Chumash (Judaism)

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/chumash-judaism

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the canonical content?The Pentateuch: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy
2. What is the etymological root?Hebrew 'ḥamesh' (five), referring to the five distinct books
3. What is a Chumash?A Chumash is a book that holds the five books of Moses, the Torah. It is written so people can read it at home or in school.
4. Why did people start printing Chumash books?Printing the Chumash made it easier and cheaper to make many copies. This let more people own a copy and read the stories themselves.

Halakha: The collective body of Jewish religious laws derived from the Torah and rabbinic interpretation.
Codex: An ancient manuscript book format consisting of sheets bound together, contrasting with scrolls.
Dissemination: The act of spreading something, especially information, widely.