The Torah is a special book for Jewish people. They believe that it comes from God. The Torah is about God and His relationship with Jewish people, like Abraham, Joseph and Moses, who lived a long time ago. The Torah also helps guide Jewish people on how to live today.

Actually the Torah isn't just one book, it's five books. These five books are also the first five books of the Christian Bible.

The Torah can be written as a book, but it is most valued when it is written as a scroll. A scroll is made from animal skins. The skins are stitched together into a long roll. A scroll has a wooden roller at each end to wind it to the part that is being read. Torah scrolls are written in Hebrew which is a very old Jewish language.

Jews meet together to pray and sing in a building called a synagogue. Each synagogue has at least one Torah scroll. Every Saturday, when many Jews go to synagogue, a part of the Torah is read aloud.

A Torah scroll is holy and is looked after very carefully. The writing is never to be touched. Instead, a special pointer is used, so that the person reading does not lose his place. If a person drops a Torah scroll, he must go without food for a time. And, if a Torah scroll is so badly damaged that it can not be repaired, it must be given a proper funeral.