Torah reading (Hebrew:קריאת התורה,K'riat haTorah, "Reading [of] the Torah";Ashkenazic pronunciation:Kriyas haTorah) is aJewishreligioustradition that involves the public reading of a set of passages from aTorah scroll. The term often refers to the entire ceremony of removing the scroll (or scrolls) from theTorah ark, chanting the appropriate excerpt with specialcantillation (trope), and returning the scroll(s) to the ark.It is also commonly called "laining" (lein is also speltlain,leyn,layn; from the Yiddishלייענען (leyenen), which means "to read").[1]
Regular public reading of theTorah was introduced byEzra theScribe after the return of the Judean exiles from theBabylonian captivity (c. 537 BCE), as described in theBook of Nehemiah.[2] In the modern era,Orthodox Jews practice Torah reading according to a set procedure almost unchanged since theTalmudic era.[3] Since the 19th century CE,Reform andConservative Judaism have made adaptations to the practice of Torah reading, but the basic pattern of Torah reading has usually remained the same:
As a part of the morning or afternoon prayer services on certain days of the week or holidays, a section of thePentateuch is read from a Torah scroll. OnShabbat (Saturday) mornings, a weekly section (known as asedra orparashah) is read, selected so that the entire Pentateuch is read consecutively each year.[4][5][6][7] On Sabbath afternoons, Mondays, and Thursdays, the beginning of the following Sabbath's portion is read. OnJewish holidays (includingchol hamoed,Chanukkah andPurim),Rosh Chodesh, andfast days,special sections connected to the day are read.
Many Jews observe an annual holiday,Simchat Torah, to celebrate the completion of the year's cycle of readings.
The introduction of public reading of theTorah byEzra the Scribe after the return of the Judean exiles is described inNehemiahChapter 8. However, the reading of the Torah three times a week (albeit not as many verses) is said to go back to the times ofMoses.[8]
Themitzvah of Torah reading was based on the Biblical commandment ofHakhel (Deuteronomy31:10–13), by which once every 7 years the entire people was to be gathered, "men, women and children,"[9] and hear much of Deuteronomy, the final volume of the Pentateuch, read to them (see the closing chapters of theTalmudic tractateSotah) by the King.
Torah reading is discussed in theMishna andTalmud, primarily intractate Megilla.
It has been suggested that the reading of the Law was due to a desire to controvert the views of theSamaritans with regard to the various festivals, for which reason arrangements were made to have the passages of the Pentateuch relating to those festivals read and expounded on the feast-days themselves.[citation needed]
An alternative triennial cycle of Torah readings also existed at that time, a system whereby each week the portion read was approximately a third of the current. According to theJewish Encyclopedia, the triennial cycle "was the practice in Palestine, whereas in Babylonia the entire Pentateuch was read in the synagogue in the course of a single year."[10] As late as 1170Benjamin of Tudela mentionedEgyptian congregations that took three years to read the Torah.[11] and this is corroborated by theRambam who mentions in hisMishneh Torah that a few communities in his time still read the Torah in three years.[12]
Joseph Jacobs, in the Jewish Encyclopedia article mentioned, notes that the transition from the triennial to the annual reading of the Law and the transference of the beginning of the cycle to the month of Tishri are attributed bySándor Büchler to the influence ofRav (175–247 CE):
This may have been due to the smallness of the sedarim under the old system, and to the fact that people were thus reminded of the chief festivals only once in three years. It was then arranged that Deut. xxviii. should fall before the New Year, and that the beginning of the cycle should come immediately after theFeast of Tabernacles. This arrangement has been retained by theKaraites and by modern congregations.
The current practice in Orthodox synagogues follows the annual/Babylonian cycle. At the time of the Jewish Encyclopedia's publication (1901–06), the author noted that there were only "slight traces of the triennial cycle in the four special Sabbaths and in some of the passages read upon the festivals, which are frequently sections of the triennial cycle, and not of the annual one".[13]
In the 19th and 20th centuries, some Conservative (as evidenced in theEtz Hayimchumash) and most Reform,[14] Reconstructionist[15] and Renewal[citation needed] congregations have switched to a triennial cycle, where the first third of each parashah is read one year, the second third the next year and the final third in a third year. This must be distinguished from the ancient practice, which was to read each seder in serial order regardless of the week of the year, completing the entire Torah in three (or three and a half) years in a linear fashion.
