Noting numerous connotations of the word "Torah" () in the Pentateuch, Professor Ephraim Speiser of the University of Pennsylvania in the mid 20th century wrote that the word is based on a verbal stem signifying "to teach, guide," and the like, and thus in refers to general precepts and sayings, and in context cannot be mistaken for the title of the Pentateuch as a whole. Speiser argued that refers to the Covenant Code (), which indicates was inscribed on two stone tablets and thus necessarily restricted in length.