Who wrote the Torah?

The traditional view

The Torah itself says: “Moses wrote down this Teaching and gave it to the priests” (Deuteronomy 31:9). The Talmud states that Moses wrote his book (the Torah) and the section of Balaam, and discusses the final verses that describe his death. Rabbi Yehuda (or Rabbi Nehemiah) says Joshua wrote them; Rabbi Shimon says that until that point God dictated and Moses wrote, and those last verses God dictated and Moses wrote in tears.

Written and oral

Jewish tradition holds that the Torah was given with an oral explanation – how to keep Shabbat, how tefillin are made, what “an eye for an eye” means in practice (monetary compensation). That Oral Torah was passed from teacher to student and written down in the Mishnah around 200 CE and in the Talmud afterwards. Without it the written text cannot be practised.

Torah from heaven

Maimonides counts as one of the thirteen principles that the entire Torah we have today is the one given to Moses, and as another that it will not be exchanged. Torah scrolls are still written by hand by trained scribes, letter by letter, following rules meant to preserve the text exactly.

Modern questions

Academic Bible criticism proposes multiple authors. Orthodox Judaism maintains the traditional belief; other movements hold a range of views. Our answers present the classical Jewish position as found in the sources.