http://www.mechon-mamre.org/jewfaq/readings.htm
Weekly Torah Readings
Level: Intermediate
Each week in
synagogue, we read (or, more accurately, chant, because it is sung) a passage from the Torah. This passage is referred to as a parashah. The first parashah, for example, is Parashat Bereishit, which covers from the beginning of Genesis to the story of Noah. There are 54 parashahs (parashiyot), one for each week of a leap year, so that in the course of a year, we read the entire
Torah (Genesis to Deuteronomy) in our services. During non-leap years, there are 50 weeks, so some of the shorter portions are doubled up. We reach the last portion of the Torah around a holiday called
Simchat Torah (Rejoicing in the Law), which occurs in September or October, a few weeks after
Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year). On Simchat Torah, we read the last portion of the Torah, and proceed immediately to the first paragraph of Genesis, showing that the Torah is a circle, and never ends.
In the synagogue service, the weekly parashah is followed by a passage from the prophets, which is referred to as a haftarah. Contrary to common misconception, "haftarah" does
not mean "half-Torah". The word comes from a Hebrew root meaning end or conclusion. Usually, the haftarah portion is no longer than one chapter, and has some relation to the Torah portion of the week.
The Torah and haftarah readings are performed with great ceremony: the Torah is paraded around the room before it is brought to rest on the bimah (podium). The reading is divided up into portions, and various members of the congregation have the honor of reciting blessings over a portion of the reading and doing the reading. This honor is referred to as an "aliyah" (literally, ascension).
The first aliyah of any day's reading is customarily reserved for a
kohein, the second for a
Levite, and priority for subsequent aliyoth is given to people celebrating major life events, such as
marriage or the
birth of a child. In fact, a
Bar Mitzvah was originally nothing more than the first aliyah of a boy who had reached the age to be permitted by custom such an honor (the Torah permits children to take an aliyah and to read, just like adults, and in Yemenite congregations most six-year-olds already can take an aliyah and read for themselves).
Celebrants of life events are customarily given the last aliyah, which includes blessings on the last part of the Torah reading as well as several blessings of the haftarah reading. The person given this honor is referred to as the "maftir", from the same root as haftarah, meaning the one who concludes.
For more information about services, see
Jewish Liturgy.
Jewish scriptures are sometimes bound in a form that corresponds to this division into weekly readings. Scriptures bound in this way are generally referred to as a chumash. The word "chumash" comes from the Hebrew word meaning five, and refers to the five books of the Torah. Sometimes, the word chumash simply refers to a collection of the five books of the Torah. But often, a chumash contains the entire first five books, divided up by the weekly parashiyot, with the haftarah portion inserted after each week's parashah.
Below is a table of the regular weekly scriptural readings. Haftarot in parentheses indicate
Sephardic ritual where it differs from
Ashkenazic. There are other variations on the readings for Yemenites (and others), but these are the most commonly used ones. If you want to know the reading for this week, check the
Current Calendar.
There are alternative and additional special readings for certain holidays and other special days, listed in a separate table
