Torah

The Torah (“instruction”) is, to begin with, the “Five Books of Moses” that record the history of Israel—in the context of the history of humankind—and its law from creation to the end of the journey of Israel through the desert. The rabbis, in the early centuries of the common era, expanded the meaning of the word Torah to refer to their teachings (the “Oral Torah”) as well. Subsequently, the term came to be used for any learned body of teachings from a revered teacher or tradition (such as “the Torah of R. Nachman” or “the Torah of the Zohar”). As a product of these many extensions of meaning, it is fair to say that the Jewish people is “the people of Torah.” 

Mount Sinai

Mount Sinai is the mountain where the tablets of the covenant, along with some parts of the Torah’s law, were revealed to Moses as the multitude of Israelites looked on. This revelation is considered the real beginning of Judaism, a moment unsurpassed in importance in the history of Israel. Given the importance of the law (Torah) in Judaism, the revelation at Mount Sinai is often depicted in illustrated Jewish books and manuscripts.

Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments (or “ten words” or “ten utterances”) were the commands written on the Tablets of the Covenant that, according to the Torah, were given to Moses at Sinai. The Ten Commandments have always, for Jews, represented the revelation of the Torah at Sinai (though neither the Torah itself nor the classical rabbis claim that this was the case) and are therefore often used to represent Jewish commitment to the law.