Start Here — Discover East Texas Torah

Torah is a Hebrew word that means instruction or teaching. “Law” is a fitting translation when the subject is a command or a ruling. “Instruction” helps us see the wider picture. Yahweh gives commands, and through those commands He teaches us how to walk.

Think of a father teaching his child to tell the truth. “Tell the truth” is a command. It also teaches the child that words matter and that other people ought to be able to trust what we say. Yahweh’s instruction works that way. His commandments show us what to do, and as we put them into practice, we begin to understand the kind of people He calls us to become.

Psalm 19:7 says that Yahweh’s Torah is perfect and restores the soul. The psalmist saw Yahweh’s instruction as something that gives life and wisdom.

The Torah is also the name commonly given to the first five books of Scripture: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Yeshua referred to these writings as the Law of Moses in Luke 24:44.

These books tell the story of creation, humanity’s fall, Yahweh’s promises to Abraham, the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, and Israel’s journey through the wilderness. Along the way, they record the commandments Yahweh gave His people.

That story helps us understand the commandments. Before Yahweh gave Israel the Ten Commandments, He reminded them that He had brought them out of Egypt, out of slavery (Exodus 20:1–2). Deliverance came first. Then He taught the people He had delivered how to live.

Torah teaches us to worship Yahweh alone and love Him with all our heart, soul, and strength (Deuteronomy 6:4–5). It teaches us to honor our parents, keep the Sabbath, and deal honestly with other people (Exodus 20:8–17).

It also reaches into everyday situations. Leviticus 19 teaches us to pay workers what they are owed, deal justly with people regardless of their status, and love our neighbor as ourselves. That same chapter tells Israel to treat the stranger living among them with love, remembering that they too had been strangers in Egypt (Leviticus 19:13–18, 33–34).

A good example is the command to leave the edges of a field unharvested for the poor and the stranger (Leviticus 19:9–10). Yahweh gave landowners a concrete way to care for people who needed food. As we read, we can ask what that instruction reveals about His concern for people and how that concern should shape our own choices.

Yeshua said He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets, and He warned against setting aside even the least of the commandments or teaching others to do so (Matthew 5:17–19).

When asked which commandment was greatest, Yeshua answered from the Torah. He drew from Deuteronomy 6:5 to teach that we are to love Yahweh with our whole being. He drew from Leviticus 19:18 to teach that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. He said that all the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments (Matthew 22:34–40).

Those two commandments help us understand the others. If I love Yahweh, I take His words seriously. If I love my neighbor, I tell the truth, keep my word, and refuse to take advantage of him. Yeshua taught us to carry that obedience into the heart, where our words and actions begin.

We are saved by Yahweh’s grace through faith in Yeshua. Ephesians 2:8–10 teaches that salvation is a gift and that we were created in Messiah Yeshua for good works. Grace is the reason we can begin a new life, and obedience is part of how we live that life.

Paul asks in Romans 3:31 whether faith makes void the law. His answer is emphatic: through faith we establish the law. In Romans 6:15, he also rejects the idea that being under grace gives us permission to sin.

When we fall short, we can confess our sin, receive forgiveness, and turn back to Yahweh. His instruction helps us recognize where we went wrong and see what repentance looks like in practice.

Start by reading Scripture in context. Exodus 20 is a good place to begin. Notice how Yahweh introduces Himself before giving the commandments. Then read Deuteronomy 6, Leviticus 19, and Matthew 5–7. As you read, pay attention to how Yeshua teaches us to live out Yahweh’s instruction in our relationships, our speech, and our private thoughts.

Some commandments address particular people or circumstances, such as priests serving at the sanctuary or judges hearing a case. Ask who received the instruction, what situation it addresses, and what it reveals about Yahweh. That will help you understand how to respond faithfully today.

Then begin with what you understand. If a passage shows you that you’ve dealt unfairly with someone, make it right. If it shows you a way to care for your neighbor, put it into practice. Keep reading, keep asking questions, and let what you learn shape what you do.