below.
| Parashah | Torah | Haftarah |
|---|
| Bereishit | Genesis 1,1-6,8 | Isaiah 42,5-43,10
(Isaiah 42,5-21) |
| Noach | Genesis 6,9-11,32 | Isaiah 54,1-55,5
(Isaiah 54,1-10) |
| Lekh Lekha | Genesis 12,1-17,27 | Isaiah 40,27-41,16 |
| Vayeira | Genesis 18,1-22,24 | 2 Kings 4,1-37
(2 Kings 4,1-23) |
| Chayei Sarah | Genesis 23,1-25,18 | 1 Kings 1,1-31 |
| Toldot | Genesis 25,19-28,9 | Malachi 1,1-2,7 |
| Vayeitzei | Genesis 28,10-32,3 | Hosea 12,13-14,10
(Hosea 11,7-12,12) |
| Vayishlach | Genesis 32,4-36,43 | Hosea 11,7-12,12
(Obadiah 1,1-21) |
| Vayyeshev | Genesis 37,1-40,23 | Amos 2,6-3,8 |
| Miqeitz | Genesis 41,1-44,17 | 1 Kings 3,15-4,1 |
| Vayigash | Genesis 44,18-47,27 | Ezekiel 37,15-28 |
| Vayechi | Genesis 47,28-50,26 | 1 Kings 2,1-12 |
| Shemot | Exodus 1,1-6,1 | Isaiah 27,6-28,13; 29,22-23
(Jeremiah 1,1-2,3) |
| Va'eira | Exodus 6,2-9,35 | Ezekiel 28,25-29,21 |
| Bo | Exodus 10,1-13,16 | Jeremiah 46,13-28 |
| Beshalach | Exodus 13,17-17,16 | Judges 4,4-5,31
(Judges 5,1-31) |
| Yitro | Exodus 18,1-20,23 | Isaiah 6,1-7,6; 9,5-6
(Isaiah 6,1-13) |
| Mishpatim | Exodus 21,1-24,18 | Jeremiah 34,8-22; 33,25-26 |
| Terumah | Exodus 25,1-27,19 | 1 Kings 5,26-6,13 |
| Tetzaveh | Exodus 27,20-30,10 | Ezekiel 43,10-27 |
| Ki Tisa | Exodus 30,11-34,35 | 1 Kings 18,1-39
(1 Kings 18,20-39) |
| Vayaqhel | Exodus 35,1-38,20 | 1 Kings 7,40-50
(1 Kings 7,13-26) |
| Pequdei | Exodus 38,21-40,38 | 1 Kings 7,51-8,21
(1 Kings 7,40-50) |
| Vayiqra | Leviticus 1,1-5,26 | Isaiah 43,21-44,23 |
| Tzav | Leviticus 6,1-8,36 | Jeremiah 7,21-8,3; 9,22-23 |
| Shemini | Leviticus 9,1-11,47 | 2 Samuel 6,1-7,17
(2 Samuel 6,1-19) |
| Tazria | Leviticus 12,1-13,59 | 2 Kings 4,42-5,19 |
| Metzora | Leviticus 14,1-15,33 | 2 Kings 7,3-20 |
| Acharei | Leviticus 16,1-18,30 | Ezekiel 22,1-16 |
| Qedoshim | Leviticus 19,1-20,27 | Amos 9,7-15
(Ezekiel 20,2-20) |
| Emor | Leviticus 21,1-24,23 | Ezekiel 44,15-31 |
| Behar | Leviticus 25,1-26,2 | Jeremiah 32,6-27 |
| Bechuqotai | Leviticus 26,3-27,34 | Jeremiah 16,19-17,14 |
| Bamidbar | Numbers 1,1-4,20 | Hosea 2,1-22 |
| Nasso | Numbers 4,21-7,89 | Judges 13,2-25 |
| Beha'alotkha | Numbers 8,1-12,16 | Zechariah 2,14-4,7 |
| Shelach | Numbers 13,1-15,41 | Joshua 2,1-24 |
| Qorach | Numbers 16,1-18,32 | 1 Samuel 11,14-12,22 |
| Chuqat | Numbers 19,1-22,1 | Judges 11,1-33 |
| Balaq | Numbers 22,2-25,9 | Micah 5,6-6,8 |
| Pinchas | Numbers 25,10-30,1 | 1 Kings 18,46-19,21 |
| Mattot | Numbers 30,2-32,42 | Jeremiah 1,1-2,3 |
| Masei | Numbers 33,1-36,13 | Jeremiah 2,4-28; 3,4
(Jeremiah 2,4-28; 4,1-2) |
| Devarim | Deuteronomy 1,1-3,22 | Isaiah 1,1-27 |
| Va'etchanan | Deuteronomy 3,23-7,11 | Isaiah 40,1-26 |
| Eiqev | Deuteronomy 7,12-11,25 | Isaiah 49,14-51,3 |
| Re'eh | Deuteronomy 11,26-16,17 | Isaiah 54,11-55,5 |
| Shoftim | Deuteronomy 16,18-21,9 | Isaiah 51,12-52,12 |
| Ki Teitzei | Deuteronomy 21,10-25,19 | Isaiah 54,1-10 |
| Ki Tavo | Deuteronomy 26,1-29,8 | Isaiah 60,1-22 |
| Nitzavim | Deuteronomy 29,9-30,20 | Isaiah 61,10-63,9 |
| Vayeilekh | Deuteronomy 31,1-31,30 | Hosea 14,2-10; Joel 2,15-27
(Hosea 14,2-10; Micah 7,18-20) |
| Ha'azinu | Deuteronomy 32,1-32,52 | 2 Samuel 22,1-51 |
| Vezot Haberakhah | Deuteronomy 33,1-34,12 | Joshua 1,1-18
(Joshua 1,1-9) |
Below are additional readings for holidays and special sabbaths. Haftarot in parentheses indicate
Sephardic ritual where it differs from
Ashkenazic. Note that on holidays, the Maftir portion ordinarily comes from a different Torah scroll. The Maftir portion is usually the Torah portion that institutes the holiday or specifies the holiday's
offerings.