The beginning each weeklyparashah (usually the first segment of seven) from the Torah is read duringSabbath afternoons and in the morningservices on Mondays and Thursdays. The entire weekly parashah is read onShabbat mornings. Most major and minorfestival and fast days have a unique Torah reading devoted to that day. The Torah is also read during afternoon services on fasts andYom Kippur.
When the Torah is read in the morning, it comes afterTachanun orHallel, or, if these are omitted, immediately after theAmidah. The Torah reading is followed by the recitation of theHalfKaddish.
When the Torah is read during the afternoon prayers, it occurs immediatelybefore theAmidah.
The term "Torah reading" is often used to refer to the entire ceremony of taking theTorah scroll (or scrolls) out of its ark, reading excerpts from the Torah with aspecial tune, and putting the scroll(s) back in the Ark.
The Torah scroll is stored in an ornamental cabinet, called aholy ark (aron kodesh), designed specifically for Torah scrolls. The Holy Ark is usually found in the front of the sanctuary, and is a central element of synagogue architecture. When needed for reading, the Torah is removed from the ark by someone chosen for the honor from among thecongregants; specific prayers are recited as it is removed. The Torah is then carried bythe one leading the services to thebimah — a platform or table from which it will be read; further prayers are recited by the congregation while this is done.
Ikuv keriah, rarely practiced today, was a procedure by which community members could have their grievances addressed by interfering with the service at the time the Torah was removed from the Ark.
In theSefardic tradition, the Torah is lifted before the reading, and this is called "Levantar",Spanish for "to lift up". In theYemenite tradition, the Torah remains in a resting position while just the parchment is raised.
InAshkenazic tradition, lifting is called "Hagbah" and is usually done after the reading, although someNusach Sefard communities, especially in Israel, have adopted the Sephardic custom of doing it before the reading. The order was a matter of medieval dispute but the position of theKol Bo, lifting before, eventually lost to that ofMoses Isserles and is followed in only a few Ashkenazic communities.[16] Two honorees are called: theMagbiah ("lifter") performsHagbah ("lifting [of the Torah]") and displays the Torah's Hebrew text for all to see,[17][18] after which theGolel ("roller") performsGelila ("rolling" [of the Torah]") and puts on the cover, belt, crown, and/or other ornaments (this role, originally distinguished, is now often given to minors). In Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, and someOpen Orthodox congregations, these roles may also be performed by a woman. The respective titles for women are "Magbihah" and "Golelet". Rashi says on Megillah 32a that these roles were originally performed by the same honoree.
As the Hagbah is performed, the congregation points toward the Torah scroll with their pinky fingers and recites Deut. 4:44, "And this is the Law which Moses set before the people of Israel", adding, "on the word of the LORD, by hand of Moses." The custom of pointing has no clear origin. The medieval Ashkenazic custom (according toMoses Isserles) was to bow toward the scroll during Hagbaha; pointing is mentioned byMordecai Crispin of Rhodes (c. 1730-1790) in a work published by his grandson in 1836;[19] pointing with the pinky, first recorded as a "Russian" custom by the 1912 Jewish Encyclopedia, was codified by theMe'am Loez in 1969.[20] Twentieth-century additions to the Me'am Loez were written by an Ashkenazi, Shmuel Kroizer, but the Sephardic prestige of the work has helped the custom become near-universal among both Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews.[16]
In Ashkenazic congregations, the Magbiah will usually sit holding the scroll until after the Haftarah is performed and the chazzan takes it from him to return it to the ark. In some congregations, the scroll is instead placed on thebimah or handed to a different honoree (frequently a minor) to sit and hold.
