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Torah has several meanings. It can mean the parchment scroll kept in the synagogue Ark; or the five books of Moses (the Pentateuch) inscribed on this scroll, the "written" Torah which Orthodox Jews believe is the literal word of God. It can include the Talmud, the "oral" tradition which Orthodoxy also traces back to Sinai-- legends, laws, and customs that explain the written Torah. In its broadest sense, Torah is every word or act which reveals the power and presence of God-- from the preaching of the prophets to the simple statement of an anonymous cowherd: "Lord of the universe! It is known to you that if you had cattle and gave them to me to tend, though I take wages from all others, from you I would take nothing because I love you."
(177:2)
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