Torah study
What Is a Chumash?
Learn what a Chumash contains and how to use a printed or digital edition.
Chumash refers to the Five Books of Moses, and often to a book edition used for reading and study. Editions may include translation, Rashi, other commentaries or the haftarot. Two books both called Chumash may therefore offer different supporting material.
A study edition is not the Torah scroll used for public synagogue reading. When comparing explanations, check which commentator and translation you are reading. In a digital library, the edition and license information also identifies the source of the text rather than leaving the wording anonymous.
A place to begin
- Check the edition’s contents and translation.
- Find the chapter and verse before searching commentary.
- Read the source information when quoting a passage.
Editorial introduction based on the linked Chabad.org resource; not a personal halachic ruling or a rabbi-reviewed article. Ask a qualified rabbi about practical observance. Prepare printed learning before Shabbat; device use is not permitted simply because a reading is saved.