Asynagogue official, called agabbai, then calls up several people (men in mostOrthodox and someConservative congregations, men and women in others, and both men and women atReform congregations) in turn, to be honored with analiyah (Hebrew:עליה, pl.עליותaliyot; "ascent" or "going up"). The honoree, oroleh (pluralolim), stands at the bima and recites a blessing, after which either theoleh or, more usually, a designated reader reads a section of the day's Torah portion, followed by another blessing recited by theoleh.
There are always at least threealiyot in a given Torah-reading service:
| Number ofaliyot | Occasion |
|---|---|
| 3 | Mondays and Thursdays,Shabbat afternoon,fast days (morning and afternoon),Hanukkah,Purim,Yom Kippur afternoon |
| 4 | Rosh Chodesh,Chol HaMoed |
| 5 | Passover (Yom Tov days only, excluding chol hamoed),Shavuot,Rosh Hashanah,Sukkot (Yom Tov days only, excluding chol hamoed),Shemini Atzeret,Simchat Torah |
| 6 | Yom Kippur morning |
| 7 | Shabbat (Saturday) morning |
On Saturday mornings, there are sevenolim, the maximum of any day, but more may be added if desired, by subdividing these sevenaliyot or repeating passages (according to the custom of some communities). When a festival or Yom Kippur coincides with Shabbat the readings are divided into seven aliyot instead of five or six.
In most congregations, theoleh does not himself read the Torah aloud. Rather, he stands near it while a practiced expert, called aba'al keri'ah ("one in charge of reading"; sometimesba'al kore), reads the Torah, withcantillation, for the congregation. Theoleh follows along with the expert, reading in a whisper. InYemenite communities, theoleh reads the portion himself, while on the Sabbath and Festival mornings another person, usually a young boy, recites thetargum after each verse.
In both Orthodox and Conservative congregations, it is common practice to give out an aliyah to a man (or woman, in Conservative congregations) who has just recovered from a serious illness, or returned from a long trip, or survived some other significant danger, in order to allow him (or her) to recite a special blessing, known as "benching gomel", although technically one can "bench gomel" even without receiving an Aliyah.
Aliyot are also given to a groom-to-be, or in egalitarian congregations, the bride-to-be and groom-to-be, together, in a pre-wedding ceremony known as an "aufruf".
In Jewish custom, baby boys are named in a special ceremony, known as abrit milah, but baby girls are often named during the Torah reading, with the father (in non-egalitarian congregations) or both parents (in egalitarian congregations) being called up for an aliyah prior to the naming, and a special blessing for the baby.
According to Halachah, followed byOrthodox Judaism, thefirstoleh (person called to read) is akohen and the second alevi; the thirdoleh isYisr'el, — Jews who are neitherkohen norlevi. Regarding subsequent Aliyot (4–7 on the Sabbath), according to the Ashkenazic tradition, these must be given toYisr'elim, whereas according to the Sephardic tradition, they can be given to anyone.[21] This assumes that such people are available; is there is no Kohen, a Yisrael is traditionally called for the first Aliyah, and halachic authorities debate whether in such a case a Levi may be called for the first Aliyah.[22] If no Levi is present, the same Kohen is traditionally called for the first two Aliyot.[23] If only Kohanim or Leviim are present, they are traditionally called one after the other, and if in such a situation there is one Yisrael, he can be called for the first Aliyah.[24] The first twoaliyot are sometimes referred to as "Kohen" and "Levi (or simply asrishon andsheini, especially on shabbat morning)," while the rest are known by their number (in Hebrew). This practice is also followed in some but not allConservative synagogues.Reform andReconstructionist Judaism have abolished special ritual roles for the descendants of the Biblical priestly and levitical castes.
Eacholeh, after being called to the Torah, approaches it, recites abenediction, a portion is read, and theoleh concludes with another benediction. Then the nextoleh is called.