| Parashah | Torah | Haftarah |
|---|
| Rosh Hashanah, Day 1 | Genesis 21,1-34
Numbers 29,1-6 | 1 Samuel 1,1-2,10 |
| Rosh Hashanah, Day 2 | Genesis 22,1-24
Numbers 29,1-6 | Jeremiah 31,2-20 |
| Shabbat Shuvah | | Hosea 14,2-10; Joel 2,15-27
(Hosea 14,2-10; Micah 7,18-20) |
| Yom Kippur, Morning | Leviticus 16,1-34
Numbers 29,7-11 | Isaiah 57,14-58,14 |
| Yom Kippur, Afternoon | Leviticus 18,1-30 | Jonah 1,1-4,11; Micah 7,18-20 |
| Sukkot, Day 1 | Leviticus 22,26-23,44
Numbers 29,12-16 | Zechariah 14,1-21 |
| Sukkot, Day 2 | Leviticus 22,26-23,44
Numbers 29,12-16 | 1 Kings 8,2-21 |
| Sukkot, Intermediate Sabbath | Exodus 33,12-34,26 | Ezekiel 38,18-39,16 |
| Shemini Atzeret | Deuteronomy 14,22-16,17
Numbers 29,35-30,1 | 1 Kings 8,54-9,1 |
| Simchat Torah | Deuteronomy 33,1-34,12
Genesis 1,1-2,3
Numbers 29,35-30,1 | Joshua 1,1-18
(Joshua 1,1-9) |
| Chanukkah, First Sabbath | | Zechariah 2,14-4,7 |
| Chanukkah, Second Sabbath | | 1 Kings 7,40-50 |
| Sheqalim | Exodus 30,11-16 | 2 Kings 12,1-17
(2 Kings 11,17-12,17) |
| Zakhor | Deuteronomy 25,17-19 | 1 Samuel 15,2-34
(1 Samuel 15,1-34) |
| Purim | Exodus 17,8-16 | |
| Parah | Numbers 19,1-22 | Ezekiel 36,16-38
(Ezekiel 36,16-36) |
| Ha-Chodesh | Exodus 12,1-20 | Ezekiel 45,16-46,18
(Ezekiel 45,18-46,15) |
| Shabbat Ha-Gadol | | Malachi 3,4-24 |
| Passover, Day 1 | Exodus 12,21-51
Numbers 28,16-25 | Joshua 5,2-6,1
(Joshua 5,2-6,1; 6,27) |
| Passover, Day 2 | Leviticus 22,26-23,44
Numbers 28,16-25 | 2 Kings 23,1-9; 23,21-25 |
| Passover, Intermediate Sabbath | Exodus 33,12-34,26
Numbers 28,16-25 | Ezekiel 37,1-14 |
| Passover, Day 7 | Exodus 13,17-15,26
Numbers 28,19-25 | 2 Samuel 22,1-51 |
| Passover, Day 8 | Deuteronomy 15,19-16,17
Numbers 28,19-25 | Isaiah 10,32-12,6 |
| Shavu'ot, Day 1 | Exodus 19,1-20,23
Numbers 28,26-31 | Ezekiel 1,1-28; 3,12 |
| Shavu'ot, Day 2 | Deuteronomy 15,19-16,17
Numbers 28,26-31 | Habakkuk 3,1-19
(Habakkuk 2,20-3,19) |
| Tisha B'Av, Morning | Deuteronomy 4,25-40 | Jeremiah 8,13-9,23 |
| Tisha B'Av, Afternoon | Exodus 32,11-14, 34,1-10 | Isaiah 55,6-56,8
(Hosea 14,2-10; Micah 7,18-20) |
| Minor Fasts, Morning | Exodus 32,11-14, 34,1-10 | |
| Minor Fasts, Afternoon | Exodus 32,11-14, 34,1-10 | Isaiah 55,6-56,8
(none) |
| Rosh Chodesh (weekday) | Numbers 28,1-15 | |
| Shabbat on Eve of Rosh Chodesh | | 1 Samuel 20,18-42 |
| Shabbat Rosh Chodesh | Numbers 28,9-15 | Isaiah 66,1-24 |
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