Torah Readings and Sedra Schemes

What are the weekly sedrot?

The Hebcal Torah Readings page lists all of the 54 Parshiyot. Each invidiual parsha page includes an aliyah-by-aliyah breakdown of what sections are read.

See also Judaism 101: Torah Readings.

What is the differerence between the Diaspora and Israeli sedra schemes?

Jews living in the Diaspora (outside of modern Israel) typically observe two days of chag on holidays that are Yom Tov (holidays where work is forbidden, called yontiff in Yiddish). In Israel, only one day of chag is observed.

Sometimes, depending on the calendar, the Diaspora observes the second day of chag on Shabbat, and the holiday Torah reading pushes the regular weekly Torah reading back a week. Since Israel has only one day of chag, they read the regular weekly Torah reading. Thus, the Parsha Hashavuah ends up being different.

When using the "Weekly sedrot on Saturdays" option on the interactive calendar, select the appropriate option depending on where you live (Israeli sedra scheme for those living inside Israel, Diaspora for everyone else).

What is the Triennial Torah Reading Cycle?

"Many congregations pattern their weekly Torah reading cycle after a system similar to the one used in ancient Israel during the rabbinic period. In this system, the traditional parashiot are each divided into three shorter segments, and the whole Torah is completed once every three years. The system has both advantages and disadvantages, but its ability to shorten the length of Torah reading without sacrificing the complete reading of the Torah on a regular basis has made it the choice of some synagogues in the Conservative Movement."
A Complete Triennial System for Reading the Torah, Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Rabbinical Assembly

Can I download the aliyah-by-aliyah breakdown of Torah readings for Shabbat?

You can download these Comma Separated Value (CSV) files and import into Microsoft Excel or some other spreadsheet program. Note that they follow the Diaspora sedra scheme.

The format of the CSV files looks something like this:

DateParshaAliyahReadingVerses
25-Oct-03Bereshit1Genesis 1:1 - 2:334
25-Oct-03Bereshit2Genesis 2:4 - 2:1916
25-Oct-03Bereshit3Genesis 2:20 - 3:2127
25-Oct-03Bereshit4Genesis 3:22 - 4:1821
25-Oct-03Bereshit5Genesis 4:19 - 4:224
25-Oct-03Bereshit6Genesis 4:23 - 5:2428
25-Oct-03Bereshit7Genesis 5:25 - 6:816
25-Oct-03BereshitmafGenesis 6:5 - 6:84
25-Oct-03BereshitHaftaraIsaiah 42:5 - 43:11
1-Nov-03Noach1Genesis 6:9 - 6:2214
1-Nov-03Noach2Genesis 7:1 - 7:1616
1-Nov-03Noach3Genesis 7:17 - 8:1422
1-Nov-03Noach4Genesis 8:15 - 9:715
1-Nov-03Noach5Genesis 9:8 - 9:1710
1-Nov-03Noach6Genesis 9:18 - 10:3244
1-Nov-03Noach7Genesis 11:1 - 11:3232
1-Nov-03NoachmafGenesis 11:29 - 11:324
1-Nov-03NoachHaftaraIsaiah 54:1 - 55:5


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Last modified: Thu Jun 26 22:14:40 PDT 2008 ($Revision: 2803 $)