In Ashkenazi congregations, as well as some Sephardi congregations, the gabbai recites a Hebrew verse upon calling the first person to the Torah. Afterward, men are called with: "Ya'amod (Let him arise), [Hebrew Name]ben (son of) [Father's Hebrew name] [Ha-Kohen (theKohen) /Ha-Levi (theLevite)] (the name of the Aliyah in Hebrew)." (In Conservative and Reform synagogues where women may receive aliyot, women are called with "Ta'amod (Let her arise), [Hebrew Name]bat (daughter of) [Father's Hebrew name] [Ha-Kohen (theKohen) /Ha-Levi (theLevite)] (the name of the Aliyah in Hebrew)." In some egalitarian communities, the mother's Hebrew name is added along with the father's, or both parents are included in the case of same-sex parents). In some communities, ami she-beirach is recited for the person after he received his Aliyah; in other communities, this is done only on shabbat morning or only for special occasions.
Thesealiyot are followed by half-kaddish. When the Torah is read in the afternoon,kaddish is not recited at this point, but rather after the Torah has been returned to the Ark (the exception being in the Chabad custom, where the Kaddish is recited immediately after the reading instead of after the Torah has been returned to the Ark).
Theoleh hastens from their seat to the desk, going directly to the desk without any interruptions. Although around the world, including North America, many congregations will have a trained scroll reader for the actual recitation, the very considerable honor of the reading is attributed to the oleh. If there was a previous portion read, the previous oleh then steps aside from the desk. The oleh takes their place at the desk facing the open scroll, the verse where their portion begins is pointed out for them, they may kiss the scroll (usually by kissing the corner of theirprayer shawl or the Torah wrapping and then touching that to the scroll), and then they may close their eyes, or avert their face, or otherwise indicate that the blessing they are about to recite is not being read from the text of the Torah. While reciting the blessings they hold both handles of the scroll, and if the actual scroll reading is done by someone else, the oleh steps to the side but continues to hold with one hand one of the scroll's handles.[25]
The oleh says, preferably in a confident voice (as this is a call for a congregational response):[26]
בָּרְכוּ אֶת יְיָ הַמְבֹרָךְ׃
Bar'chu es Adonai ham'vorach.[a]
You will bless The Lord the Blessed one.° (° or "who is to be blessed ")
The congregation responds with the traditional blessing:
בָּרוּךְ יְיָ הַמְבֹרָךְ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד׃
Baruch Adonai ham'vorach l'olam va'ed.
Bless The Lord who is (to be) blessed forever and eternally.
The oleh now repeats the blessing just uttered by the congregation.
The oleh will then say:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם
אֲשֶׁר בָּחַר בָּנוּ מִכָּל הָעַמִּים וְנָתַן לָנוּ אֶת תּוֹרָתוֹ׃
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ נוֹתֵן הַתּוֹרָה׃
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheynu melech ha'olam.
Asher bachar banu mikol ha'amim v'nasan lanu es toraso.
Baruch atah Adonai, nosen hatorah.
Blessed are You O Lord, our God, king of all existence,
Who chose us from among all nations and gave us His Torah.
Blessed are You, O Lord, giver of the Torah.[27]
The portion of the Torah is then read. If a more skilled person is doing the recitation, the oleh will follow the reading (using the scroll or a printed book) in a subdued voice, as will the members of the congregation. When the portion is finished, the oleh then says the concluding benediction:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם
אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לָנוּ (אֶת תּוֹרָתוֹ) תּוֹרַת אֶמֶת
וְחַיֵי עוֹלָם נָטַע בְּתוֹכֵנוּ׃
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ נוֹתֵן הַתּוֹרָה׃
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheynu melech ha'olam.
Asher nasan lanu (Sephardim add: et torato) Toras emes.
Ve'chayey ‘olam nata’ besochenu.
Baruch atah Adonai, nosen ha-torah.
Blessed are You O Lord, our God, king of the Universe,
Who has given us the Torah of truth,
and planted life everlasting within us.
Blessed are You, O Lord, giver of the Torah.
