Torah reading
Encyclopedia : T : TO : TOR : Torah reading
Torah reading (in Hebrew: Kriat HaTorah or "Reading [of] the Torah") has followed a steady pattern for the past two thousand years following the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and is still practiced by Orthodox Judaism and its adherents. In recent times, new movements such as Reform Judaism and Conservative Judaism have made adaptations, but the set pattern of Torah reading has usually remained the same.
As a part of the morning or afternoon prayer services on certain days, a section of the Pentateuch is read from a Torah scroll. On Shabbat (Saturday) mornings, a weekly section (parsha) is read, selected so that the entire Pentateuch is read consecutively each year. On Saturday afternoons, Mondays, and Thursdays, the beginning of the following Saturday's portion is read. On Jewish holidays and fast days, special sections connected to the day are read.
Origins and history of the practice
The introduction of public reading of the Torah by Ezra the Scribe after the return of the Jewish people from the first exile is described in Nehemiah Chapter 8.Prior to Ezra, the mitzvah of Torah reading was based on the Biblical commandment of hakhel (Deut. 31:10-13), by which once every 7 years the entire people was to be gathered, "men, women and children," (Deut 31:12) and hear much of Deuteronomy, the final volume of the Pentateuch, read to them (see the closing chapters of the Talmudic Tractate Sotah). Traditionally, the mitzvah of gathering the people and reading them the Torah under hakhel was to be performed by the King. Under Ezra, Torah reading became more frequent and the congregation themselves substituted for the King's role. Traditionally, Ezra is credited with initiating the modern custom of reading thrice weekly in the Synagogue. This reading is an obligation incumbent on the congregation, not an individual, and did not replace the Hakhel reading by the king.
Torah reading is discussed in the Mishna and Talmud, primarily in Tractate Megilla.
When is the Torah read?
The first part of each weekly Parsha from the Torah is read during the morning services on Mondays, Thursdays. An entire weekly Parsha is read on Saturdays. Each major and minor festivals and fasts has its unique Torah readings devoted to that day. The Torah is also read during afternoon services on Saturdays and fasts.
When the Torah is read in the mornings n the mornings, the Torah is read after tachanun or hallel, or, if these are omitted, after the amidah. "Full-" or "half-kaddish" is recited before the Torah reading and half-Kaddish is recited afterwards. After the Torah reading, the service continues with the rest of the prayers.
When the Torah is read in the afternoons, it is before the amidah, separated by a "half-kaddish."
What is done?
Most people use the term "Torah reading" to refer to the entire ceremony of taking the Torah scroll (or scrolls) out of its ark, reading it (them), and putting it (them) back.
The Torah scroll is stored in an elaborate closet, called a (holy) ark (Hebrew: aron (kodesh)), designed specifically for such scrolls. When needed for reading, the Torah is removed from the ark by someone chosen for the honor from among the congregants; prayers specific to the occasion are recited as the scroll is removed. The Torah is then carried by the one leading the service to a platform or table from which it will be read; further prayers are recited by the congregation while this is done.
Aliyot
A synagogue official, called a gabbai, then calls people, in turn, to be honored with an aliyah, wherein they read the Torah for the congregation. Each reads a section of the day's reading. There are at least three olim (persons called to read the Torah): precisely three on weekdays and fasts, with more olim depending on the calendar; on Saturday mornings, there are seven olim, the maximum of any day, and more may be added (according to the custom of some communities) if desired.According to Orthodox Judaism, as a sign of respect, the first oleh (person called to read) is a kohen and the second a levi; the remaining olim are yisr'elim — Jews who are neither kohen nor levi. (This assumes that such people are available; there are rules in place for what is done if they are not.)
Each oleh, after being called to the Torah, approaches it, recites a benediction, reads from it, and concludes with another benediction. Then the next oleh is called.
In most congregations, the oleh does not read the Torah aloud. Rather, he stands near it while a practiced expert, called a ba'al k'riah ("master of reading"; sometimes, erroneously, ba'al kore) reads the Torah, with cantillation, for the congregation; the oleh follows along with the expert, reading in a whisper.
The gabbai recites a Hebrew verse for calling the first person to the Torah. After that, everyone is called with "Y'amod, (Hebrew Name) ben (son-of) (Father's Hebrew name) ha-Cohen/Levi/Israel, (The number of the Aliyah in Hebrew, ranging from 1-7 since the 8th one is called Maftir)".
