When a shul misses Torah reading

Hi,

When a synagogue misses the Shabbat Torah reading, they should make it up on the following week. This applies regardless of why they missed it. They read the previous portion first, and then the current portion. They also read the haftorah for both Torah portions.

(Rivivot Ephraim 1:211)

[Note: Rivivot Ephraim does not discuss whether one recites separate blessings for each haftorah; I imagine that it is one set of blessings, but I don't know.]

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Choosing a Haftorah

Hi,

Today our Haftarot are ordained by custom and printed in our chumashim, but it was not always so; there were guidelines for selecting a Haftorah, and a community could choose any prophetic passage that matched those guidelines.

One such rule is that on a week with a double Torah portion, the Haftorah's theme must match a theme from the second portion. Similarly, on a week when we read from a single Torah the Haftorah was supposed to match a theme from the end (maftir) part of the Torah reading.

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 284:7)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Reading the Haftorah from parchment

Hi,

The Haftorah is supposed to be read from a parchment scroll containing the entire book of Prophets from which the Haftorah is drawn. If that is not possible (due to the expense of such a scroll), the next-best option is to read from a printed book of the Prophets.

If neither of those is available for some reason, then one may read the Haftorah from a printed Chumash or from a "Book of the Haftarot," but then each person in the synagogue should personally read along, as well.

(Mishneh Berurah 284:1, 284:11)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Beginning the Haftorah

Hi,

One may not begin the Haftorah until the Torah has been entirely wrapped up, so that the people wrapping the Torah will have the opportunity to fulfill their obligation to hear the Haftorah.

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 284:6; Mishneh Berurah 284:12)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Haftorah - Picking up in the middle

Hi,

If the person reading the Haftorah suddenly becomes unable to continue, the person who picks up for him goes back to the beginning of the Haftorah, but does not recite a new blessing on the Haftorah.

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 284:5)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The blessings for Torah reading and the Haftorah

Hi,

The person who recites the blessings for the Haftorah (as well as all of the Aliyot) should make sure to recite the blessings aloud, such that everyone will be able to hear and respond 'Amen.' When the congregation replies 'Amen' it is as though they had recited the blessings themselves.

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 284:3; Mishneh Berurah 284:6)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Haftorah in a vacuum

Hi,

The Haftorah is only recited with its blessings if it follows a communal Torah reading. Therefore, one who is praying privately may read the Haftorah, but may not recite its blessings.

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 284:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

New topic: Haftorah

Hi,

Today we begin a new topic: The Haftorah (although for some readers, some of this material will be review).

The "Haftorah" is a passage from one (or more) of the Prophets, read after the weekly Torah portion on Shabbat and Holiday mornings, and on Fast Day afternoons.

Traditionally, we understand that the Haftorah-reading originated over two thousand years ago, at a time when a controlling empire forbade public reading of the Torah. To substitute for the Torah, we read from the Prophets. The practice then continued even after that decree was repealed.

There are other explanations for why we have the Haftorah, including a suggestion that we want to add reading from the Prophets to a Jew's regular Torah study, and that we want to be sure to include the Mashiach-related themes which are a constant in the Haftarot we read.

(Mishneh Berurah 284:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Haftorah for Shabbat/Rosh Chodesh/Chanukah

Hi,

Yesterday we explained the system of Torah readings for this Shabbat, which is also Rosh Chodesh (the first day of the lunar month) and Chanukah; what do we do for the Haftorah, do we read the regular Shabbat reading, the Chanukah reading, or the Rosh Chodesh reading?

We read the Haftorah for Chanukah, for two reasons:

1. The last Torah portion we read before the Haftorah is the Chanukah reading, and we generally link the themes of the end of the Torah portion and the Haftorah;

2. Publicizing the miracle of Chanukah trumps even the biblical celebration of Rosh Chodesh. (We do not follow the formula of honoring the mitzvah which occurs more frequently, because that formula applies only as a rule of precedence, not a rule of replacement.)

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 684:3; Mishneh Berurah 684:11)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

G'lilah and Haftorah

Hi,

The reader of the Haftorah may not begin the blessings to start the Haftorah until the Torah is completely wrapped, so that the goleil (person wrapping the Torah) will be able to hear the Haftorah and its blessings.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 147:7; Mishneh Berurah 147:23)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The Haftorah of Shavuot

Hi,

We have mentioned that on the first day of Shavuot we read the Ten Commandments from the Torah. The Haftorah portion is also about an incident of Divine revelation, albeit a personal one - Yechezkel's vision of the Divine throne room.

Because the topic of this Haftorah is so lofty, we generally have a scholar or person of great piety read this Haftorah.

(Mishneh Berurah 494:4)

Have a great day,
Mordechai