At this point, if the oleh has recently been in danger of death (such as serious sickness or surgery or a journey on a boat (which some extend to an airplane flight) or captivity), they will add theBirkhat HaGomel – a blessing of thanks to God "who has dealt kindly with me". The officiant may add a benediction for the oleh's good health, and there are some other blessings that may be added depending on the situation. The oleh will kiss the scroll again, and may shake hands with the oleh of the previous portion, who now returns to their seat, and if there is another portion to be read, the oleh steps aside for the next oleh, stands beside the desk while the next oleh reads their portion, sometimes shakes their hand and offers felicitation, thanks the officiant and the actual scroll reader for the honor they have received, and then returns to their seat – but slowly, as if reluctant to leave the scroll, and probably will pause on the way to accept the felicitations of various members of the congregation.[28]
In North America, and elsewhere, many congregations extend the honor of an aliyah to visitors or new members, to members who have recently attained a major life event, and to the relatives of the bar/bat mitzvah child. Refusing an aliyah is regarded as an insult to the Torah itself.[29] It would be desirable that anyone who might expect such an honor would rehearse these blessings beforehand in order to do a creditable performance when the occasion occurs.[30]
After the reading, if the Torah is not in a wooden case, theGolel ("roller") performsGelila ("rolling up"), then binds the Torah with a sash and replaces the Torah's cover. This honor is sometimes given to a child underBar Mitzvah age.
On days when ahaftarah is read (seeHaftarah below), there is a finalaliyah after thekaddish, calledmaftir. The person called to thataliyah, as well, is known as "themaftir." On holidays,maftir is read from the Torah verses describing the sacrifices brought in theTemple in Jerusalem on that particular holiday. In progressive synagogues alternative readings are read. On a regular Sabbath that does not have a special Maftir, the maftir is a repetition of the last few verses of theparsha.
When the Torah is read on Tisha Bav in the morning, on the afternoon of a fast day, and on Yom Kippur afternoon, the thirdaliyah is considered the maftir, and is followed immediately by thehaftarah.
On Saturday andholiday mornings, as well as onTisha B'av in the morning (in many communities), the afternoons of fast days (in many communities) and Yom Kippur, the Torah reading concludes with thehaftarah – a reading from one of theBooks of Prophets. Thehaftarah usually relates in some way to either the Torah reading of that day, a theme of the holiday, or the time of year.
The Torah scroll is then put back in its ark to the accompaniment of specific prayers.
In Ashkenazic communities, the Chazzan takes the Torah scroll in his right arm and recites "Let them praise the name of HaShem, for his name alone will have been exalted." The congregation then responds with Psalm 148, verses 13–14. In other communities, the verses recited may differ.
The cycle of weekly readings is fixed. Because theHebrew calendar varies from year to year, two readings are sometimes combined so that the entire Pentateuch is read over the course of a year.
OnShabbat mornings, theweekly Torah portion (parashah) is read. It is divided into seven or morealiyot (see above for more onaliyot).
On Monday and Thursday mornings (except if there is another special reading) and on Saturday afternoons, a small section of the upcoming week'sparashah is read, divided into threealiyot
OnJewish holidays, the reading relates to the day. For example, onPassover the congregation reads various sections of the Pentateuch that relate to that holiday.
When multiple special occasions occur at the same time, there is a standard order of precedence. Generally speaking, when majorJewish holidays occur onShabbat the holiday portion is read, although divided into the seven portions forShabbat rather than the number appropriate for the holiday — there is a special reading for whenShabbat coincides with theChol HaMoed (intermediate days) ofPassover orSukkot. However, whenShabbat coincides with minor holidays, such asRosh Chodesh (New month) orHanukkah, the regular reading forShabbat is read, plus an additional reading (maftir) relevant to the occasion. The additional reading is read from a second scroll if available. On rare occasions, such as when aRosh Chodesh falls on a Shabbat that also commemorates another occasion, such asHanukkah or when one of the four special additional readings read prior toPassover (Shekalim or Hachodesh), there are two additional readings and three scrolls (if available) are read; in such a case the regular Parsha is divided up into six readings, the seventh reading is for Rosh Chodesh, and the maftir is for the other special occasion.
