Category Archives: Torah Readings

Here’s some halachic trivia for your next cocktail party.

We read from the Torah every Shabbat, but we usually read from a single Torah scroll, and occasionally read from two scrolls.

On three possible occasions (when Rosh Chodesh coincides with a special Shabbat) we read from three sifrei Torah.

• 1st scroll: regular weekly Torah portion (aliyot 1-6)
• 2nd scroll: special 7th aliyah for Rosh Chodesh (Numbers 28:9-15)
• 3rd scroll: special maftir aliyah for the special Shabbat

1. Shabbat Shekalim on Rosh Chodesh

Rosh Chodesh Adar coincides with Shabbat Shekalim about once every 13 years. The weekly Torah portion is always either Parashat Mishpatim or Parashat Terumah. The special maftir for Shabbat Shekalim is Exodus 30:11-16.

Here are a sample of dates, recent past and near future:

• Mishpatim 5761 – 24 February 2001 – 1 Adar 5761
• Mishpatim 5781 – 13 February 2021 – 1 Adar 5781
• Terumah 5785 – 1 March 2025 – 1 Adar 5785
• Terumah 5805 – 18 February 2045 – 1 Adar 5805
• Mishpatim 5808 – 15 February 2048 – 1 Adar 5808
• Terumah 5832 – 20 February 2072 – 1 Adar 5832
• Mishpatim 5835 – 16 February 2075 – 1 Adar 5835
• Mishpatim 5859 – 21 February 2099 – 1 Adar 5859
• Terumah 5883 – 27 February 2123 – 1 Adar 5883
• Terumah 5903 – 16 February 2143 – 1 Adar 5903
• Mishpatim 5906 – 12 February 2146 – 1 Adar 5906
• Terumah 5910 – 28 February 2150 – 1 Adar 5910
• Terumah 5930 – 17 February 2170 – 1 Adar 5930

2. Shabbat HaChodesh on Rosh Chodesh

Rosh Chodesh Nisan falls on Shabbat HaChodesh once every 3-4 years (approximately 28% of the time). The weekly Torah portion is always either Parashat Tazria or Parashat Vayikra. The special maftir for Shabbat HaChodesh is Exodus 12:1-20.

Here are a sample of dates, recent past and near future:

• Tazria 5776 – 9 April 2016 – 1 Nisan 5776
• Vayikra 5778 – 17 March 2018 – 1 Nisan 5778
• Tazria 5779 – 6 April 2019 – 1 Nisan 5779
• Tazria 5782 – 2 April 2022 – 1 Nisan 5782
• Vayikra 5789 – 17 March 2029 – 1 Nisan 5789
• Vayikra 5792 – 13 March 2032 – 1 Nisan 5792
• Vayikra 5796 – 29 March 2036 – 1 Nisan 5796
• Vayikra 5799 – 26 March 2039 – 1 Nisan 5799
• Vayikra 5802 – 22 March 2042 – 1 Nisan 5802
• Tazria 5803 – 11 April 2043 – 1 Nisan 5803
• Tazria 5806 – 7 April 2046 – 1 Nisan 5806
• Tazria 5809 – 3 April 2049 – 1 Nisan 5809
• Vayikra 5816 – 18 March 2056 – 1 Nisan 5816
• Vayikra 5819 – 15 March 2059 – 1 Nisan 5819
• Vayikra 5823 – 31 March 2063 – 1 Nisan 5823
• Vayikra 5826 – 27 March 2066 – 1 Nisan 5826
• Vayikra 5829 – 23 March 2069 – 1 Nisan 5829
• Tazria 5833 – 8 April 2073 – 1 Nisan 5833
• Tazria 5836 – 4 April 2076 – 1 Nisan 5836

3. Shabbat Rosh Chodesh Chanukah

When Rosh Chodesh Tevet falls on Shabbat Chanukah, we read the first scroll for the weekly portion (always Parashat Miketz), the second for Rosh Chodesh, and the third for Chanukah.

This also happens approximately 28% of the time.

• Miketz 5776 – 12 December 2015 – 30 Kislev 5776
• Miketz 5779 – 8 December 2018 – 30 Kislev 5779
• Miketz 5780 – 28 December 2019 – 30 Kislev 5780
• Miketz 5782 – 4 December 2021 – 30 Kislev 5782
• Miketz 5783 – 24 December 2022 – 30 Kislev 5783
• Miketz 5786 – 20 December 2025 – 30 Kislev 5786
• Miketz 5800 – 17 December 2039 – 30 Kislev 5800
• Miketz 5803 – 13 December 2042 – 30 Kislev 5803
• Miketz 5806 – 9 December 2045 – 30 Kislev 5806
• Miketz 5807 – 29 December 2046 – 30 Kislev 5807
• Miketz 5809 – 5 December 2048 – 30 Kislev 5809
• Miketz 5810 – 25 December 2049 – 30 Kislev 5810
• Miketz 5813 – 21 December 2052 – 30 Kislev 5813
• Miketz 5827 – 18 December 2066 – 30 Kislev 5827
• Miketz 5830 – 14 December 2069 – 30 Kislev 5830
• Miketz 5833 – 10 December 2072 – 30 Kislev 5833
• Miketz 5834 – 30 December 2073 – 30 Kislev 5834
• Miketz 5836 – 7 December 2075 – 30 Kislev 5836
• Miketz 5837 – 26 December 2076 – 30 Kislev 5837

In case you were wondering: if a congregation doesn’t happen to own three Torah scrolls, the congregation waits while the scroll is rolled to the proper position.

The Hebcal Torah Readings page lists all of the 54 parashiyot. Each individual parashah page includes an aliyah-by-aliyah breakdown of what sections are read.

See also Judaism 101: Torah Readings.

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 Parashat ha-Shavuah ends up being different.

When using the “Weekly Torah portion on Saturdays” option on the custom calendar, select the appropriate option depending on where you live (Israeli holiday schedule for those living inside Israel, Diaspora for everyone else).

“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

Update December 2021: In November 2020, the CJLS modified the triennial cycle for some combined parshiyot to change the reading for year 3 to be the third section of the parashah.

Modification of the Triennial Cycle Readings for Combined Parashot in Certain Years, Rabbi Miles B. Cohen