Torah

Question: Is the torah law, ritual, instruction, or narrative? What does the hebrew word "torah" mean in the book of Leviticus? What kinds of things "count" as torah, and what is (are) their purposes? Who is to speak these examples of "torah" and to whom are they addressed? Do the Biblical narratives in Genesis that we read, and the rules that we read in Leviticus, have anything common so that it would make sense to call both "torah?"

In Hebrew the word torah means "word of God." I feel that it could be assumed that the torah is a book of laws, filled with instructions of how to live a good and prosperous life with rituals and is presented in a narrative form with lessons within the stories. Depending on the context, one can read the torah and find its laws, rituals and instructions, but they are consistently conveyed through stories and messages. Leviticus talks about rituals ranging from cleanliness and atonement to circumcision and it talks about how you cannot eat "unclean" foods such as shellfish and pork, for example. 

The words from the torah are primarily directed towards the people of Israel, but I am not quite sure what kinds of things "count" as torah and who may "speak the examples." I would assume it is for the descendants of Israel (Jacob). The torah is for people loyal to God, who believe in the word of God. 

Genesis is basically a history of the creation focusing on the covenants and linking God to his "chosen people." This can be considered torah. According to my definition of what torah is above, Leviticus should certainly be considered torah because it contains both laws and rituals, but it can be argued to not be torah because Leviticus was written by man. However, the fact that it is one of the five books, which Moses wrote from his account with, God is reason enough for Leviticus to also be considered torah. Going along with my original definition, in this context, the torah is both law and ritual in a narrative form written by Moses for God.