Editing Torah study (section)

==Torah study by various Jewish movements==
The recommended way to study the Torah is by reading the original text written in Hebrew. This allows the reader to understand language-specific information. For example, the Hebrew word for earth is 'adama' and the name of the first man is 'Adam' meaning 'of the earth'. Jewish denominations vary in the importance placed on the usage of the original Hebrew text. Most denominations strongly recommend it, but also allow studying the Torah in other languages, and using [[Rashi]] and other commentary to learn language-specific information.

Like Orthodox Jews, other [[Jewish denominations]] may use any or all of the traditional areas and modes of Torah study. They study the ''Parsha'', the Talmud, ethical works, and more. They may study simply the ''[[peshat]]'' of the text, or they may also study, to a limited extent, the [[Pardes (Jewish exegesis)|''remez'', ''derash'', and ''sod'']], which is found in ''Etz Hayyim: A Torah Commentary'' (Rabbinical Assembly), used in many [[Conservative Judaism|Conservative]] congregations. It is common in Torah study among Jews involved in [[Jewish Renewal]]. Some level of ''[[PaRDeS]]'' study can even be found in forms of Judaism that otherwise are strictly rationalist, such as [[Reconstructionist Judaism]]. However, non-Orthodox Jews generally spend less time in detailed study of the classical Torah commentators, and spend more time studying modern Torah commentaries that draw on and include the classical commentators, but which are written from more modern perspectives. Furthermore, works of rabbinic literature (such as the Talmud) typically receive less attention than the Tanakh.

Before the [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]], virtually all Jews believed that the Torah was dictated to Moses by God.<ref name="Mishnah, Sanhedrin 11:1">Mishnah, Sanhedrin 11:1</ref>{{Better source|date=September 2012}} Since many parts of the Torah, specifically the laws and commandments, are written in unspecific terms, they also believed that Moses received an interpretation of the Torah that was transmitted through the generations in oral form till it was finally put in writing in the Mishnah and later, in greater detail, the Talmud.<ref>[[Maimonides]], Introduction to Commentary on Mishnah, also, Maimonides, Commentary on Mishnah, Sanhedrin 11:1</ref> After the Enlightenment, many Jews began to participate in wider European society, where they engaged in study related to critical methods of textual analysis, including both [[Lower criticism|lower]] and [[higher criticism]], the modern [[historical method]], [[hermeneutics]], and fields relevant to Bible study such as [[Near Eastern archaeology]] and [[linguistics]]. In time the [[documentary hypothesis]] emerged from these studies. The documentary hypothesis holds that the Torah was not written by Moses, but was simply written by different people who lived during different periods of [[History of ancient Israel and Judah|Israelite history]]. Some Jews adapted the findings of these disciplines. Consequently, biblical study primarily focused on the intentions of these people, and the circumstances in which they lived. This type of study depends on evidence external to the text, especially archaeological evidence and comparative literature.

Today, [[Reform Judaism|Reform]], [[Conservative Judaism|Conservative]], and [[Reconstructionist Judaism|Reconstructionist]] rabbis draw on the lessons of modern [[Biblical criticism|critical Bible scholarship]] as well as the traditional forms of Biblical exegesis. Orthodox Jews reject critical Bible scholarship and the documentary hypothesis, holding to the opinion that it is contradicted by the Torah<ref>Deuteronomy 31:24,25,26</ref> and the Talmud,<ref>Babylonian Talmud, Gittin 60a; Bava Batra 15b</ref> which state that Moses wrote the Torah, as well as by the Mishnah,<ref name="Mishnah, Sanhedrin 11:1"/> which asserts the divine origin of the Torah as one of the essential [[Jewish principles of faith]].

[[Humanistic Judaism|Humanistic Jews]] value the Torah as a historical, political, and sociological text written by their ancestors. They do not believe 'that every word of the Torah is true, or even morally correct, just because the Torah is old.' The Torah is both disagreed with and questioned. Humanistic Jews believe that the entire Jewish experience, and not only the Torah, should be studied as a source for Jewish behavior and ethical values.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://oradam.org/OAC/FAQ | title=FAQ}}</ref>

===Non-religious Torah study===
According to [[Ruth Calderon]], there are currently almost one hundred non-[[halakha|halakhic]] Torah study centers in Israel. While influenced by methods used in the [[yeshiva]] and in the university, non–religious Torah study includes the use of new tools that are not part of the accepted hermeneutic tradition of the exegetic literature. These include [[Feminism|feminist]] and post-modernist criticism, historic, sociological and psychological analyses, and literary analysis.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.culturaljudaism.org/ccj/articles/26 |work=Center for Cultural Judaism |title=We enter the Talmud Barefoot |first=Ruth |last= Calderon |access-date=September 7, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080908043303/http://www.culturaljudaism.org/ccj/articles/26 |archive-date=2008-09-08 }}</ref> Among these institutions is the Alma Centre for Hebrew Studies in Tel Aviv.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.alma.org.il/content.asp?pageid=8&lang=en |title=עלמא - בית לתרבות עברית |access-date=2012-09-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121101010230/http://alma.org.il/content.asp?pageid=8&lang=en |archive-date=2012-11-01 }}</ref>