The synagogue keeps the holy books of the Jews in bookcases. These are meant for reading during the services. These include the Tanakh or the Jewish sacred book, which is also called the “Hebrew Bible.” It is similar to the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, but the stories are placed in a slightly different order. The Torah, the first five books of the Tanakh outlines laws which the Jews have to follow. It is also known as the Pentateuch. The Talmud is a collection of teachings and commentaries on Jewish law. It consists of the Mishnah (the original written version of the oral law) and the Gemara (a record of the rabbinic discussions). It consists of the interpretations of thousands of rabbis and outlines the importance of 613 commandments of Jewish law. The first version of the Talmud was finalized around the 3rd century A.D. and the second form was completed during the 5th century A.D. The Siddur (prayer book) and Humash (Bible) can be taken for ... More

The synagogue keeps the holy books of the Jews in bookcases. These are meant for reading during the services. These include the Tanakh or the Jewish sacred book, which is also called the “Hebrew Bible.” It is similar to the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, but the stories are placed in a slightly different order. The Torah, the first five books of the Tanakh outlines laws which the Jews have to follow. It is also known as the Pentateuch. The Talmud is a collection of teachings and commentaries on Jewish law. It consists of the Mishnah (the original written version of the oral law) and the Gemara (a record of the rabbinic discussions). It consists of the interpretations of thousands of rabbis and outlines the importance of 613 commandments of Jewish law. The first version of the Talmud was finalized around the 3rd century A.D. and the second form was completed during the 5th century A.D. The Siddur (prayer book) and Humash (Bible) can be taken for reading only on Shabbat, holidays, Mondays and Thursdays.