Before saying this prayer, and before studying any type of Torah lesson, one must say the blessing on Torah. If you have already said it today, one does not need to repeat it unless he is being called up to the Torah in shul.

The Torah is kept in a place called "Aron HaKodesh" (The Holy Ark). We can find the Aron in almost every shul. We only take the Torah out of the Aron when we have a Minyan (ten men over 13 years old).

The Hebrew which is written in the Torah is a bit different from what you may have seen in your books, like your Chumash (bible), because in the Torah, there are no vowels under the letters.

The Torah is divided into 5 different books... The Torah was given to us in the Sanai Desert. It all started with the giving of the Ten Commandments, and then continued from there for 40 years. Hashem would visit the tent of meeting and dictate the Torah to Moshe Rabenu and Aaron Ha Kohen. Most people think that all 5 books where dictated by Hashem, but actually, only the first 4 where. The last one, Devarim, is a reception of the earlier 4 books, as written by Moshe Rabenu.
Of Course, Moshe Rabenu was a very special person, he saw Hashem, and for 40 years he communicated directly with him. Moshe was at the highest level of understanding that any man could ever achieve, and therefore, we have to understand that even though Hashem did not dictate the book of Devarim as He did the other 4 books, it is almost the same thing. Moshe did not invent anything new, he only revealed a bit more of what had already been said by Hashem.

The Torah is the basis of all that we have today. It keeps life together in a matter of speaking. The Torah was created even before the world, it is the deepest wisdom of Hashem as pertaining to this creation.
"When Hashem created the world, He looked into Torah" This means that Torah is the set rules, or blue prints, of creation. It is the very wisdom of Hashem, the source of all things that where, that are, and that will be.

The Torah is also written so that anyone can understand it, it is written so that a 4 year old boy can enjoy it, as well as a wise 80 year old man. How is this possible? Ahhh, that is the power of Torah. A child may read from it and enjoy the simple stories that it has, but a wise man who has studied, will see the greatest hidden secrets of life. King Solomon looked into the Torah and learned how to find gold, water, and how to grow fruits where nobody believed they would grow.

To be able to study Torah is the gift that Hashem has given us, and we are all obligated to do so. Even if we only start with 5 minutes a day, it is enough, because from there on you will advance and eventually the Torah and it's teachings will become one with you, and since Torah is the wisdom of Hashem, if we become one with Torah, it is as if we are touching the very wisdom of our Creator directly. And then we will be able to achieve the Commandment "Be Holy for I am Holy..." and we will unite with our Creator on Earth.

Not to forget. When we study Torah, we are also fulfilling our purpose for being created. To make the earth complete and a perfect resting place for the Shechina (Hashem's Holy spirit).

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