:9). "For the priesthood being changed, of necessity, there is also a change of the law" (Hebrews 7:12). The apostle Paul wrote: "Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements (the Law of Moses) that was against us, which was contrary to us, And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross" (Colossians 2:14). Paul also wrote concerning this Old Law which contained the Ten Commandments: "Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor" (Galatians 3:24, 25).

When was the Old Law taken away and the New Law given? It happened when Jesus shed His blood on the cross: "And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives" (Hebrews 9:15-17).

What was the purpose of the Old Law which was given to Israel at Mount Sinai? Paul answers: “What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hands of a mediator" (Galatians 3:19). The Seed is Christ (Galatians 3:16). The Old Law, which contained the Ten Commandments, was given to keep Israel under control until Christ came. Since Christ has come and has fulfilled this Law, He has taken it out of the way. He has given us a New Law (covenant or testament). We must go to this New Law to learn how God wants us to serve Him today!