Maftir
On Saturday and holiday mornings, the final aliyah is followed by "half-kaddish" and then an additional aliyah read by someone called the maftir. On other days the extra aliyah is omitted; in the afternoons, both it and the kaddish are omitted.Hagbaha and Gelila
In the Sefardic tradition, the Torah is closed and put aside. In Ashkenaz tradition, two honorees are called. The first, the Magbiha ("lifter") performs Hagbaha ("lifting of the Torah") and displays to the congregation. The second honoree (often a boy under Bar Mitzva), the Gollel ("roller") performs Gelila ("rolling up"), then binds and covers the Torah.[link][link]Haftarah
On certain days, the haftarah is now read. See more information at Haftarah.Returning the Torah
The Torah scroll is then put back in its ark to the accompaniment of specific prayers.What is read?
On Shabbat mornings, the weekly parsha is read. It is divided into seven aliyot (see above for more on aliyot). The cycle of weekly readings is fixed. Because the Hebrew Calendar varies from year to year, two readings are sometimes combined so that the entire Pentateuch is read over the course of a year. See more information at Parsha.On Monday and Thursday mornings and on Saturday afternoons (except on special days), a small section of the upcoming week's parsha is read, divided into three aliyot. On other occasions, the reading relates to the day. For example, on Passover the congregation reads various sections of the Pentateuch that deal with Passover.
Women and Torah reading
According to traditional Orthodox Judaism, all the olim are male. Some Orthodox congregations have added all-female prayer groups where women are permitted to read. In addition, following recent publication of opinions by Modern Orthodox Rabbi Mendel Shapiro and Bar-Ilan University Talmud Professor and Modern Orthodox Rabbi Daniel Sperber that halakha permits Orthodox women to participate in regular Torah Reading on Shabbat under certain conditions, a small number of congregations identifying themselves as Modern Orthodox, called Partnership Minyanim, have begun permitting it. The argument involved is controversial and most Orthodox authorities and organizations do not agree with it. See e.g. [link] (pdf)A second, somehat more obscure but potentially less halakhically controversial device for permitting women to have an aliyah to the Torah in an Orthodox synagogue has recently received an endorsement by an article in the Rabbinical Council of America's flagship publication Tradition. The late 12th and early 13th century Rabbi Meir of Rothenberg ruled that in a community consisting entirely of Kohanim, the prohibition on calling Kohanim for anything but the first two and maftir aliyot creates a deadlock situation which should be resolved by calling women to the Torah for all the intermediate aliyot. Rabbi Joel Wolowelsky of the RCA has recently endorsed relying on this authority to permit the deliberate creation of minyanim composed entirely of Kohanim for the express purpose of giving women an opportunity to have an aliyah to the Torah in an Orthodox setting.[link]
Within Reform and many Conservative congregations, women can also have an aliyah.
Innovations according to Conservative and Reform Judaism
In some Conservative synagogues, women who are Bat Kohenim (female Kohen) and Bat Leviim (female Levi) can be called for the first and second aliyot. Sometimes, particularly in Reform, the distinctions among kohen, levi, and yisrael are done away with.
In addition to allowing female readers, some Conservative and most Reform congregations have switched to a triennial cycle, where the first third of each parsha is read one year, the second third the next year and the final third in a third year. Some Reform congregations have their main Shabbat service on Friday night and read Torah then.
Traditionally, boys who became Bar Mitzvah would read the Torah portion that falls on or shortly after their 13th birthday as part of the celebration of the event, though this is not a requirement. Beginning in the twentieth century, many Conservative and Reform congregations extended this practice to girls who reach religious maturity.
See also
- Synagogue Aliyah
- Aron kodesh
- Cantillation
- Haftarah
- Jewish services
- Minyan
- Parsha
- Torah scroll
- Yad
- Partnership Minyan
External links
- [Hyperlinked table of Torah readings]
- [Summary of Reading by Weekly Parasha]
- [Weekly Torah reading with commentaries and columnists]
- [Weekly Torah reading submitted by many rabbis with commentaries and insights]
Further reading
- Gidon Rothstein, ["Women’s Aliyyot in Contemporary Synagogues."] Tradition 39(2), Summer 2005.
- Joel B. Wolowelsky, ["On Kohanim and Uncommon Aliyyot."] Tradition 39(2), Summer 2005
Summary of weekly Torah portion
- Main articles: Parsha, Torah reading
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.