What is the Hebrew parashah?
Definition of parashah : a passage in Jewish Scripture dealing with a single topic specifically : a section of the Torah assigned for weekly reading in synagogue worship.
What is the weekly Torah portion called?
The full name, Parashat HaShavua (Hebrew: פָּרָשַׁת הַשָּׁבוּעַ), is popularly abbreviated to parashah (also parshah /pɑːrʃə/ or parsha), and is also known as a Sidra or Sedra /sɛdrə/. The parashah is a section of the Torah (Five Books of Moses) used in Jewish liturgy during a particular week.
How is the Torah used in Shabbat?
The Torah scrolls are taken out from the Ark (Aron ha kodesh) and portions read in the synagogue three times each week. On Mondays and Thursdays small sections are read. The main reading is on the morning of Shabbat (Sabbath). Over the course of the year the whole scroll is read in sequence.
What days is the Torah read?
On Saturday afternoons, Mondays, and Thursdays, the beginning of the following Saturday’s portion is read. On Jewish holidays, Rosh Chodesh, and fast 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.
What are the 3 parts of the Torah?
The Hebrew Bible is organized into three main sections: the Torah, or “Teaching,” also called the Pentateuch or the “Five Books of Moses”; the Neviʾim, or Prophets; and the Ketuvim, or Writings. It is often referred to as the Tanakh, a word combining the first letter from the names of each of the three main divisions.
Who divided the Torah into chapters?
The division into chapters (and therefore numbering chapters and verses) was invented by Archbishop Langton in the early 13th century, and is widely used today even by Jewish sources due to its convenience (again, Psalms is a bit different because there is already a Masoretic tradition, slightly different from the …
What happens in a synagogue during Shabbat?
A Jewish family visits the synagogue on Saturday morning to observe Shabbat. A Jewish girl compares worshipping at home to worshipping at the synagogue. During the service, the Torah is taken out from the Ark, behind the curtains, and a Rabbi reads from it in Hebrew before the scrolls are carefully put away again.
Why is Shabbat so important in Judaism?
God commanded the Jewish People to observe the Sabbath and keep it holy as the fourth of the Ten Commandments. The idea of a day of rest comes from the Bible story of the Creation: God rested from creating the universe on the seventh day of that first week, so Jews rest from work on the Sabbath.
How long will it take to read the Torah?
The reading is usually read over one year, though some Conservative synagogues are on a triannual cycle. Q. How long does it take to read the Torah? The Torah contains the first five books of the Bible.