On Simchat Torah (Hebrew:שמחת תורה, "Joyous celebration of the Torah"), the order of weekly readings is completed, and the day is celebrated with various customs involving the Torah. In many communities, the Torah is read at night – a unique occurrence, preceded in many communities by seven rounds of song and dance (hakafot, sing.hakafah; some communities havehakafot without subsequently reading the Torah.) During thehakafot, most or all of the synagogue's Torah scrolls are removed from the Holy Ark, and carried around the Bimah by members of the congregation.
On the day of Simchat Torah (in Judaism, day follows night), some communities repeat the seven rounds of song and dance to varying degrees, while in others the Torah scrolls are only carried around the Bimah (seven times) symbolically. Afterwards, many communities have the custom of calling every member of the congregation for analiyah, which is accomplished by repeatedly re-reading the day's fivealiyot. The process is often expedited by splitting the congregants into multiple rooms, to each of which a Torah is brought for the reading, and traditionally care must be taken that a minyan is present for the entirety of each reading.
Following the regularaliyot, the honor ofHatan Torah ("Groom of the Torah") is given to a distinguished member of the congregation, who is called for analiyah in which the remaining verses of the Torah are read, to complete that year's reading. Another member of the congregation is honored withHatan Bereishit ("Groom of Genesis"), and receives analiyah in which the first verses of the Torah, containing the creation account of Genesis, are read (a second copy of the Torah is usually used, so that the first need not be rolled all the way to the beginning while the congregants wait). In theItalian Nusach, this reading is read from a printed book without reciting a blessing. Afterwards, the services proceed in the usual manner, with themaftir andhaftarah for Simchat Torah.
TheTalmud states that "anyone can be called up to read from the Torah, even a minor and even a woman, but our sages taught that we do not call a woman on account of Kevod Hatzibur" (the dignity of the congregation;Megillah 23a). This statement is mirrored in theShulchan Aruch, Orach Hayim 282:3.
Based on this in most Orthodox congregations, only men are called to the Torah. This term is interpreted in numerous ways by various sources.[citation needed]
Mendel Shapiro andDaniel Sperber permit women to participate in regular Torah reading onShabbat, in services known as "partnership minyanim". This innovation is not accepted in Orthodox communities,[31] including almost all Modern Orthodox communities. Prominent Modern Orthodoxposqim, includingHershel Schachter,Mordechai Willig,Nisson Alpert, and others have ruled that this practice is not permitted.[32]
A small number of Modern Orthodox congregations have added all-female prayer groups, where women are permitted to read the Torah to an audience of women, though without blessings, aliyot, or associated liturgy. The Chief Rabbi of the Commonwealth, Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis stated that women were not permitted to read from the Torah in the United Synagogues.[33]
Most but not all Conservative congregations permit women to have analiyah for at least part of the reading. Many Conservative congregations, and nearly all Reform, Reconstructionist, and Renewal congregations, practice complete genderegalitarianism.
Conservative Judaism generally follows practices for Torah reading similar toOrthodox Judaism except that:
In addition to changes mentioned above for Conservative Judaism, these movements generally practice:
ATorah Tape[35] is a recording of a lecture on aTorah topic. Historically these were physical tapes,[36] Initially, Torah Tape patrons would purchase the tapes for a dollar a piece, but later on it moved to a lending-library model,[37] under which they were either sold or loaned by Torah Tape libraries. Today content is available from web sites, at times on a subscription model.[38]
By 2019 the number of tapes produced was in the millions, including the public lectures byAvigdor Miller.[36][39] Torah Tape libraries have been opened beyond theNY/Tri-state area.[40]Yissocher Frand's Torah Tapes are recordings of lectures he gives inBaltimore[41]
Leyenen is the popular term for the public reading of sections of the Torah andmegiles [...] onShabes and holidays. [...] a designated member of the community (theleyener) who would have to spend time memorising the proper way to read the text
In 1970, it began operating officially under the Torah Tapes name